media relations Archives

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 list I’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”

It’s Tough to Avoid Negative PR These Days

April has been a rough month for the airline industry. Delta—renowned for its low rate of delays and cancellations—probably saw itself as the pariah of the airline industry after “unprecedented” weather hit its main hub in the Atlanta metro and caused the cancellation of thousands of flights over the course of a few days impacting thousands of customers around the country.

But, then United stepped into the picture and a single incident with a single passenger on a single flight stole the negative publicity spotlight from a likely grateful Delta. Continue reading “It’s Tough to Avoid Negative PR These Days”

Caution: Don’t Let External Audiences Kidnap Your Brand!

A fundamental principle in the world of marketing is that an organization does not control its brand. This may seem counterintuitive at first, but the truth is that the market, your current and potential customers, and consumers define your brand. You can try to influence your brand through your marketing communication efforts but, ultimately, no business can fully control the perceptions of the masses.

This is a lesson that athletic shoe company New Balance recently learned — and is still learning — the hard way. Continue reading “Caution: Don’t Let External Audiences Kidnap Your Brand!”

Is There Such a Thing as Negative Publicity? We Think So.

We’ve all heard the old adage “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” The rationale for this is that even if the portrayal of your brand or organization is negative, you’re sti content marketing, content management, newsjacking, social media, digital marketing, SEO, online marketing ll getting your name out there. But let’s be realistic. Nobody wants negative publicity. Even if it does mean getting your name out there, it really can be quite bad.

There’s no magic bullet to make bad publicity simply go away once it happens. Still, there is a simple formula to deal with negative publicity. Continue reading “Is There Such a Thing as Negative Publicity? We Think So.”

Contributed Content and Thought Leadership: Two Ingredients for Great Media Coverage

Creative business corporate work concept: tablet computer PC, modern black glossy touchscreen smartphone with news internet web site, stack of newspapers, cup or mug of fresh coffee and metal ballpoint pen on wooden office table

Marketers are often on the lookout for opportunities for free publicity, and why not? Marketing can be expensive, and it’s hard to beat free when it comes to getting bang for your buck. While some businesses have found success in outlandish publicity stunts, we certainly don’t recommend such a dramatic approach, especially for those working in more conservative industries—e.g. healthcare, financial services, etc., where so much of the organization’s focus relies on promoting an image of safety and responsibility. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still opportunities for free or inexpensive publicity, even in super conservative organizations. Here are a few tips we and our clients have had steady success with: Continue reading “Contributed Content and Thought Leadership: Two Ingredients for Great Media Coverage”

Preparing for a Social Media Crisis: Before it Happens

At Strategic Communications, we are firm believers in the value of social media and online publicity for a business. It’s a huge part of what we do and what we advise our clients to do. But, while the impact of social media on a business is overwhelmingly positive, there are occasionally situations that have the potential to be extremely damaging to a company’s reputation and livelihood. We’re talking, of course, about the dreaded social media crisis. Continue reading “Preparing for a Social Media Crisis: Before it Happens”

Content Marketers: What You Need to Know About Newsjacking

David Meerman Scott, a well-known marketing strategist, coined the term “newsjacking,” which he describes as “the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business.” He’s even written an ebook on the topic: Newsjacking: How to Inject Your Ideas Into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage.

The concept makes sense, and we all know that a great way to gain relevance online is by leveraging hot topics and news items that are beginning to trend-but it’s a competitive, and fast-moving, field. How do content marketers stay on top of the relevant trends and news in their industries to ensure they’re curating and communicating fresh, engaging content? Continue reading “Content Marketers: What You Need to Know About Newsjacking”