The Business Insider decided to throw us PR folks a bone today and tell us exactly what they want and don’t in a pitch. Really, their requests are pretty simple…there are only two of them. #1. Have an actual story….about topics they cover, not just about your client #2. Send a quote…they don’t have the time to interview your expert, so just send what they’re going to say Seems simple enough, but apparently they’ve been getting a lot of mass, widely irrelevant emails from PR people Read more [...]
Like millions of Americans, I was up late this Sunday night watching, mouth agape, as the news of Osama bin Laden’s death was announced. When I came into work Monday and scanned the blogosphere, I saw, as expected, massive amounts of posts about the event itself, how President Obama handled the address, and more details into bin Laden’s last moments. What I wasn’t as prepared for was the phenomenal amount of information about the way in which the news was communicated. As a PR professional, Read more [...]
Given my obsession with the royal wedding this week (well if I’m being honest, the past three months), it only made sense for me to find a way to actually learn from the event that has taken over every news medium across the world. As I sit here and consistently refresh the homepages of several news sites, I have been wondering what it is about this wedding that has the entire world, including myself, so invested. What makes this event different from all the other important, if not more important, Read more [...]
My client recently attended CES, one of the biggest trade shows of the year and an extremely noisy show from a media standpoint. Although I’ve promoted dozens of clients’ trade show presences, CES is undoubtedly the most challenging technology show of the year in which to make a splash, reminding the most skilled PR practitioner to always be on the top of their game. Here are some key lessons and take-aways from this year’s efforts: Integrate Social Media into Your Strategy Nothing says Read more [...]
Earlier this week, we made an exciting announcement about our partnership with video New York-based production company Landline TV! Landline specializes in viral comedy and in recent years has quickly become a top source for humor on the web. The company has released hundreds of shorts both independently and for partners such as College Humor, AOL and MSN. We have had the pleasure of working with Landline on several viral video campaigns, including an award-winning series for Regus, Absolute Read more [...]
Calling all PR people! No matter what industry your clients are in and no matter what kind PR you practice, we can all learn some lessons from the city of New York’s management of the Snowpocalypse 2010. Yes, the situation has been mishandled in every aspect, but Mayor Bloomberg’s press conferences are chock full of great PR lessons. Lesson #1 – manage your client’s expectations properly. This means, don’t set a deadline with a client that you can’t meet. You better be darn sure you can deliver. Read more [...]
As a pop culture junkie, I get excited when the entertainment industry creeps its way into my PR world (remember, I’m in tech…it doesn’t happen that often). So when Variety reported this week that Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice hit-maker Shonda Rhimes was given the thumbs up by ABC to pilot a new crisis PR drama, I was all ears. The show (still unnamed) will be based on the life of real-world crisis PR expert, Judy Smith. If her name doesn’t ring a bell, her involvement and counsel Read more [...]
In PR, we speak to a lot of people. I’m not talking about reporters and bloggers (because that’s a given) but the countless other folks involved in our clients’ PR, marketing, and sales departments that we strategize with day-in and day-out to make our efforts successful. To say that PR is a collaborative effort is an understatement. But with that, what we can sometimes lose sight of is how our work impacts other groups on the client side – the product development, finance and HR teams, Read more [...]
Wikipedia defines “journalism” as the investigation and reporting of events, issues, and trends to a broad audience. As detailed in the classic book All the President’s Men, journalists have had a long and celebrated history of exposing critical information for the greater good of society. Yet with the rise of social media, consumers are now more than ever tapping their social networks of friends and colleagues for recommendations on everything from what movie to see this weekend to what kind Read more [...]
Each interaction a company has with the media is an investment and an opportunity to strategically position a brand to its stakeholders, prospects, competitors and industry as a whole. However, it is also important for businesses to realize that, at the end of the day, opening up your company’s doors to the media can also be a risk. We’ve all seen that dreadful interview in which the spokesperson gets his or her company into hot water with just one misguided word or comment. And with the viral Read more [...]
