Media Relations

In the months leading up to the Nov. 8 presidential election, the PR bombs that have been dropped on (or by) each presidential candidate would have kept even the most seasoned PR pro up at night if it were their own brand dealing with media fallout. Here’s how each candidate has remained standing after a number of media firestorms, with quick takes on PR tactics they’ve used for each crisis.

At a networking event last week, an industry colleague asked me if I’ve ever Googled myself. She whispered the question to me as if to self-Google were verboten. Fortunately, we were interrupted by a mutual… Continued

A PR pitch has about eight seconds to grab a reporter’s attention before it gets ignored, marked as spam or deleted. And while the text within the pitch copy might suit a particular reporter’s beat to a T, major outlets have become increasingly reliant on video and photo content amidst the current visual-thirsty digital landscape. So, to risk being passed over for coverage, today’s PR professionals must be able to incorporate visual assets into their content. Here are four best practices for incorporating visuals into content targeted at the media.

Thought leadership: It may be on your C-suite’s wish list, but like many PR goals, the buzz phrase needs to be broken down into executable tactics in order to be both meaningful and achievable. At the PRSA International Conference in Indianapolis, David Siroty of Coldwell Banker Real Estate and Lindsey Turrentine of CNET broke down their own tactics as they spoke about the fruitful strategic partnership their brands have worked toward in the last decade.

A weekly roundup of the week that was in PR and a brief look at personnel moves. This week’s edition includes stories about Dunkin’ Brands, Spong’s new name, Ketchum’s WonderLust 50+ study and the founding of American Women in PR.

Brands, in an effort to get out a shareable tweet or a super-likeable post, are often caught in a daily trap of shallow engagement with its communities. Your stakeholders — humans just like you and… Continued

You’re having a non-work-related party at your home Saturday night. Invited are neighbors, relatives and friends, including me, a journalist by day. We’re there to enjoy conversation, drinks, an elegant diner and a terrific view… Continued

At the beginning of September, the White House announced South By South Lawn (SXSL), an innovation-themed event slated for Oct. 3 produced in tandem with—and based on—the iconic South by Southwest (SXSW) music, technology and film festival. The timing of the announcement gave SXSL planners only a month of lead time to build buzz and encourage audiences nationwide to tune in for the live stream, which garnered hundreds of thousands of live viewers.

It’s become part of the journalist’s editorial calculations by necessity. If they cover you, how many page views can you deliver to them?

There’s no surefire way to win media coverage for your brand, but strategic timing can help you avoid wasting hours of research and writing pitches that are routinely ignored by journalists. It pays to resist the pressure from senior leaders or clients to send that pitch right now and instead be a part of the news cycle’s ebb and flow.