Category Archives: Public Relations

The Case for Creating Case Studies

With public relations and marketing, it’s crucial to keep the bottom line in mind. For most any enterprise, the overarching goal isn’t to write a news release or to secure media coverage or to do any of those activities that people put under the heading of “getting our name out there.” Instead, those are all […]

Voicemails Aren’t Dead—As Long As You Liven Them Up

The other day, Brad Farris of Anchor Advisors made a strenuous argument against leaving voicemails. Brad’s very smart, exceedingly accomplished in business, and someone I hold in high regard. But take his advice at your own peril, particularly if you are in the media relations/public relations game. The key is not to avoid the specter […]

3 Ways to Pump Up Your Next Business Open House

Business “Open Houses” are a dime a dozen. For many of these events, you could call them “Come Into My Business So I Can Try to Get You as a Customer.” Not that you should do that, of course. Hardly anyone would come, and it would be really hard to fit all those characters into […]

Content Creation: A Foundational Element in Fueling Your Public Relations Effort

“Content creation.” It’s a term that I never heard, or used, during my years as a journalist. But it’s become an almost-daily phrase in my vocabulary as I help organizations tell their stories. The creation of content–often, in the form of stories that accentuate someone’s expertise and knowledge–is a foundational element in most any public […]

‘Be A Loser’ Comes to Five Seasons Family Sports Clubs in Burr Ridge & Northbrook

It’s that time of year when many of us–me included–are prone to adding a few pounds. Holiday parties, extra layers of clothing to combat the cold, and still more holiday parties conspire to tempt us to add more calories than we need. New Year’s resolutions, such as getting in shape and shedding excess weight, can’t […]

Rising Above Cliches, Jargon & Other Assaults on Our Story-telling Senses

“In an amazing, unique development that will leverage cutting-edge technology with grassroots principles, the Acme Redevelopment Group, Inc. is utilizing a new game-changer in the burgeoning lint removal industry.” If you had not detected the patent ridiculousness of that opening line already, the last few words should have been a tip-off: lint removal industry? Although […]

How to Pass the ‘Caller ID’ Gauntlet: 3 Keys to Boosting Your Phone-Calling Reputation

For the longest time, back in the days when I actually had a home phone line, I resisted getting caller ID. Instead, I took a certain pride in maintaining this “purist” approach to picking up the ringing phone without any indication of who was calling. I was old school, by golly, and my stance meant […]

Street Performance Art Vs. PR Principle, Part 3

In the first two segments of this three-part series, we examined the actions of a street performer that my family recently came across on The Magnificent Mile in Chicago. Spray-painted silver, dressed in flashy attire and sporting a bright red head of hair, he cut a striking figure as he stood perfectly still atop a […]

Street Performance Art Vs. PR Principle, Part 2

In the previous post, we took you along to The Magnificent Mile in Chicago, where a street performer was standing perfectly still atop a box. Spray-painted silver, dressed in flashy attire and sporting an eye-grabbing hair-do, he was waiting for passers-by to make donations that were a pre-requisite for him to swing into action. When […]

Street Performance Art Vs. PR Principle, Part I

Along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, in the heart of The Magnificent Mile, the sounds of Pharrell’s “Happy” swept along the sidewalk one recent Sunday afternoon. After moving closer to the source of the music, I was stopped short by the striking image of a street performer standing on a box. Silver paint sprayed over his skin […]