The Public Relations Blog

Panera’s advertising agency recently said “no more” to the retail restaurant/bakery giant, citing problems like too many quick changes as a source of ongoing problems and a major halt to progress. Here's our three tips for making PR agency relations work.

There’s a shakeup afoot in the public relations and marketing departments of the nation’s most successful companies. According to a recent study by the Council of Public Relations Firms (CPRF), PR professionals at companies appearing on Fortune’s Most Admired list report not to the marketing department, but to the “C Suite,” that is, CEO, COO and/or chairman. In fact, 63 percent of Fortune 500 companies, those raking in $6 billion in annual revenues, have their PR departments reporting directly to executive offices, as opposed to 42 percent of Fortune 20,000 companies, or those making less than $100 million.

Don’t leave 8 million potential customers waiting

Some come for the music. Many stay for the comedy. All are enlightened by the insightful commentary, special guest interviews and educational segments. If you are successful in pitching to the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, its more than eight million listeners could also be learning about your company or clients.

Spokesperson and media training can make all the difference

The media has tremendous power in America. They help shape popular opinion, decide what is and isn’t newsworthy enough for you to know about and they are permitted to go to practically any length in pursuit of a story. No wonder the press is often referred to as the Fourth Estate.

The new and happening

PR professionals and organizations all around the world are trying to get noticed amidst the online clutter for obvious reasons. As long as the customer is unaware of your existence – that is, as long as you are obscure – buyers aren’t likely to indulge in any transactions with you. Hence, the blow to the profit motive. Needless to say, online visibility is imperative for success – both for individuals and organizations.

Attract all your potential customers

There are 44 million Americans who may want to buy your products and services, and the only thing stopping them is that they are waiting for you to ask and connect with them in the right way.

Craft the perfect pitch and get the job done

The first impression is all you’ve got to convince the person in front of you of your potential. If you do it the right way, there is no reason why you shouldn’t succeed; if you try beating around the bush, there is a strong possibility your pitch will end up in the rejected pile. So what is the right way to approach this issue?

Public relations firm owner and expert Jason Mudd lays it on the line

Public relations is experiencing an identity crisis. Ironic as that might be, I’ve been saying it for over almost two decades.

Learn from the source what growing your business by investing in public relations really means

Public relations is experiencing an identity crisis. Ironic as that might be, I’ve been saying it for over almost two decades.

Few aside from professional insiders and smart executives understand what exactly public relations is and does. Most business executives that I meet know they need and want PR; they just aren’t sure what it is, how it works, where to start or how to get there. They do know good PR is good, and people tell them they should have or they deserve PR.

So what happened? Why the less-than-sterling reputation for the industry? The whole thing is almost like some urban legend: intangible, invisible, hocus-pocus.

Update that profile (audiences notice) and 5 other PR tips for LinkedIn

Moving on from how to use Twitter to updating your LinkedIn: If you know you need to strengthen your online reputation, you can’t overlook LinkedIn anymore. To your audiences, it’s totally legit. It’s also one serious way you can cut through the social media clutter that clogs up every industry. Read on to see how the recent report shared on Forbesimpacts how you use LinkedIn to build your brand as part of your PR strategy.