Lately, I’ve been getting a ton of pitches from would-be public relations folks trying to get my attention to write about them on one of my other blogs: Startup Spark.
And most of them have been completely off the mark for the topic I write about. I mean, just because you represent a new author who wrote a book about stress doesn’t mean a generic pitch will work for me. Tell me why it’s important to my audience, not everyone else.
You see, the difference between a good pitch and a bad pitch is all in the execution.
The pitches that are used …read more

Media used to be a solid thing: newspapers, TV, radio.
Now, with the Internet, and Web 2.0, it’s all beginning to blur. I’ve seen it. You’vve seen it. And now, someone has quantified it.
Ketchum and the University of Southern California Annenberg Strategic Public Relations Center recently released thier survey results which says that media isn’t quite as solid as it used to be. And because of it, target markets are fragmenting.
Shannon Nelson (the other great PR Shannon, who happens to be from Pierce Mattie) tells us that education and creativity is key in helping PR firms and their clients reach these …read more

Drew Kerr’s insightful post on Ragan’s really got me thinking…

Sure, I agree PR people shouldn’t use the words “excited,” “thrilled” and “honored” in press releases because, as Drew points up, they are just fluff.
But I also think there plenty of marshmallow words that public relations writers whould ban from their news release vocabulary.
Words like:

‘solution’/ ’solutions’ -  As in “This new solution provides the answer.” It appears more than thousands of times in Google News.
‘announces’ – “Company XYZ announces the…” First, a company cannot announce something. Only a person can announce. Second, surely there is a better way to beef …read more

I know some might argue with this, but I think social media is a PR tool. One, that when used correctly, can really create brand awareness and publicity.
JeanAnn VanKrevelen recently listed her 2009 predictions for social media, and I agree that the ones she has highlighted make sense.
I also think it will be used by journalists to monitor trends and hot news stories. That means that a savvy public relations professional will also be monitoring social media to find the trends and lead the trends as the experts to the media.
Plus social media is cost effective, so it’s obvious to …read more

Fineman PR just released it’s annual list of the top public relations mistakes of 2008. While I am sure (or at least, I hope) that you aren’t on the list, there are some lessons to be learned.

Accountability is important. No matter if it was the AIG party scandal or McCain dumping Letterman for a ‘better’ gig. Being open and accountable for ones actions is always the way to go. In today’s 24/7, media driven world, it’s too easy to find out the truth when you’re not.
We are always watching. As alluded to above, the spotlight is always on, always waiting …read more

Over at The Power Publicist, I talked about all the recent announcements from media outlets who are cutting back.
And just yesterday, the Detroit newspapers announced they would no longer deliver on weekdays.
Things in the media world are tight and a bit scary for those working in it!
It means fewer reporters working on more stories, or even covering more than one beat.
I’ve always said how smaller newspapers and trade magazines are a publicity-seekers best bet for coverage. That’s because with a smaller staff, if a press release is good, they will more likely run it as is. Now, it seems that …read more

George Bush tried to get some good press when he ’surprised’ the troops with a visit in Iraq. But once again, ‘mission (not)  accomplished… when an Iraqi journalist throw not one, but both his shoes at the outgoing US president.
(The journalist had a pretty good arm, but Bush must be used to ducking, becuase he was just as quick! Sorry. I couldn’t help myself there! *)
I was actually surprised at the quick and humorous response from the President.  “All I can report is a size 10,” he said. “I don’t think you can take one guy throwing shoes and say …read more

So the big conversation in the PR world last week was the question: Is PR dead?
Many who say yes have pointed to how social media has taken over and how it’s important to have personal conversations.
Yup, I agree. But that doesn’t mean PR is dead. Not in the least.
The real issue is that a lot of PR people aren’t adopting social media as part of the public relations toolkit. And some are even shunning it. And I hate to say it, but there are plenty of people out there who think PR stands for press release.
Well, tell that to Motrin, …read more

The public generally feels they have a right to know what’s going on. Press conferences allow the media and the public to get the scoop on what’s happening. They satisfy the public’s desire for the most up-to-date inside story on an individual’s life.
So, how do you know it’s the right time to hold a press conference?
You must make sure that you are holding your press conference for the right reasons. The media considers a conference with issues of little or no merit for someone that the public could care less about a colossal waste of time. And believe me, most …read more

Do you know that it’s the 10th anniversary of the International Space Station?
Yeah, I didn’t either.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a PR problem: no one cares about them.

It’s a sad, sad thing. I remember as a kid sitting in from to the TV watching all the astronaut missions to the moon, as well as many of the space shuttle flights. It was exciting, and the excitement was contageous.
And now, the only time NASA gets any coverage is when someone screws up. For example, on the most recent mission, a $100,000 toolkit was lost.  That was the big …read more