Category: PR and Media Relations

News Releases: Who Needs Them?

There have been some long, lengthy and actually quite interesting (for communication nerds like me, anyway) discussions in LinkedIn and other groups about the proper terminology for a commonly used communication tool designed to generate interest from the media — is it a “press” release, a “news” release, a “media” release or something else? Truth be told, it probably doesn’t matter what we call it — what really matters, pointed out the pragmatists in the group — is whether or not the desired results are achieved. And that created an entirely separate discussion!

Regardless of what you call it, is the practice of sending out self-proclaiming statements via “snail” mail or, now, email, a thing of the past? Are there better, more effective means of generating media attention? The answer is yes, and no… Continue reading “News Releases: Who Needs Them?”

Avoiding the Top 3 Networking Blunders

Hiring marketing or content marketing talent?Networking is an important activity in any industry. The term has many definitions depending on who you talk to, but in a broad sense you can think of it as just getting to know people in your industry. It’s surprising how many employment, mentorship, sales and partnership opportunities come about just by tapping into who you know and who you’ve met through networking activities.

Unfortunately, we don’t always leverage those relationships to best advantage. Continue reading “Avoiding the Top 3 Networking Blunders”

Best Practices for Correcting Potentially Costly PR Missteps

Public relations can be a tricky business. Issues can emerge very quickly and unexpectedly, and just as quickly become very public. Both experienced PR professionals, as well as non-professionals forced into a PR role from time to time, have to think on their feet, acting on both instinct and experience. Particularly in a lightening-fast communication environment, it’s not surprising that there are often mistakes made by PR professionals and others in the public eye.  Continue reading “Best Practices for Correcting Potentially Costly PR Missteps”

How to Respond Effectively to Negative Advertising

For many businesses, connecting with and selling to a target market can be challenging enough on its own. But, when a competitor jumps into the mix and badmouths your product, service or entire company, an entirely new front opens up. Consider a local grocer watching TV when an ad comes on from a competitor discussing how the local grocer’s produce is not as fresh as the competitor’s and that its product selection is less expansive. Many marketers and business owners struggle with how to respond. Do you ignore the attack? Do you hit back? Continue reading “How to Respond Effectively to Negative Advertising”

Strategic Communications Featured as a Leading PR Firm on Clutch

Customer reviews, client reviews, best PR firm, public relations, content marketingStrategy matters. Not only for our clients, but also for our own team. Strategy is what sets the foundation of a successful partnership, project, or campaign. Part of our strategy at Strategic Communications is being included on Clutch. Clutch is a reviews platform for businesses in the IT services and traditional marketing industries. Their coverage of public relations firms has been continuously growing over the last few years, with over 1,000 companies involved.  Strategic Communications recently joined their growing list, making us very proud that we’ve been able to rise to the top as a leading provider in the PR space. Continue reading “Strategic Communications Featured as a Leading PR Firm on Clutch”

Sponsorships Can be a Slippery Slope

Sports fans and students of media and advertising are no doubt aware of the perceived sexist comments recently made by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton toward a female sports reporter. When asked by Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue about the route-running of Panthers receiver Devin Funchess during an October 4 press conference, Newtown stunned the gathered reporters. Continue reading “Sponsorships Can be a Slippery Slope”

Simple Guidance for Talking to the Media (Even in Tense Situations)

Regardless of one’s politics, it is fair to say that the current presidential administration has caused a great deal of controversy on many fronts, creating fresh headlines nearly every week. One of the most visible manifestations of this has been the attention paid to the president’s communications team. Fans of late night are no doubt aware of former press secretary Sean Spicer’s combative press conferences, Saturday Night Live’s parodies of those press conferences, and Spicer’s disdain for those parodies. Spicer’s interactions with the news media were one of the most talked about aspects of the young administration.

Then his replacement came on the job — for a total of 10 days. Continue reading “Simple Guidance for Talking to the Media (Even in Tense Situations)”

This is What PR Then, and Now, Looks Like

media relations, PR, Beloit College Mindset listI’ve been involved in both PR/media relations and business journalism for a number of years. So many years, in fact, that I can recall the days when I had to write copy on a typewriter without an auto-correct function. I honestly can’t even fathom how I managed to do that. Think about the work (and re-work) involved in making even simple edits to a document. You’d literally have to pull out one sheet and start from scratch. Even more mind-boggling (even for me) is that I wrote quite lengthy articles that way. Continue reading “This is What PR Then, and Now, Looks Like”

Driving Revenue Through Public Relations and Media Placement

At a basic level, generating a profit in business revolves around a simple formula: revenues – costs = profits. In other words, the goal is to bring in more money than you spend. This is what makes the marketing function so tricky for many businesses. Marketing – if done properly – drives revenue. At the same time, marketing can be a significant part of an organization’s budget. According to a recent CMO survey, marketing can account for as much as a quarter of the overall budget for the consumer packaged goods industry, and ten percent for industries like retail wholesale and healthcare/pharmaceuticals.

So, any time you can find a way to do successful marketing on the cheap, it’s a great idea to take advantage. Using PR and free publicity to drive revenue is one of these methods, and here we examine what it takes to be successful. Continue reading “Driving Revenue Through Public Relations and Media Placement”

Be Careful Out There! From Fake News to Fake Newsmakers—How to Best Protect Your Brand

content marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketingIn 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat character burst onto the big screen and became a huge success in the United States. Borat – a scruffy, socially awkward “journalist,” ostensibly from the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan – took a cross-country trip through the United States, mostly in the South, and interacted with and interviewed numerous unwitting participants who became fodder for Baron Cohen’s movie.

While Borat had been a staple of Baron Cohen’s Da Ali G show for years, the 2006 film marked the first time many Americans had been exposed to the character. From college students and driving instructors to rodeos and local news stations, many Americans were fooled into believing they were being interviewed for a cultural program for consumption in Kazakhstan, something that would not be seen in the United States.

Hilarity, embarrassment and lawsuits followed. Continue reading “Be Careful Out There! From Fake News to Fake Newsmakers—How to Best Protect Your Brand”