Media Relations

It’s no surprise that the number of Michelle Wolf’s Twitter followers tripled over the past several days. As far as timely publicity stunts go, putting provocative words to things many are thinking but few are saying is succeeding in both politics and entertainment. For now, that tactic is not an option for brand communicators, who can only watch as their content drowns in a sea of outrage and affirmation.

Patients and friends and families of patients avidly seek information and guidance online, and news outlets are equally hungry to report healthcare news, trends and data. This is both a boon and a curse for consumers of healthcare news. There’s so much good and bad information to wade through. For healthcare communicators, the good and bad information out there amounts to one thing, though: too much noise.

Brand storytelling has changed from being about products to being about people, say our panel of storytelling pros. In addition, journalists are swamped and thinking about shareable content. The savvy PR pro can build a strong relationship with media by recognizing and reacting to this fact.

It is a given that the newsroom is changing. It is smaller and more diverse, for example. A new study from the Tow Center of Digital Journalism at Columbia University also points out that people who are skilled in data, analytics and platform-oriented operations have infiltrated newsrooms. We asked media relations professionals for tips about pitching to this more data-infused newsroom.

Among the topics PR people talk about most at trade events is how media relations has changed. The typical comment is that newsrooms contain fewer reporters who are busy covering more beats than is humanly… Continued

Newsrooms seem to be changing, based on what’s discussed during PR conferences. Practically speaking, how are they are changing and at what pace? Those were some of the questions researchers from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University wondered about as they began studying the composition of NYC-area newsrooms.

A plethora of industries is applying data and AI to their work, including journalism. This means media relations professionals need to adjust. FleishmanHillard’s Ephraim Cohen provides a series of takeaways from a recent panel of journalists discussing this topic. He argues media relations professionals will need to change the way they do certain things, though other aspects of their job will remain the same.

Earlier this month a prominent columnist, writing about White House Communications chief Hope Hicks, essentially said it is the job of PR pros to lie to the media. PRSA chief Anthony D’Angelo promptly disputed that idea. Now Hicks apparently herself told House investigators that yes, she must tell white lies sporadically as part of her job. Once again D’Angelo says such a claim is wrong.

As a communicator, you can have a powerful impact on just about every corner of your organization by using the platforms, relationships and knowledge that you and your PR team are uniquely positioned to leverage.… Continued

Unilever is threatening to pull ads from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google—but the way the consumer goods giant conveyed that message has been as powerful as the message itself. The company’s CMO Keith Weed planned to use his keynote at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting today to call for improved transparency, accountability and consumer trust in digital platforms. But in a masterstroke of messaging, the company managed to humanize itself and score earned media, while also positioning Unilever as a thought leader, by releasing the speech strategically.