The Public Relations Blog

A Q&A with a social media expert

For the “unsocial,” Twitter is a social media platform where users post tweets: messages that must be less than 140 characters. As the fourth most popular social media site (Sorry, Twitter. Instagram took your spot as third, with YouTube as second and Facebook as the most popular social media site), Twitter is a place to find sports updates, local and national news and what’s happening with your family, friends, favorite celebrities and brands. As a social media and community engagement specialist, here are my answers to the five common questions about the channel with more than 315 million users.

Use this checklist to make sure you’re optimizing your relationship with your PR firm

Here are fifteen mistakes your company might be making when hiring a public relations firm:

Knowing what stage you are writing for will help you close deals faster

Who are your customers? How and when did they learn about you? What made them decide to give you their business instead of going to your competition? If you answered “I’m not sure” or “It was just dumb luck,” then you need to stop guessing and take control of your buyer personas and the content they receive from you.

This is one story about PR and small businesses. Read What do small businesses spend on PR, How small companies do PR and what big companies can learn from them, PR firms should avoid startups, and Why small businesses struggle with PR firms for more.

Don’t just get bigger, get better.

In almost every small business, there is a big company yearning to break free. Even if you’re not actively seeking to significantly grow your company and are happy exactly where you are now, you surely wouldn’t turn down a few more customers and some more profits.

Sir Isaac Newton advocated standing on the shoulders of giants to get bigger. We suggest that you merely try to see the world from their vantage point and not be afraid to think big. No matter how big you are – or wish to become – you can look at how big companies handle their PR and discover ways that you can tailor their methods to fit your needs and increase your profitability.

Panera’s advertising agency recently said “no more” to the retail restaurant/bakery giant, citing problems like too many quick changes as a source of ongoing problems and a major halt to progress. Here's our three tips for making PR agency relations work.

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.

Don’t leave 8 million potential customers waiting

Some come for the music. Many stay for the comedy. All are enlightened by the insightful commentary, special guest interviews and educational segments. If you are successful in pitching to the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show, its more than eight million listeners could also be learning about your company or clients.

Spokesperson and media training can make all the difference

The media has tremendous power in America. They help shape popular opinion, decide what is and isn’t newsworthy enough for you to know about and they are permitted to go to practically any length in pursuit of a story. No wonder the press is often referred to as the Fourth Estate.

Craft the perfect pitch and get the job done

The first impression is all you’ve got to convince the person in front of you of your potential. If you do it the right way, there is no reason why you shouldn’t succeed; if you try beating around the bush, there is a strong possibility your pitch will end up in the rejected pile. So what is the right way to approach this issue?

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.