PR

In public relations we’re always looking for tools to help produce quality content for clients as well as our own brand. And there are tools that can save time while improving topic choice, leads, and writing style. Here are some of our favorite apps and tools that help PR teams create winning blog posts, bylines…
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Last month Mary Meeker of Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield, Byers released her Internet Trends report for 2017, and all 355 slides are well worth a read for anyone in tech public relations or digital marketing. Here are some of the most relevant trends for PR. Internet ad spend surpasses television spend. The lines will cross in…
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A brand-sponsored survey is a time-honored tool for public relations. But how do you ensure the success of a given survey? After all, if the questions are too obvious, it’s likely to be boring, but if the outcomes are unpredictable, could it backfire? Like any PR vehicle designed to generate positive press response, the success of…
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The common public relations wisdom about brands and politics is that they don’t mix. When an issue fuels consumer anger or public debate, it should be avoided at all costs. The bigger the brand, the more risk-averse the marketing team tends to be, with good reason. But nowadays there’s pressure for brands to take a…
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In public relations, it’s not always obvious what is and isn’t a story. It’s an important skill to differentiate between story ideas and angles that will make news and those that will make it into the email trash folder. What’s more, it takes PRs with diplomacy and sometimes backbone to ferret out the “good stuff”…
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In public relations we are on a constant quest to tell resonant, compelling stories that the media love and people will share. In that spirit, here’s a look at a few companies really killing it in the storytelling game. Is your brand telling its best story? Take some tips from some stellar standouts and to further improve…
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Any PR or marketing expert will tell you that for a brand to connect with customers, it should convey authenticity. But what about brands that don’t have a compelling story, or who have strayed from their roots due to their very success? Can authenticity be designed after the fact? It seems right up there with…
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In public relations, we often describe our approach to earned media this way; what we give up in editorial control we make up for in credibility. We can’t always persuade a writer to compose a story exactly the way we want, but a publication’s imprimatur and its digital domain authority can more then make up for…
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A great PR campaign can generate positive brand awareness, which is clearly desirable. Who wouldn’t welcome a profile in a major national publication, or a Q&A with an influential trade? What about a flood of LinkedIn comments? That kind of engagement is always a good thing. But how valuable is it? How many PR programs…
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Last week we shared best practices for delivering bad news, but sound public relations techniques are also effective for amplifying good tidings. In fact, happy news is a main driver for social media sharing. Emotions layered with happiness make up the majority of top drivers of viral content. Crenshaw client Brainjolt knows this; it delivers feel-good content that…
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At some point in a public relations career, you will have to be the bearer of unpleasant news, or the person who helps craft its communication. But there are strategies for delivering such news properly, tempering the blow and assuring that no one shoots the messenger. First, you have to take a good look at where…
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Those of us in public relations spend a lot of time helping clients speak effectively in front of strangers, but what about our own speaking skills?  Last week some of us addressed a client conference on best practices in PR and social media, which was an opportunity to put those skills to use. The crowd was engaged,…
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It’s inspiring to meet newly minted public relations or communications grads looking to crack that first job in their chosen field. And though the first break is rarely easy, for anyone set on a career in PR there are likely to be forks in the road at the beginning of the career journey. I often…
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Surprises? Great for parties and gifts, but not so great for public relations. Like many client service businesses, ours works best when it’s predictable and reliable. This means attention to staffing, budgets, deadlines and prep work to ensure successful outcomes. Our informal poll elicited some interesting – yet undesirable – surprises we all strive to…
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Summer in public relations includes outdoor meetings, shorts and flip-flops (if your office works that way), Summer Fridays, and an all-around happier work environment.  But it doesn’t mean we strive any less to keep clients happy and implement great new campaigns. If you find yourself needing any more motivation, music is always key and we…
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Some PR agencies fall into a trap of chasing only only large, brand-name clients. This is in part because like attracts like; large brands can bring more of the same, they reason. A PR firm may also think that doing media relations for well known brands can be easier than work for unknowns, because journalists…
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In public relations, it’s always gratifying to be recognized by one’s peers. Typically, that recognition comes in the form of industry awards. Right now we’re finalists in a couple of awards competitions, and we’ve won our fair share as well. So, we thought it might be a good time to review what helps make a…
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The past couple of weeks have seen quite a few public relations faux pas committed by folks who should know better. But it seems a combination of hubris, ignorance and impatience may have gotten the better of them! Some have handled the situations well, and others, not so well. Let’s review. PR: The good, the…
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What’s the cost of a brand crisis? As video of United Airlines passenger Dr. David Dao being violently dragged from his seat went viral last month, the media – and a global audience of prospective customers – were shocked. It may not have hurt the airline’s stock price in the long term, but CEO Oscar…
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Congratulations, you’ve retained a new public relations firm, and you’re getting ready to kick off a successful partnership. Like any new relationship, this one is in the honeymoon phase as everyone gets to know each other. But things are about to get real, so all parties need to be on their toes to ensure success…
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Public relations experts know that the majority of traffic coming to a blog post comes in the first hours and days of publication. This makes the timely promotion of your blog content critical to its success. And, according to TrackMaven, you might want to publish your post at 3 p.m. EST for the highest number of…
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Some say the goal of a great public relations program should be to build brand reputation, while sales and marketing actually drive sales. The reality is that the lines between PR and marketing are getting blurrier all the time. The two can and should work together –  much like brick and mortar. A strong public…
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Recently a journalist posted some basic advice for public relations people to improve media relationships. He said to “read stuff, then take it to reporters who like that stuff.” That’s a little like Elmore Leonard advising writers to “try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.” Simple, yet true, and harder than…
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Millions of college students graduate this year, and if my inbox is any indication, many would like to work in public relations. Of course, anyone entering the field is likely to look at the different paths to a career, which typically means exploring large agencies, in-house opportunities, and smaller firms. We’d like to make the…
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Nearly every public relations campaign can benefit from smart use of hashtags, those words that start with the symbol # and make social content more searchable by topic. Marketers know that hashtags help spark brand conversations, expand content reach, engage a target audience and improve search and SEO. Building Better Hashtags Hashtags work best when…
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A few years ago I dropped in on a client’s booth at an industry conference, and the company CEO introduced me – the founder of his company’s public relations agency – as the “publicist.” Who, me, a publicist? What he didn’t realize was that for some PR people, the term is faintly pejorative. It implies…
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When it comes to good public relations, a company can have great potential that for one reason or another is never realized in the form of media coverage. There can be a number of reasons, including bad timing, a poor approach, or competition in the space. But it’s often simply because the company is unprepared for…
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Timely, authoritative and well-written bylined articles – contributed pieces for business and trade publications – can elevate a B2B public relations effort exponentially, if executed correctly. How hard is it to write some short articles on a subject you know well? Harder than you think, if you want editors to consider your content for publication….
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The Tony nominees were announced this week, and it’s award season for public relations as well. We are pleased to be contenders in a couple of categories. Nothing beats acknowledgment by industry peers for a job well done. The timing also provides a good opportunity to review the kinds of traits that create award-winning PR teams….
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Throughout the past decade, public relations pundits have trumpeted the rise of the personal brand in the digital era. By now we expect that many have mastered the basics of personal branding, but it’s not as easy as setting up a social media presence and hoping an audience finds you. There are concrete steps to…
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