The Public Relations Blog

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.

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.

How to deal with what’s wild (and wildly effective) about this platform  

Let's continue on our social media binge this week and dive into one platform in particular – the wild horse of social media – Twitter.

Recognize and reward your most profitable customers to maximize growth. When you can crack the code, you’ll have a lock on your success. Consult the experts when determining how best to increase your profits.

Ah, the view in retrospect: It can reveal quite a bit about what gives organizations their staying power. For example, look how far the brand name of Apple has come. Twenty years ago, people barely recognized the reference to the company in the hit movie Forrest Gump. Today, even 3-year-olds are asking for iPads.

Public relations helps establish your brand unabashedly with your audience

Do you have your sights set on where your brand hasn’t gone before? If your company is breaking into unconventional markets, you’re likely pondering how to best position yourself and what your key message points to your new audience should be. Taking a look at how other companies have ventured into uncharted or unexpected markets – and how they communicated with their audiences – can be good food for thought. Read on for an example and some PR strategies to consider if you’re taking your brand to new ground.

Recent Taco Bell stir a reminder that your PR property is your property

4 reasons your corporate responsibility profile speaks your love in PR messages

At times, it might seem like corporate responsibility profiles are like good memories: Almost everybody has one, they’re all different and they come up in conversation from time to time accompanied by a grin. However, if you’re not leveraging a strong corporate social responsibility profile as part of your brand’s message, you’re missing out on some serious brownie points with your audience – and some serious revenues. Read on for some tips on how to effectively weave your social responsibility into your PR strategy.