How One Reporter Uses Twitter to Find Stories
Very interesting interview on NPR’s On The Media with Julio Ojeda Zapata of the St. Paul Pioneer Press about how he uses Twitter in his job. You can read the transcript or listen here. Zapata says he uses Twitter to find sources for stories, sort of like putting out a query to hundreds of people. [...]
Barack Obama’s Media Enforcer
Barack Obama has a media strongman, according to a story this week in the Wall Street Journal. His name is Robert Gibbs, and his job is to wrangle the media into doing and saying what the Obama campaign wants them to say. Here’s a snippet from the Journal story: As the Obama campaign enters a [...]
Great New eBook on Strategic Communications Planning
Just in time for your end-of-summer, get-back-to-work reading list: an excellent new eBook on strategic communications planning by Dave Fleet, a Senior Consultant for PR agency Thornley Fallis Communications in Toronto. The book is clear, concise and easy-to-read. It will have a permanent place on my bookshelf or virtual bookshelf (what does one do with [...]
Clintons Play Their PR Cards Right
Both Hillary and Bill Clinton had big PR opportunities last night at the Democratic convention, and let’s face it, both could have screwed them up. But in my estimation, they both did the best job they could have done. First, Hillary: at this point in the election process, her job was to not only fully [...]
The Key to Success is Sincerity
Public relations is a game of creating and sustaining perceptions. And in life, one of the most important attributes a person can have is “sincerity.” Coming across as genuine, real, caring: “I feel your pain.” But let’s face it, who can do that every day? Unless you’re the Buddha, it’s a grind! That’s why one [...]
Get the Plug in Early
Here’s another Joe Franklin line that he can claim for sure: “Get the plug in early.” Meaning, when you’re interviewing someone, don’t wait until the end to mention the reason they are on your show — mention the book, or the new TV show, or whatever, at the start. What does this have to do [...]
Love ‘em or Hate ‘em, You Still Need PR People
In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need PR people. You could write up your news yourself, send it out, and the world would take due notice of it. This being an imperfect world, you’re still usually going to be better off working with PR pros who can help you navigate the highways and byways of [...]
PRWeek Creates a Monster With PR Blog Contest
PRWeek is running a competition among 32 PR blogs to determine the “best PR blog.” As you can imagine, the 32 blogs that got included have been tripping over themselves to promote their selection. Apparently, the self-promotion has gone a little too far: PRWeek Editor-in-Chief Keith O’Brien sent out a “knock-it-off” email to the bloggers [...]
The Easiest Way to Get Media Coverage
PR pros and executives constantly wring their hands in frustration trying to get media coverage. But at the same time, they often overlook the simplest and most effective way to get in the media: cooperating with journalists when they ask for your help. Blogger Ewan McLeod has a post on Mobile Industry Review reporting that [...]