Pitching National TV Shows? You Better Bring Your A-Game
It may look easy, but creating a smooth-running, entertaining national news or talk show is super-stressful. Simply producing TV is hard, and producing it to compete on the national stage is daunting. The people who rise to that level of the media are talented, tough and hard-working by definition.
So if you want to get on [...]
How to Get to the Top of Search Rankings
Want to be on the top of the search rankings when someone’s looking for your product or service? Who doesn’t?? If so, you’ve got to use search engine optimization strategies when designing your web site and posting content. It doesn’t happen naturally.
What are the proven techniques? Sally Falkow posts an excellent primer called, “How to [...]
Personal Connections Are What Conferences Are All About
I came into the PRSA International Conference expecting what most people come to a conference for: first and foremost, interesting sessions, and then secondly, to meet some nice people in my industry.
I guess I hadn’t been at a conference in awhile, because as usual, it was the inverse: some worthwhile sessions, tons of nice and [...]
What Consumers Really Think of Green PR
Here’s a quiz: which of the following environmental terms resonates most strongly with consumers:
a ) Conservation
b) Green
c) Energy Efficiency
d) Sustainable
If you answered “b) Green” — you’re wrong! The answer is c) Energy Efficiency. That’s according to Suzanne Shelton of Shelton Group, who conducts annual surveys of consumer attitudes toward environmental issues. Shelton’s research indicates that [...]
Does PR Need a Stronger Sense of Ethics?
At first blush, it’s a no-brainer that the PR industry could use a much stronger and enforceable Code of Ethics. The industry is rife with bad practices and shoddy, over-priced work, which is why we still find ourselves on the defensive so often. This is not to say that there aren’t a lot of hard-working, ethical and talented [...]
What Makes a Good Interview on “Fresh Air”
Fresh Air on NPR is probably the most desirable radio talk show placement, particularly for an author. You get lots of time, and host Terry Gross will engage you at a level that will really let people get to know you and your point of view.
Naturally, therefore, the competition to get on the show is [...]
It’s True: “Repeating the Negative” Is Bad PR
It’s PR gospel that you shouldn’t “repeat a negative,” that you should instead focus on the positive and turn negative questions into positive answers. I’ve been hammering on this a bit on this blog of late because both presidential candidates have been repeating negatives quite a bit, though it would appear that Obama, at least, [...]
Fighting a Recession With Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Is there any cheaper marketing strategy than word-of-mouth? You get people talking, and they go out and sell your product or service for you. Perfect for recessionary times.
Of course, it’s not nearly that simple or necessarily that effective, but it certainly can be a frugal way to stretch your marketing budget.
So as my contribution to [...]
Should You Change Your Online Image?
Let’s say you’re 25 years old and working your first or second job in PR. And let’s say you were a heavy Facebook user in college and still keep an active Facebook account linked to your college days and your college crowd.
The question is this: do you scrub your Facebook account to make yourself more professional, or [...]
Obama Biographer Whines About Campaign’s PR Tactics
Pity the poor quickie biographer — trying to cash in on the sudden fame of a national figure by rushing a book into publication and onto store shelves in enough time to harvest some pre-Election Day sales. After all, if the candidate loses, those books will be remaindered quicker than you can say Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
The [...]