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...
Pitching the press in 2016: The secret sauce of media relations
Media relations is only one piece of the public relations pie—strategy, planning, research, content, writing, social media, events, activations, monitoring and reporting fill up much of the rest. However, one of the main reasons PR professionals are hired is for media...
Media relations by the numbers: How to know when to stop pitching
When you’re a small company trying to get into the news, media placements are really just a numbers game. At some point, you can even start to predict how many pitches it will take per hit. If one in every 20 reporters finds your story compelling, but you know you...
3 reasons to keep quality content front and center
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...
Resolutions for media relations success in 2016
Corporate communications continues to evolve at break neck speed as innovative agencies, professionals and brands test new strategies and tactics to engage with key industry and media influencers. As we ponder what the future will hold for PR and media relations in...
It’s time to say goodbye to shotgun-style news releases
As MediaMiser builds a new platform for list building and distribution, and the PR world evolves its outreach methods, it’s time to finally say goodbye to the shotgun-style approach of blasting media with news releases. We now know we’ve got to be more strategic in...
5 tips for developing successful working relationships with journalists
So, you want to have a (professional) relationship with a journalist, do you? At the risk of sounding rude: Get in line. Journalists—especially in the current climate of newsroom cuts, shrinking budgets and hand-wringing over the state of the industry—are...
A personal reflection of the PR industry over the last decade—and where we’re going
The year was 2005. Friendster and Myspace led the social networking world, Facebook and LinkedIn were both in its infancy, and Twitter was #nonexistent. As far as the media environment, the central economic question in journalism was how long it would take online...
Move over media relations: In the age of Big Data, analyst relations is king
Everyone understands the importance of media relations and the role it plays in a successful public relations strategy. But in an age where big data drives business decisions, how often is analyst relations incorporated into the mix? More specifically, nurturing...
How to deliver a compelling PR pitch
I've been a journalist for more than 30 years, and I've also interviewed hundreds of other journalists about their preferences for dealing with PR professionals. So I think I can say this with some authority: If you want to grab our attention, forget the fancy...
The ‘modern romance’ of PR: The challenge of today’s media relations
What I like most about Aziz Ansari’s freshman novel is how it can be reapplied to so many vocations, not just our romantic lives. Social media has become as essential to public relations as the morning jolt of caffeine. While there is still a great value in working to...
Media relations perspectives: Generating press when you’re not newsworthy
Whether you’re guiding a Fortune 500 company through their product release strategy, or you’re part of a three-person team working in the founder’s basement, the game is still the same for the PR professional: get the company noticed, and for the right reasons. Public...












