Is your company’s PR effort dead or dying? Sometimes we all need a kick in the head to get new ideas flowing.  Is this one of those times for your small business?  If you are running out of ideas, try some of these:
1 Adopt a charity (local or online) that has some connection to your business or that will get your business recognized in the community.  Offer to help sponsor an event for the charity or run a membership campaign. Be the spokesperson for the organization, or get on their board of directors. In other words, get yourself identified with …read more

It comes as no surprise to me that as marketing budgets are being slashed, more companies are turning to public relations and publicity firms to help them get more bang fro their buck.
According to several industry reporters, many companies are cutting advertising budgets, but not PR budgets. That’s because public relations is easier to measure.
Think of it this way:
Although advertising can produce measureable results, it takes a ton of impressions (meaning seeing an ad multiple times) for someone to usually make a purchase. Plus, most of the ads I am seeing today are really to enhance or remind people about …read more

A recent survey from Pew Research Center has found that the Internet has now become the main news source, other than TV, for most national and international news. The survey has found that 40% of respondents use online sources to get their daily dose of news.

So this can only mean that newspapers are going to die and publicity seekers will have to focus their PR efforts elsewhere, right?
No way.
What it does mean is that as there are more sources for news, you’re going to see newspapers (and other media) doing more niche-focused news. And that’s when a savvy publicity seeker …read more

How do you create news when it’s the slow season for your business?
Ask Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream gods.
They used a major PR tactic, called piggybacking. I talk about piggybacking on Startup Spark’s Monday Media Marketing Minute and at my other blog: The Power Publicist.
The folks at Ben & Jerry’s created a new ice cream flavor in honor of Obama’s inauguration. Called “Yes Pecan,” it pays homage to the president-elect’s battle cry, “Yes, we can.” Plus, they added a bonus, proceeds go to a charity that helps people get involved in the politcal process.
You may think it’s silly. But …read more

Happy new year everyone.
The other day on my free PR teleclass, someone asked me what my crystal ball had to reveal for the PR and publicity field in 2009. I thought you’d like to read my predictions:

It’s an exciting time in public relations, as the landscape will surely be evolving and changing.
And the one thing that’s going to impact publicists and public relations professionals is how more consumers (people in our target markets) will be interacting and shaping what we do. With instant responses via social media, PR folks can monitor and see reactions quickly – and if they are …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

Sure, no airline is perfect. But I have to admit Southwest comes pretty darn close.
Why? They know that good PR comes down to one thing: happy customers. It’s a tough job, especially when you are an airline.

But when they do it, they do it well.
I just learned on Twitter, directly from Southwest (Yes, even they are on Twitter!) that they’ve teamed up with The Container Store to wrap passengers gifts at the Southwest Airline Gates in Dallas, Denver and Phoenix.
It may not seem like a big deal but think about it for a moment…
Thousands of passengers carry their gifts on …read more

One of the best ways to take your PR skills to the next level is to see what others in the field are doing.
So I am proposing that PR folks (whether in a firm of DIY-ers) share their best practices and publicity success stories.  It’s a great way to show off your skills.
But I want to do more than just a list. I want the public to decide which campaign, public relations tactic, etc., is the best of 2008. So I’ll incorporate a voting poll as well.
Are you game? Great!
So here’s how to do it:

Post a comment with your publicity …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

Burger King’s new promotion has left a bad taste of my mouth. You can go and see their movie here. But the basis in their words is : “To find out about America’s favorite burger, we had to leave America.”
Sure, go to the ends of the earth and give them a Whopper and some other unnamed hamburger. And announce the ’scientific’ study points to the conclusion of which burger tastes better. (It supposed to be
Oh yeah, and make sure the ‘taste testers’  dress in their ethnic attire, just to add to the cultural diversity.
It’s so offensive to on so many …read more