Media Relations

Validate Parking? Easy. Validating Your Work Life with Good Communications…..???

  They had been together for more than 12 years. Clients loved their work. Everybody on the 30+-person staff toiled really hard every day. Even though there were a couple annual parties to spread good will and share the love, something was missing…..Validation. If the above scenario sounds like your workplace, take heed. The above […]

How to Turn a PR Disaster into a PR Victory

  You’ve heard of the NIMBY syndrome, Not in My Back Yard. It’s never pleasant when its symptoms are first detected and it’s usually around the building of new housing that might include public housing units, or a home for the mentally challenged, a halfway house or something similar. There are plenty of examples in […]

In Reaching out to the Media, Don’t Forget Your Backside

  Public Relations is often about telling your story to the media. But what about the people who work for you? Making news begins at home. It’s possible to send a strong new message to the press that covers your industry, or your company if you’re a big player. But is your message to the […]

Writing Op-Ed Pieces (Without Sounding Your Own Foghorn)

  Looking for additional ways to get exposure for what you do? Consider writing an opinion or editorial essay — commonly known as an Op-Ed piece. Most business sections of the daily and weekly papers have such a space and welcome contributors who know what they are talking about.  The trick is to provide insights […]

Going Off the Record Can = Off You Go

  A cardinal rule in media interviews is never go off the record (and conversely, watch out for what you do say on it!). It can be dangerous for you and the reporter if you do. And you don’t have to look far in today’s news to see where setting such boundaries with journalists is […]

Phony Baloney: When Press Releases Go Awry (or on Rye)

  In our last installment, we left you with a closing item about General Mills having to quickly snuff out a fake news release saying that the President of the United States (POTUS — in Secret Service talk) was investigating the company’s supply chain for alleged product recalls. The makers of many mainstream cereals like […]

PR Tips —and One PR Rip — for Helping A Reporter Out

The last blog looked at why Public Relations should never be confused with “spin” and “hype.” Today’s edition serves up something more tasty and nutritious — one of the best resources  enjoyed and highly appreciated by publicists, marketing communications folks, reporters and others. I’m talking about Help a Reporter Out — fondly known as HARO […]

Is PR Spin? You Must Be Hyping Me!

Caterpillars spin cocoons. Spiders spin webs.  Young kids sometimes spin to make themselves dizzy. Whirling dervishes definitely spin toward a higher power, and fitness clubs are fond of offering spin classes. But is PR spin? Most of the public relations professionals that I know consider “spin” to be a pejorative term in their profession. It […]

PR Tip #3: Feeding the Edit Cal

A quick show of hands: Who knows what an Editorial Calendar is? Thought so.  Nearly every magazine and many business newspapers produce an editorial calendar each year, targeting subjects that they will cover generally in any given week or month for the entire year— from regularly scheduled standing features and shorter stories to columns and […]