The Public Relations Blog

Holidays can throw a wrench into your media-pitching efforts. When reporters and editors go on vacation in the middle of your back-and-forth, you can lose momentum and opportunities. Therefore, you should be aware of upcoming holidays and vacation seasons so you can prepare and plan accordingly. This doesn’t mean that as soon as you start connecting with reporters you should ask them if they’re taking any trips. Instead, use these four tips to avoid losing media-pitching traction during holidays and vacations.

How to get publicity and build connections with media

A trade show is a great opportunity to engage with your target audiences, such as your potential customers and clients, sponsors and investors and media representatives. It’s your chance to foster new connections with the media and to form long-lasting relationships. It’s always easier to connect with someone if you meet face-to-face. Trade shows allow you to meet journalists personally.

2 ways to make sure you have products and experts available in large media cities

National media outlets are largely located in New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, with other key markets including Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia. Each week, editors and editorial assistants receive hundreds of products and goods from companies hoping for a feature in their publications. For many companies, the ability to ship their products to New York City and Los Angeles for a review, feature, or brief results in coverage in major national outlets.

8 tips for creating a news release that will result in numerous media placements and boost your exposure

It’s a problem public relations professionals encounter all the time. They write a news release based on what media and target audiences want to see. Then, the CEO or another C-suite executive reviews the release and adds long quotes and several paragraphs of company information to appease partners or other stakeholders. This is a huge (and common) mistake.

3 reasons why a trained “talking head” is beneficial for your company 

Have you ever watched a televised interview where the interviewee responds to questions with ease, using a flowing, conversational tone? Or perhaps you’ve seen an interview where a company spokesperson seemed defensive and dodged questions using the phrase “no comment.” Some people are naturally exceptional public speakers, while others require significant training to become comfortable talking in front of large crowds.

5 tips to ensure you give media what they really want and earn positive coverage

William Shakespeare wrote, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” When it comes to getting media coverage for your company, the question should be: What will the journalist ask, and am I prepared to give a great answer?

On a recent trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I visited a retail shop in the heart of Amish country known for its shoo-fly pie, which visitors could sample for free. This Pennsylvania Dutch delight grabbed the attention of many passers-by, who, after sampling, purchased a whole pie.

Keep media contact professional. Handsy PR guy shows you how not to do media relations

As a public relations professional, your job is finely tuned to working with others, which necessitates that you understand the rules of personal space, body language and other communication elements. Even so, those without experience jump into PR jobs believing if they can write a news release, they can do the job well. The lack of true understanding of public relations, however, can lead to faux pas or worse.

Use PR to build a more unified, seamless media relations strategy for your organization

When your company has multiple locations, logistics can be a nightmare. Having different managers with the same titles performing similar tasks in several places can be a recipe for disaster. This is especially true when it comes to public relations, media and communications.

Consumers relate more to earned media coverage than they do to advertising. When a media outlet includes your company or brand in a news story, that media coverage adds credibility from an independent source. And, earned coverage shows you as a thought-leader in the industry.

We know that seeing a return on investment via earned media coverage keeps you – our client – happy. It’s important to recognize that earned media coverage doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a process for earning media coverage for our clients, and we want to share five ways we do it.