Fictitious ad man Don Draper of the AMC hit series Mad Men famously said, “If you don’t like what is being said, then change the conversation” (season 3, episode 2). While it’s inadvisable to take business… Continued
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A Logo You Want to Eat
June 30th, 2016 by Steve GoldsteinIf you’re looking at an electronic screen as I write this, there’s a good chance you have a craving for a Hershey’s Kiss or two or 10, or for a Hershey bar with almonds, or… Continued

Your Half-Year PR Leadership Checklist: 7 Important Reminders for Communicators
June 26th, 2016 by Diane SchwartzYou’re halfway through what’s been a rather interesting year in business, politics, brand successes and blunders and Game of Thrones developments. Which is to say: you still have another five solid months to make this… Continued

Look Around You: What Don’t You See?
May 23rd, 2016 by Diane SchwartzPortraits in the hallway. Your team. Resumes. The About Us page on your website. When you look closely at the things and people you’re surrounded by every day at work, do you get the sense… Continued
Social Media: Why Communicators Should Play by the Rules…or Not
May 11th, 2016 by Seth Arenstein“I just want to get away from it all” is a popular refrain, especially around vacation time. It could be one of the reasons reality shows about Alaska have been so popular—uncharted territory can be… Continued
If You’re Not Measuring, Then You’re Not in PR
April 25th, 2016 by Diane SchwartzIf that new car you’re shopping for doesn’t have the latest bells and whistles, it’s likely you’ll opt for the one that sports the coolest technology and whose dashboard displays practically everything except your blood… Continued
6 Conversational Habits That May Be Hurting Your Professional Career
April 14th, 2016 by Steve GoldsteinConversing one-on-one reminds me of writing by hand—they’re both modes of communication that have been eroded by the electronic screens that are perpetually in front of our faces. There’s an important distinction to be made… Continued
Time to ‘Resurrect’ That Crisis Plan on Your To-Do List
March 30th, 2016 by Seth ArensteinAre these signs of the times? Last week a sports announcer was pilloried for what some felt was an inappropriate remark. The University of Virginia men’s basketball team in the Elite 8 of the NCAA… Continued
How to Tell Your CEO It’s Time to Radically Change Your Communications Strategy
March 17th, 2016 by Steve GoldsteinPwC—one of the biggest global names among audit and tax consulting companies—is decreasing its press release output by 75% and shifting its communications emphasis to Snapchat and LinkedIn blogs, among other mobile, digital platforms. Megan… Continued
4 Sure-Fire Ways to Get a Reporter’s Attention
March 17th, 2016 by Diane SchwartzAs a former reporter, I received my share of misguided story pitches, voice mails asking if I received the press release and invitations to parties and lunches followed by product pitches. I’ve also been on… Continued

Who Gets Your Vote for 2016’s Spokesperson of the Year?
February 9th, 2016 by Steve GoldsteinWell, it’s almost a wrap on 2016, and what a year it’s been. I’ll bet you thought those presidential primaries would never end. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. It only feels like the last five weeks… Continued
How to Forge Stronger Connections and Still Have Time for a Bath
January 28th, 2016 by Diane Schwartz“Don’t talk to strangers!” That was the advice many of us received as children. No one told us when to start talking to strangers again (at 19? 22? 43?) We had to figure that one… Continued

Leaving Las Vegas and Entering Reality, Here Are 6 Key Takeaways from CES
January 11th, 2016 by Diane SchwartzThe buzz surrounding this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was predictably ubiquitous and positive. Even the taxi driver who picked me up from the airport was talking drones and smart homes. Surely, when you have 170,000 people… Continued

6 Recommendations for Dealing With Unhappy Customers
January 4th, 2016 by Steve GoldsteinWe've all had to deal with unhappy customers, whatever our line of work. If you're an agency PR pro, you have to respond to unsatisfied clients from time to time. If you're an in-house PR… Continued

11 Smart Steps All Communicators Should Take Before Year’s End
December 8th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzLet’s assume you are brilliant. And you’re an inspiration to your peers, an asset to your organization. Let’s also assume that while you’re an A-player you still have a lot to learn. As the late,… Continued

Zappos Takes ‘Giving Back’ Literally With Dead-of-Night Gift Drop-Off in Hanover, N.H.
December 4th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinPlease visit your local mom-and-pop shops this holiday season. Go to that toy store that's been around for 65 years and which just suffered another humiliating rent increase. Buy your wrapping paper at the greeting… Continued

8 Ways to Create Thankfulness and Cheer Year-Round
November 23rd, 2015 by Diane SchwartzNow is the time of year when we dispense a lot of thanks. Yet after the ball drops in Times Square and we start referring to the year 2016, the amount of thanking we do… Continued

Marketing-PR Collaboration Tops the List of Most Important New Direction for 2016 Success
October 27th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzWhat happens when you gather more than 400 of the best communicators in a room and ask them to share best advice? It’s no surprise that you get really smart answers worthy of a blog.… Continued

Encouraging or Discouraging Brand Ambassadors: That is the Question
October 21st, 2015 by Seth ArensteinIt’s said that good things and bad happen in three’s. Sometimes in two’s, and a few times they’re mixed, good and bad. Recently several events happened in quick succession and while not good or bad,… Continued

9 Issues for a Nationally Televised PR Debate
October 15th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzEnvision a nationally televised debate among leaders in Public Relations. Who you picture on that stage is a pretty good indicator of the state of our profession. To keep the personalities out of this for… Continued

The Epic List of Useless Words and Phrases (Continued)
September 22nd, 2015 by Diane SchwartzThere are many reasons people use clichés, catchphrases and trendy words of the day: it’s a communications shortcut, and for the most part it’s not illegal. Those are the only reasons I can think of.… Continued

What’s the Most Important PR Metric? Wrong Question
September 18th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinAt PR News’ upcoming Measurement Conference in Chicago, Kirstie Foster, director of corporate and brand communications for General Mills, is going to present a case study looking at a new measurement program she just rolled… Continued

A Yearly List That Can Help You Communicate with Millennials
September 3rd, 2015 by Seth ArensteinSigns of the times: Jeb Bush goes on the offensive, attacking Donald Trump, but does so with a video on the Internet. Trump returns serve via Twitter and Instagram. Blue Bell Creameries, founded in 1907,… Continued

We Need to Dispel These 5 PR Myths
August 24th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzSearch the term “hires a PR firm” on any given day and you’ll find a fresh news story about a company hiring a PR firm to handle a crisis. Shocking news! Stop the presses! How… Continued

‘PR’ Stands for ‘Public Relations,’ in Case Your CEO Forgot
August 20th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinSubway must want this year to end quickly. Jared Fogle, the company-created celebrity spokesperson, this week agreed to plead guilty of traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and the distribution and… Continued

3 Ways to Cut Through in the Shark Days of Summer
July 31st, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinWe’ve reached the point in summer when the accumulation of heat and humidity slows the reflexes and thought processes. This is when stories about shark attacks dominate news cycles. Calculated, outrageous statements by politicians running… Continued

PR is Sales is Marketing is Advertising
July 23rd, 2015 by Diane SchwartzThe lines are blurry. As a communicator you are usually selling something – an idea, a story, an interview to the media, a budget, a campaign. To close on that effort – to get the… Continued
A Much Sharper Vision for Online Video
July 16th, 2015 by Matthew SchwartzMy older brother, knowing that that I want to get into online video—but continue to procrastinate about it—got me a Sony camcorder as a gift and I thank him for it. He gave me a push to finally start to better educate myself about how to shoot and produce online video, which is red-hot in PR and marketing.
This One Simple Question Can Transform Your Business Relationships
July 9th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzThe moving company that assisted with our house move last week sent us a hard-working crew. Hauling boxes and furniture to and fro, they didn’t spend much time chatting, but when they did they usually… Continued

Writer, Teach Thyself
June 29th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinWrite exceedingly well and you’ll increase your chances of succeeding in your workplace and in the job market. Write poorly and you’ll increase the burden of work for your colleagues and be seen as potentially… Continued
Would You Like Ice Cream with Your Omelette? How to Surprise, Delight and Build Loyalty
June 15th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzIt’s not every day that you get a free scoop of ice cream with your bacon and eggs, unless you’re eating breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s. The iconic Chicago diner has been surprising first-time customers and… Continued

A World Without Twitter?
June 12th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinPR News’ millennial advisory board members were pretty emphatic when they told us Twitter is the social networking platform they use the most in their work lives. Nothing else comes close. These dozen or so… Continued

How PR Can Strengthen Its Bond With Marketing
June 2nd, 2015 by Matthew SchwartzAs C-level managers demand more accountability from their PR departments, communicators increasingly are trying to take their lead from marketing when it comes to measuring activity and demonstrating value. But the arc of media consumption is bending toward PR. If they’re to succeed in the future, both need to work together.

How Can PR Pros Build a Digital Business With 2020 in Mind?
June 1st, 2015 by Matthew SchwartzThroughout the next five years, PR managers will also need to empower their staffs so that managers focus more on corporate goals and objectives.

Colonel Sanders is Back and He’s Spreading
June 1st, 2015 by Seth ArensteinYears ago—during a time before the Internet—PR and marketing executives, not to mention advertisers, were talking about the future of television, specifically the television commercial. VCRs (remember them?) were coming on the scene, and the… Continued

Ten Lines from Mad Men You (Hopefully) Won’t Be Hearing at Work Today
May 18th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzThe series finale of ‘Mad Men’ left it up to us to decide if Don Draper took on a new, third identity or whether California bliss and an inspired retreat experience led him back to… Continued

A Recipe for McDonald’s’ Image Problems: You Should Want Fries With That
May 14th, 2015 by Seth Arenstein“Know Thyself” —inscribed on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi *** In 1967, in what seemed like a far less-complicated time, a McDonald’s TV commercial, borrowing the tune from “Down by the… Continued

A Plain Truth About the Media Ecosystem
May 7th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinThere are so many sources of news media now and so many ways to get the news, it’s difficult to determine which outlets and journalists have the most influence. Also, social media has leveled the… Continued

PR Agency Pros and the Cure for In-House Anxiety
April 30th, 2015 by Steve GoldsteinIn-house PR practitioners don’t have it easy, in general. Sometimes they have to deal with a lack of understanding and appreciation for the work they do. (Did I say sometimes?) Sometimes they get recognized internally… Continued
To Be Human in PR. That Is the Quest.
April 28th, 2015 by Diane SchwartzI was in high school when my Home Economics teacher disclosed that Betty Crocker was not a real person but was a device to personalize the brand. For this naive Jewish girl in Baltimore, it… Continued