Public Relations

What goes together with marketing like peanut butter and jelly?

Public relations.

While PR has changed over the past 10 years, it’s still a valuable component of your overall marketing strategy.

Pitching the media could result in you getting written about in a magazine, online, or on a television or radio program.

Publishing press releases online can get you valuable links back to your website, which helps you rank higher in search results.

Start here for all things public relations!

10 Ways PR Has Changed in the Past 10 Years

This is one of the posts based on the Small Business Trends list I’ll be blogging about this year.

 

When you’re submersed in new and ever-changing technology, you often don’t look back to reflect on how much has changed in your industry. Today I want to look back at public relations and reflect on the changes and improvements (and even the challenges) that have come as a result of social media and internet tools. Here’s how I’ve seen that PR has changed.

1. We don’t mail press releases. I’ll never forget a former boss telling me how they’d mail every single press release to the same editors, wasting a ton in postage in the hopes of getting just one mention. And this was back in 2005, when I thought it couldn’t get any better than PRNewswire (not to knock the service, but even it’s evolved since then).

2. PR is affordable. Sure you still have to pay a PR staff member or consulting firm like Egg, but without the cost of printing and postage, and the heavy use of email and social media, your costs are a lot lower than they used to be.

My Reply to Bad PR Pitches

I recently wrote a tongue-in-cheek post about how to get your bad PR pitches trashed. I decided I’d draft a reply email that I very well may send the next time I get a horrible pitch. Here goes. Dear [blank]:…

Are Traditional Journalists Dead?

Once upon a time, in a land not far away, reporters got the scoop. They received phone tips or faxes on hot stories. They drove to locations to interview people about these stories.

How to Write Killer Press Releases

  Regular readers know that I talk about how to write a press release and what to do with it next. Press releases are still an important part to any PR and marketing campaign, but make sure you have a…

HOW TO: Use Social Media in Your PR Pitch Plan

I published this article on Mashable.com this week and it got great feedback.

It’s clear that the public relations landscape is changing. No longer does emailing a journalist a press release always result in coverage on major news channels (there are exceptions, naturally, but the average business doesn’t get in the Wall Street Journal). These days, journalists (and yes, bloggers too) are inundated with press releases. It’s easy to hit delete and move on.

How do you get your pitch heard above the din? Conversation. Engagement. Interaction.

Social media is Key in Your Pitch

Why? Because that’s where your media contacts are hanging out these days, and that’s where they look for story ideas. But be forewarned: there is a lot of bad social media pitching going on already.

PR: It Is A’Changing

So as you know, I’ve been conferencing a lot lately. First I was at Type A Mom, a conference for mom bloggers. Then I went to IZEAFest last weekend. I’m excited to report back that there’s something in the air.…

Creating PR Through Blogs

Here’s another post I wrote for Bill Stoller’s Publicity Insider. If you have a blog, or have thought about starting one, you may only be thinking in terms of how your blog will help generate attention for your product or…

Pitching Media Contacts Through Twitter

I wrote this article to be published in Bill Stoller’s Publicity Insider newsletter, but thought it was so good I’d share it with you too! Anyone who does PR for a brand knows that pitching media contacts is like trying…

Using Google Alerts to Keep Up With PR

Yet another fun-filled How-To Tuesday for you! Today I want to talk about Google Alerts. I'll tell you: I get approached by companies all the time offering services that help me keep track of what's being said about my company online, but nothing beats this free service. You can get email alerts any time mention of your company name, industry keywords, or whatever you want to search for shows up on a website. Take a look.

How to Choose a Press Release Topic

If you plan to use press releases to spread the word about your business, you first need a press release topic, right?

For some reason, this seems to be the hardest part for people. Today, I want to help you decide on a topic for your release.

Why is it so hard to toot your own horn?

I guess when you’re in a business, it’s hard for you to see it from above. You may not recognize your achievements as such. You may not think that promoting an employee is newsworthy. That’s where this post comes in handy.

How-To Tuesday: Pitching Media Contacts

Today I want to teach you how to pitch media contacts. You’d do this if you had a press release you wanted to get out or a product you wanted a journalist or blogger to review. It’s not difficult, but…
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