Category Archives: Public Relations
I recently asked someone to be my “friend” on Facebook. He declined. My immediate, gut response: pleased and impressed. On the surface, my reaction may seem odd. But let’s consider some background: I’ve spoken with this particular individual, a newspaper reporter, about five times over the past few years, as he worked on stories with […]
Did you know that you can secure a YouTube channel in less than 60 seconds? If you are part of a cause or company that may–just may–make use of YouTube in the future, you should hop on it pronto, before someone else (like me) gets to it first. Just go to YouTube and click on […]
A microblog today, echoing what I shared via the Inside Edge PR fan page and via the Inside Edge Twitter account: The purpose of a news release is NOT to stroke the client’s ego; among other things, it’s to gain placement in the media, which helps the client attain goals. All the better to let […]
My first story for pay, more than 25 years ago, was on Chris Lapriore, a two-time state tennis champ from my hometown of Marshfield, Ma. One of my first stories for the Daily Northwestern was on Matt Akman, the school’s #1player in 1987. Here’s my latest tennis piece, a news release on Robert Stineman, a […]
There’s a reason why telephone numbers are only so long. When it comes to retaining a series of digits, we tend to max out at four. Likewise, do you think of your social security number as a 9-figure monster, or a three-figure beginning, a two-digit middle, and a four-figure finale? The same is true in […]
Last week, with A Winning PR Recipe: Timely Stories, I touched on the importance of being timely with story ideas to the media. And usually, all you need are a few weeks’ advance notice to ensure the currency and relevance of a story pitch. But you also have to keep your eye on longer lead […]
Sometimes, I’m called upon to write satirically. Always, it’s a blast. Check out the current media outreach about Michael Issac’s campaign to create the “Office of Cook County Comic.”Michael, who goes by “The Cook County Comic,” came up with the fantastic idea last week, as the election season heats up. I helped flesh it out […]
Some stories require nuance and a delicate mix of elements to make for a promising pitch to the media. But others have a recipe no more complicated than making ice. They simply teem with timing. A news release on how to safely shovel snow isn’t such a hot idea in July, but in the Chicago […]