Archive: May 2016

The statistics that the AICR and Williams Whittle worked with were jarring enough, but the data’s real strength was in its potential for empowerment. Instead of focusing on the potential ramifications of having an unhealthy lifestyle, they decided to focus on how a few simple changes could radically reduce cancer risk.

If your brand has a great visual story to tell, you’ve been given a gift that not everybody receives—don’t squander it by snapping a photo, putting it up on Instagram and calling it a day. Learning how to get the most out of that story is crucial if you want to join the higher echelon of digital content producers. Here are some tips from Kimberly Jaindl of Lockheed Martin to help you freshen up your storytelling style.

Even those PR pros who are experts at researching a particular journalist’s beat and outlet and successfully land an interview for their company’s lead spokesperson—say, a CEO—can aggravate time-strapped journalists if that spokesperson is ill-prepared or has a defensive attitude.

An organization’s ability to prominently show up in search results can be the deciding factor in whether or not a potential customer, advocate or donor even makes it in the digital front door. Such is the purview of SEO, and if your website isn’t properly optimized there’s a good chance your content won’t see the light of day. Unfortunately, not many communicators moonlight as web designers, so dealing with things like link audits, title tags and alt tags may seem outside the PR wheelhouse, but it’s not as hard as it sounds.

During an election year, it can seem like the news cycles are constantly dominated by tawdry political scandals, controversial sound bites and mountains of op-eds and think pieces. How’s a PR pro supposed to grab headlines in a positive way amid massive election coverage?

As influencers’ follower numbers rise, engagement actually decreases. Basically, having a larger following does not mean that their followers are more engaged, which can be an issue to brands trying to reach their target audiences through these individuals. Micro-influencers better connect with their followers due to their targeted focus on very niche areas and topics.

The trick for PR pros is to keep in mind that because of the current state of the news industry, the competition is fierce among communicators. Because PR can help journalists deliver the stories their publications need, it’s more important than ever to craft press releases that stand out and succinctly satisfy the needs of the newsroom.

In a May 2 jury verdict in Missouri, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay a plaintiff $55 million in a suit that alleges talc in the brand’s Baby Powder led to her contracting ovarian cancer. At the outset, it seems clear how J&J views the situation: an issue that requires action. The same day the jury returned its verdict, the J&J site published a blog post titled “4 Important Facts About the Safety of Talc.”

Advertising on social media has become so important thanks to a strange kind of ambivalence towards branded content online. Even though people only want to see branded posts when it’s relevant and useful, it’s still on PR pros to make sure the content exudes excellence. But it’s putting money behind that great content that gives PR pros access to an incredible level of specificity and control that can lead to unrivaled success.

Universities today seem to be more vulnerable than ever to reputational crises. Not only are they educational and research institutions, but they are also home to major athletic programs, Greek life communities, alumni organizations and political groups. It is all of these stakeholders that make universities not only strong but also vulnerable to the unexpected event that could cause significant damage to the institution’s reputation.