We subscribe to seven different publications in my apartment. They range from the daily Wall Street Journal to The Economist and New York magazine to Food & Wine and Fast Company every month. I also follow countless blogs and am signed up for daily e-newsletters. You might call me a content addict. And I’m not [...]
Many clients we work with will go through some type of major re-branding or marketing effort every few years. These monster projects often take a heavy people investment, significant resources and are the focal point of endless meetings, conference calls, brainstorm sessions and retreats. Once the project is complete, we get a call that the [...]
Writing the perfect pitch is a lot like writing the perfect story—success is somewhat elusive. But there are a few specific elements from pitches I have received that have resonated with me, and as a result, would likely be effective with other reporters you are trying to target. I try to keep the following guidelines [...]
After a semester of never-ending resume updates, cover letter customizations, and nerve-wracking phone interviews, you’ve landed your dream internship. Congratulations! But now comes the tricky part – starting the job. There is a lot to learn about working in public relations, so, as an inside look for a new intern or entry-level hire, here are [...]
Ok. I”ll be honest. From one reporter’s perspective (mine), one of the reasons public relations professionals sometimes get a bad rap from the media is because they aren’t always as well-versed or knowledgeable as they need to be about a client’s industry or expertise. So if a media relations specialist is pitching a reporter about [...]
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. – Mark Twain We spend a good deal of our life preparing for emergencies – perhaps more than we might realize. We’ve all gone through fire drills…learned the importance of “Stop, Drop, and Roll”…maybe even discussed what we should [...]
The mind-numbing amount of information hurling at us at warp speed each day is overwhelming. If you’re a journalist, multiply it ten-fold. Believe me, I know. There were weeks I fielded more than 200 email story pitches for consideration in the pages of Businessweek, one of the several mainstream business publications that employed me as [...]
On Friday, my colleague Peter MacKellar was bragging about landing tickets to the Patriots-Broncos game in December. His celebration was halted by the realization that we still don’t know the status of the NFL season. The players and owners have been in mediation for almost a week and the hearings remain confidential. As an avid [...]
The media landscape is evolving. There’s no doubt about that. And yet when it comes to media relations, our clients are often reluctant to adapt. Why? Because new online outlets and social media outposts have unclear editorial policies, unavailable circulation numbers and undefined readership profiles. But does this mean we should avoid targeting new media [...]
I received the news of Osama bin Laden’s death on my phone. I was glancing over e-mails before wrapping up my evening, when I saw the breaking news alert. I didn’t open it. I went straight to my TV and watched history unfold as the President informed the nation. But, even as I watched it [...]
