One of the things I’ve done for a number of years is freelance writing. Whether I’ve been employed in a full-time job, or now as I run my own consulting business, it’s just something that I can’t bear to give up. Because I have also worked with clients to help them find PR placement opportunities, I’ve been fortunate to experience “both sides of the fence” so to speak. The situations I encounter help me in my client work and also often serve as good examples for the PR-related classes I teach. At any rate, a recent experience really resonated with me.
Continue reading “Provocative Gone Too Far? – IDK, but it pays to know your audience”
Tag: pr
How NOT to Pitch to the Media! Tips and Techniques for Seeing Your Name in the News
Today, more than ever, companies and individuals are hoping to get media exposure – after all, they figure (and not unreasonably), that media exposure is “free” and media coverage tends to be more favorably perceived than the advertising messages we share about ourselves.
Unfortunately, many novice “pitchpeople” make a number of seemingly “minor” errors as they try to get their stories covered. Many of these errors aren’t minor, however. Tick off a reporter once and the chances of connecting again in the future are slim. Here are some things to avoid: Continue reading “How NOT to Pitch to the Media! Tips and Techniques for Seeing Your Name in the News”
Is Social Media Advertising or PR? – Duh!
A recent article in Inc. asked the question: “Is Social Media Advertising or PR?”
Seriously? Now, Inc. is a well-known magazine and Scott Elser, the author of this piece, is co-founder of an advertising agency and presumably a bright guy, but the question seems enormously naive. Perhaps, of course, it is intended to be so simply to stir some discussion. But, who knows? Continue reading “Is Social Media Advertising or PR? – Duh!”
Introducing Something New? How To Generate News!
Whether you’re opening a new business, launching a new product, hiring a new employee, writing a book, creating a blog, etc., etc., etc., there are a number of activities that your business might engage in that you feel should generate news. Problem is, there is often a gap (or seems to be) between what you think is newsworthy and what the new media think.
The good news is that even very small organizations can generate media exposure. They need, though, to follow some general guidelines. Continue reading “Introducing Something New? How To Generate News!”
Media Pitch Best Practices: Your Name in the News!
At least once a week – maybe more often – I’ll have a prospect or client say to me: “I can’t understand why the media won’t run a story on my…” Well, there may be a number of reasons. Here are 5:
Continue reading “Media Pitch Best Practices: Your Name in the News!”
Decline of News Media Industry May Hold Opportunities For You: Here’s Why
Pew’s recently released analysis of the state of the news media appears, upon first analysis, to be nothing but dismal. The report indicates that newspaper newsroom cutbacks left the industry down 30 percent since its peak in 2000–actually below 40,000 full-time employees for the first time since 1978! Instead of news as we know it, most of these “news” outlets are focused on reporting sports, weather and traffic. Even CNN’s news packages are down nearly half according to the report.
But, for businesses, business professionals and would-be thought leaders there’s a silver lining here. Continue reading “Decline of News Media Industry May Hold Opportunities For You: Here’s Why”
Is The News Release — aka Press Release — Dead?
There was a long, lengthy and actually quite interesting (for communication nerds like me, anyway…) discussion in a LinkedIn group recently 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–yes, and no… Continue reading “Is The News Release — aka Press Release — Dead?”
How to Generate Leads With a Limited Marketing Budget
In our technology-driven world, the good news for marketers is that lead generation does not have to take a huge investment. Traditional media still have a place, but the Internet and social media make it more cost-effective than ever to raise awareness, generate leads and ultimately create sales.
The process of lead generation is the same as it ever was, but Continue reading “How to Generate Leads With a Limited Marketing Budget”
Looking for PR/media coverage? Some do’s and don’ts.
Like many writers/PR people, I have been fortunate to have experience in both worlds. As a freelance writer for a number of years I often turn to PR professionals and publicists for assistance in finding sources. And I learn a lot from them about what works and what doesn’t in terms of providing journalists (me, in this case) with useful information. I use the things I learn with my “freelancer writer hat” on when I’m attempting to generate PR/media coverage for my business or my clients.
I’ve learned a lot from the bad examples I see from over-zealous, inexperienced and annoying PR people or “experts.” Continue reading “Looking for PR/media coverage? Some do’s and don’ts.”
Does PR Matter in the Internet Age? Duh!
I monitor a variety of online forums and recently was engaged in a thread that addressed the question of whether PR (public relations) is still relevant. I was surprised by the question because, in my opinion, PR is more relevant today than ever and is rapidly supplanting the value of advertising.
The difference between the two: Continue reading “Does PR Matter in the Internet Age? Duh!”