Media Relations

For PR professionals, especially those tasked with pitching story ideas to the media, the mantra to remember is “Keep It Short and Simple.”

Ben Affleck, who directed the political thriller Argo, should know better: you foster what you try to hide. Affleck now is learning that the hard way.

“One of the most challenging aspects of working in PR is building relationships with reporters,” says author Tania Luna, who will be the keynote presenter on day two of PR News’ Digital PR Conference in Miami. “Luckily, things get a lot easier when you have the science of surprise on your side.”

Porter Novelli, brought in to contain the damage in Indiana after the Religious Freedom Restoration Act controversy, has its work cut out.

For news releases and other public relations materials, maybe the goal isn’t for your CEO’s quotes to end up in Bartlett’s but to make some of the clips in tomorrow’s news roundup.

For communicators, particularly on the B2B side, it’s a constant challenge to make sure that when they or their boss is presenting new information and/or ideas to the public the message is clear and unequivocal.

Communicators are likely to keep a close eye on how Rolling Stone magazine contains the damage after the publication last weekend retracted its article about a brutal gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity.

The death of long-form writing may be greatly exaggerated. But when it comes to distributing PR- and marketing-related content that your constituents will pay attention to (and maybe even share), “snackable” content is the most promising recipe for success.

When H.J. Heinz Co. announced its acquisition of Kraft Foods Group recently—creating the third-largest food and beverage company in North America—a smorgasbord of PR accompanied the move.

Jay Z’s media strategy for his Tidal music service provides a veritable clinic for communicators who are looking for ways to make a splash when they announce new products and/or services.