Media Relations

What happens when the nation’s largest retailer picks a fight with the nation’s most respected newspaper? Does this make for good PR or bad PR?

Live events and conferences are considered a main source of revenue for b-to-b media companies, as ad dollars once devoted to print publications have pretty bottomed out. Now a lot of consumer media brands are getting into the events act, which enlarges the aperture for PR pros looking to get some exposure for their company or C-level executives.

Here’s how one nonprofit organization was able to take advantage of a media placement on a popular national television show to connect with new audiences.

Our Water Cooler item the other day regarding some of the words to avoid in press releases generated instant feedback. However, a few communications professionals asked us to flip the notion, and offer some words that will get journalists to read your press releases rather than delete them.

Do you use the term “solutions” in your press releases? Be honest. It’s one of those words that seem to describe almost anything. It’s also a crutch that can cost PR pros and communicators dearly when trying to get their media pitches into the right hands.

As the first major company to offer a program of this size and scale without major stipulations, Starbucks has positioned itself as a progressive advocate of higher education, a fortunate if not intentioned side effect of the new initiative.

PR professionals are—or should be—networking masters, so we asked them to share their tips for those awkward moments when you’re in a room full of strangers that might just turn into your pathway to greater success.

In 2012, the donations for the Christmas Program were down significantly from previous years. So in November 2012, Nancy Marshall Communications (NMC) worked with the nonprofit to help with the marketing and PR efforts for its Christmas Program.

If you’re churning out boring, jargon-filled releases day after day because that’s how it’s always been done, what value are you bringing to your company or your clients? You might as well delegate release writing to the interns.

Detroit’s financial emergency and trip through Chapter 9 bankruptcy have been more than 60 years in the making, so it is no surprise that the crisis management lifespan for this event is longer and more protracted than others.