The Public Relations Blog

Learn to walk a mile in the media’s shoes and increase your chances for major news coverage

When you’re developing a press release or crafting a pitch for journalists, you usually think about things like spelling everything correctly and making sure your CEO is prominently mentioned. However, it’s more important to think about what will happen after you hit “send.”

You must strongly consider how the journalist will feel when she sees your information. Being aware of her process in deciding what gets printed or aired – including her anxieties and stress level – will give you a better chance of making the perfect pitch and achieving positive news coverage for your company.

Use these reminders to increase your success

Rule No. 1:Remember PR in everything you say and do. Everyone, from the CEO to the secretary, is a representative of your company, and you can bet that people are watching and listening. This includes in-person contacts, telephone communication and online engagement.

Some companies have learned this the hard way with things like inappropriate tweets, misuse of hashtags and, our personal favorite, foot-in-mouth disorder. Concern about PR should not be just something you think about when you have newsworthy information to share or a crisis that needs managing. It should be a part of your company’s overall culture.

Don’t fall for cheap promises; turn to real professionals for your PR needs

Your company faced a potential public relations disaster, but with a comprehensive crisis communication strategy and smart tactics from your PR representatives, you got through it and saved your reputation. So, why is that a bad thing?

Learn how to leverage them for maximum gain and profitability

Misconception No. 1:Big PR agencies are better than independents. Some companies believe that PR has to be flashy and expensive in order to be good, but this is just not true. Often, what you’re really paying for is lots of style and little substance.

The fact that your PR agency is located in the biggest office building or boasts the most employees means nothing to journalists when it comes to media relations. All that matters is the quality of your pitch and the relationships you’ve built.

If you’re not seeing measurable results, you might need a new PR agency

If you had an employee who started turning in shoddy work, didn’t communicate well and caused you to lose trust in his abilities, you would fire him. So, why would you accept such behavior from your PR agency?

Don’t let your PR campaign fail before it begins

All in all, there is no quick, magic formula for determining a timeline for PR campaigns. Everything depends on your company, your goals and objectives and the scope of each component of the project. A PR campaign can last from a couple of months to a year or more.

Use PR to help you avoid common writing mistakes and get media attention

What do you think when you read a resume rife with errors? It’s probably unlikely that the candidate will be offered the position. If it’s really bad, you may even stop reading it altogether, regardless of the listed experience.

That’s the same feeling journalists experience when they receive poorly written documents from you. 

You have created a press/news release. It has been edited several times and vetted through all the proper channels. Now what?

Crafting a press releaseor pitch is only half the battle when it comes to attracting media attention and achieving positive news coverage. Where you send a press release is often more important than what you send. Use PR to help you make the right decision for maximum effect.

Let PR show you the best ways to use this ever-changing technology

Social mediaseems to have changed life as we know it. If your company isn’t on at least two social media platforms, you’re missing key opportunities to connect with and engage your customers. To effectively reach your customers, you may find that social media connections have become less of a preference and more of a necessity.

Although the concept of social media has become pervasive in our society, it’s also still very new, and as such, it’s constantly changing. You must stay on top of trends in this area in order to use it properly and maximize your efforts. PR can help. Here are five facts you may not have known that can help you get ahead of the curve (and the competition).

Turn to PR for reputation management

You’ve done your homework on consumer needs and developed a product or service that solves the problem. All the tools are in place to make it easy for consumers to ask questions and purchase your product. So why aren’t they buying as much as you expected? The problem could be poor customer service.

According to Kana Software’s new research, customer service issues are responsible for the decline of consumer loyalty in recent years and are having a significant impact on many retailers’ bottom lines. This is one of the many reasons why reputation management is so critical.