The Public Relations Blog

Learn more about this media relations tool to make the choice that is right for your company

Your company or PR department has been offered what seems like an amazing deal. A newspaper has agreed to publish your story or news…for a fee. What they are offering is called an advertorial. Is this illegal? No, but it may be unethical.

Advertorials are becoming more popular. Companies see them as a way to guarantee placement in a newspaper of their choice. However, purchasing exposure instead of earning it is called advertising, plain and simple. Once you understand more about this tactic and how it compares to true PR work, you can decide what is best for your company and image.

A professional headshot is an important asset

Often, clients are surprised when we ask for their headshot photographs to accompany media pitches or news stories. Some have never had headshots and don’t know what we’re looking for from them. Many times, they send us personal photos with their families or images that are low quality.

Having a professional headshot is a must for anyone in a successful business. If you haven’t had a headshot since the ‘90s Glamour Shots, now is the time to update that photo.

Since 1989, USA Today has tallied the top-ranked Super Bowl commercials through its Ad Meter ranking system.

This approach combines results from a privately selected panel and feedback obtained through social media to determine commercial rank.

As we gear up for Super Bowl Sunday, here’s a brief look at the top three Super Bowl ads and what made them so memorable.

Axia PR offers tips on media-friendly writing

Your business has made some incredible headway and is on the cusp of launching the next big thing. But how do you share this information with the world?

A basic tool of the public relations trade is the news (or press) release. A well-crafted news release contains all the pertinent details you wish to share, along with factual support, delectable sound bites from valuable resources and company positioning. But too often, companies believe that anyone can write a news release and the news media will go nuts over it.

Media relations are important to your company’s earned media coverage

I recently attended a “Meet the Media” event with a professional PR association. While there, I noticed some common mistakes PR people tend to make that turn off media personnel. Most of the frowned-upon behaviors seemed obvious, but when you’re determined to pitch a story, it’s easy to make the same mistakes.

Knowing more about how PR agencies work can help to improve your relationship with them

The PR profession works hard to disassociate itself from words like scheming, deceitful and dishonest. Still, you should know there are some things that PR firms lie about.

Of course, most PR firms don’t intentionally set out to lie, but even the ethical ones sometimes get caught up in the excitement of getting and keeping clients and communications issues can result. However, once you understand the nature of these lies, you can make more informed decisions when it is time to hire your next PR firm (or fire your current one).

Why nothing said is “off the record" and how PR can improve your media relations

Most people have witnessed a moment in a live television broadcast when someone on camera blurts out something inappropriate or controversial. Or, a company spokesperson is quoted in a newspaper saying something unsavory or offensive and his response is that he thought it was “off the record.” When these moments occur, the audience cringes and thinks why would someone say that? The reason this happens is typically because the speaker thinks the camera isn’t recording or that the conversation is confidential. But what causes a person to lose focus in this way? How can you avoid having this happen to you?

How creative public relations that attacks the mainstream cacophony helps your business

Early in the 19th century during the Peninsular War, when Spain was resisting Napoleon, the term “guerra” (Spanish for war) evolved to “guerrilla” to describe the way the Spanish were fighting against Napoleon’s empire. The fighters against the mainstream were rebels, radicals and revolutionaries. This small independent group used irregular means to fight against larger regular forces.

In the 1980s, the phraseology “guerrilla marketing” evolved from the historical corps of special fighters who succeeded in going up against the establishment. Gearing the strategies that worked in the Pyrenees as well as the jungles of Latin America, businesses (using little cash or other resources) could attack the big companies in similar non-traditional ways, on non-traditional battlefields.

Do it right and you could form lasting and lucrative media relationships

Help a Reporter Out is a free service that enables journalists to connect with information sources. If you're an expert and have an interesting opinion or story to share with the media, you can sign up for HARO to get connected to journalist and get your story published, which will ultimately increase traffic to your website and get the word out about your company.

Before your next public event or speech, consult with PR

Dr. Ben Carson is widely considered to be one of the more likeable and honest of the Republican candidates running for president. Nonetheless, his ride has not been completely smooth. The media is now accusing him of lying and exaggerating his credentials.

This kind of allegation is damaging, whether you’re a candidate for the country’s top job or CEO of a corporation. Using PR tools and tactics can help get you out of this type of crisis, but only if they are done correctly.