Three years ago, in writing about the importance of writing your business biography, my tone was almost apopleptic as I related the widespread absence of such bios. At the time, I conveyed three big reasons why it behooves you to craft your story: 1. Distinguish yourself from the competition. 2. Develop a deeper connection with […]
Category Archives: Public Relations
I’ve become one of them. I just joined the “500+ Club” on LinkedIn, meaning I am connected to more than 500 individuals. (For the record, as of 3 p.m. today, I’m at 502.) Why have I resisted this milestone? Because in all my communications, I strive for quality, not quantity, and I’ve long associated “500+” […]
This month marks my 13th anniversary of self-employment. Based on my experience over this span, I want to take a few moments to share a few tips to help other small business owners, present and future, avoid “deadbeat” clients. Fortunately, 90 percent of my clients have been excellent about paying their bills in a timely […]
Last week, PR Secrets From a Media Insider returned with a typically eclectic assortment of attendees: two citizen activists, a healthcare practitioner, a communications specialist, a furniture store owner and a representative of a stained glass studio. Among other points that I emphasized: For many publicists, sending an e-mail often marks the extent of their […]
Timeliness is an essential ingredient for successful public relations. And with Super Bowl 46 only a few days away, it’s a natural, timely hook, if you can think of one with a logical tie-in to your organization, product or service. For one popular club in Burr Ridge, that principle translated into a news release riding […]
Growing up in journalism, I would periodically hear of the profession’s learning curve, which included making your first mistakes in smaller markets. The key was to learn from those missteps and thereby become less prone to major blunders at larger publications. That was in the 1980s, when a story I wrote in the Marshfield Mariner took […]
Public relations for its own sake is empty. It should have a purpose—some larger organizational aim that the PR serves. For example, a feature profile on a Realtor should help that professional and his or her firm sell homes. A recent case in point: this Inside Edge PR piece on Better Homes and Gardens Real […]
“PR Secrets from a Media Insider” is back. My 90-minute workshop, which demystifies how to communicate with the media and empowers organizations to secure coverage for their causes, returns with three sessions over the next three months. The first one is Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 1111 South Blvd. in Oak Park (directly south of the […]
It takes quite a bit to coax out the cranky side of me. Some sample scenarios: seemingly bright souls who fail to see the humorous relevance of “irregardless” in certain contexts; running across mention of the Red Sox collapse in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series; and getting yet another LinkedIn invitation from someone […]
Think back to the last time you were left panting desperately for air. Maybe you were dashing to catch a plane or were trying to outrun a pursuer—on a playing field or, God forbid, in a more sinister context. Whatever the scenario, it’s fairly safe to say that it was an exception to the rule […]