The Public Relations Blog

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.

You could be missing key opportunities to build a fan base and ignite a movement around your brand

The ability to create and develop an exceptional brand is what separates companies that simply exist from those that are memorable. But what makes an outstanding brand? And how do you promote it? One vital tool is a brand ambassador program.

Don’t underestimate the role of PR; trust the experts

On the internet, you can find do-it-yourself instructions for everything from making jewelry to building rockets. Television is filled with DIY home improvement, decorating and cooking ideas for intrepid go-getters. Still, one area where you should avoid DIY is public relations.

6 steps to creating a social media strategy for your company

Today, every company should have a strong presence on social media. Companies that use social media effectively incorporate a social media strategy. It’s essential for your business to develop a social media strategy to minimize wasted effort, time and data and to be sure your content is appropriate and aligns with other public relations and marketing goals.

3 steps to consider when working in the age of citizen journalism

United Airlines has certainly experienced its share of unexpected media attention the last few weeks. The first powerful wave occurred after passengers at an airport observed airline employees restricting two young ladies from boarding a plane, apparently due to their choice of clothing. Then, just a week later, viral video surfaced of federal law enforcement officials forcefully removing a passenger from one of United’s planes. Neither of these situations may have publicly played out as they did if it hadn’t been for the ever-present “citizen journalist.” Armed with camera phones, regular, ordinary Joe’s and Jane’s are serving as first-hand eyewitnesses and posting, tweeting and sharing unchecked snippets, which fuel a sensationalized news stream for all to consume.

Don’t just pitch news, pitch a story worth telling

I’ll never forget my early public relations mentors who taught me to pitch a great story rather than pitch a news release. Public relations, like marketing and sales, has become more focused on authentic and genuine connection. Not only is it about relationships, but what you do within the confines of those relationships. Very few journalists are interested in pitches that are ho-hum.

Learn the importance of this elusive tactic and how you can get it

When you hear buzzing around a beehive, you know something exciting is going on. You can say the same for business. People tend to gather around wherever things are happening. That’s why it’s vital to generate buzz for your business – and public relations can help.

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.

This is one story on the value of blogging. Read how 5 reasons blogging is important, why blogging is worth it, 4 ways blogging can improve your PR efforts, 3 overlooked reasons to blog, and how blogging can attract customers for more.

4 reasons you should use this critical PR tool

Research shows there are more than 150 million blogs in the world. Does your company have one of them? More importantly, should you really care?

Even when they do blog, some companies treat their blogs like many people treat a new car: exciting at first, but over time, they stop taking care of it. Once you understand the true benefits of blogging for your company, you’ll realize that you really can’t do without it.

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.