Passion. It’s a great word. We use it to describe everything and anything. People are passionately in love. Editors have passion for grammar. I am passionate about coffee—not the quality mind you, more so the quantity. PR professionals have a deep and unyielding...
As I mentioned previously, Relationships are King, and it’s as true for vendors as it is for PR professionals. The vast majority of B2B businesses talk about the “consultative” approach, but talk is cheap. When a customer asks for a change to the service or product,...
Given a choice, most journalists would rather receive a tailored, personalized pitch instead of a press release sent to large distribution list. But when faced with the prospect of reaching hundreds of journalists, many PR agencies resort to "faux...
Given all the efforts by PR pros to get media coverage for their clients or organizations, it’s surprising what happens sometimes when journalists reach out for assistance. Phone calls aren’t returned, or if they are, the response is too slow to do the journalist any...
When building media lists, many PR and communications agencies/departments implement an audience-classification system based on consumer demographics, industry segments and job functions, and then apply these categories to media outlets. But to complete the task of...
Asked about their pet peeves concerning PR, some journalists point to specific terms in pitches and press releases that raise red flags or are just plain annoying. For example, if you want to aggravate medical reporters, try sprinkling your emails with "cure,"...
Drawing parallels between professionals in PR, marketing, and sales is easy. After all, there are many similar techniques, tactics, and tools used between the three disciplines. But there’s one tool every sales professional can’t live without that very few PR,...
Like other journalists, I've occasionally written stories that drew the wrath of PR professionals. Perhaps the article cast a company in a negative light, or included positive mentions of competitors while omitting a client. Some PR pros handle these situations better...
Journalists say it again and again—the most effective PR pros are the ones with whom they’ve established long-term relationships. The trick, of course, is establishing those relationships in the first place. What’s the magic formula that makes them happen? I wouldn’t...
One of my biggest pet peeves about PR is the "fake reply." This is a tactic wherein a PR person sends a follow-up email with "Re:" in the subject line, making it appear that we have an existing relationship and that they're replying to an email from me. I first...
Journalists, especially at the A-list outlets, are a competitive bunch. They live for the scoop, the exclusive, or at a minimum, the unique angle on a widely reported story. Based on feedback we've heard from journalists, this point seems to be lost by a certain...
Content in releases. A hot topic out of the recent PRSA conference in Atlanta. Once, when you mentioned quality content in a release, you were specifically referring to the level at which the writing stood. Or did not stand. That was, or at least could be, enough...