Baseball is back! So many of us look forward to the start of the season because it signifies warmer weather, family fun, fan optimism, and—being a former professional baseball player in the Dodgers and Rockies organizations—I just love the game. Often I tell my...
PR relevancy: Don’t overstretch when tying clients to trends
Journalists often speak of their interest in covering trends, and tying your clients to larger issues in the news can be a fruitful tactic. This was probably the thinking when I received a press release about a Pennsylvania hospital’s efforts to "go green." Normally,...
Honing your reporter relations: 15 tips for media preparedness
I began my career in television, which lent itself to the near-decade I would later spend as a media spokesperson for several very large energy companies. During that period, depending on the day, I could be speaking to reporters on issues as mundane as a random power...
Cruise companies get PR boost from Cuban announcement
With recent news that Caribbean cruises will soon set sail for ports of call in Cuba, both vacationers and cruise operators alike are, understandably, salivating at what could be the U.S. tourism industry’s ultimate greenfield market. After all, it’s a country that...
How are media surviving the print-to-digital transition—and how does PR fit in?
With a Bay Area news media career spanning nearly 35 years, Lisa Wrenn has had a front row seat in the late 90’s newspaper “glory days,” the 2000’s rise of digital media and consolidation of print publications, and today’s competitive multichannel news industry. The...
Understanding how journalists are consuming PR content
Media’s use of PR-generated sources continues to evolve, with traditional press releases now taking a back seat to more engaging multimedia content, a research from global comms agency TheNewsMarket finds. The firm asked journalists to rate different types of media...
How Facebook reactions will impact the PR, marketing and communications industries
While “liking” something on Facebook is nothing new, users will now be able to express themselves on posts much more clearly than ever before and for PR, marketing and communications professionals, there will be no doubt as to how an audience feels about the content...
It’s too late for crisis communications in Flint, Michigan
Over the past few weeks, we’ve watched as details around the water crisis in Flint, MI have emerged. Cover-ups regarding the amount of lead in the water to the blatant denial by government officials have resulted in very sick families, a state of emergency and a...
How (not) to pitch a blogger
I like to write and I like to eat. As a result of these two interests, I’ve been blogging about dining out and cooking since 2009. Because of that, pitches from fellow PR folks often land in my inbox. When I receive good pitches that align with my interests, I try to...
Top 3 lessons PR pros can learn from Jose Bautista
For those who follow the MLB, you’re likely aware that Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has presented a one-time, take-it-or-leave it contract demand to his current employer. Bautista, of course, let Jays fans know of his contract demand by publicly stating his...
The value of partnering with your client instead of selling a customer
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,...
Is Apple’s stand against the FBI putting the brand at risk?
I used to work in a video rental store (remember those?). In later years, we had software that kept track of all our customers’ rental histories, in part so we could learn their tastes and recommend other titles. Back then, the employees and customers understood that...