Media

PR (public relations) writing isn’t for everyone, but everyone needs good PR writing. So let’s make this easy and call this blog simply “PR writing for dummies.” There’s even a book you can buy to help you with this, but I’m going to share what I have learned over 23 years running my PR firm,…

People often wonder when they hear terms like “legacy media” or “mass media.” Sometimes the phrase is “mainstream media,” or some even call it “old media.” All of these word choices are appropriate when talking about what many consider the heart of the “information age.” This age began in the early 20th century with the…

A lot of people in our industry are focused on understanding what key trends are shaping public relations (PR) this year and going forward. Many talk about the growth of social media, video and podcasts, or the value of being focused on community awareness or things like diversity, inclusion and equity. Some talk about the…

It does still happen. A press release (PR) can bring results with traditional media or even non-traditional communications outlets (online news sites, for example). The success of a well-crafted PR pitch might get you in a community or regional newspaper. A photographer or TV camera crew might want to visit your company, meet your team,…

At the heart of many public relations (PR) firms is what I call a “program” where the new client is placed into a certain approach dictated by the PR company itself and not necessarily designed to fit their needs. It often leads to people asking me: how does a PR firm work? It starts with…

When I talk to people about public relations (PR), many business owners in particular only seem to focus on sending press releases and seeking publicity from the mainstream media or other less traditional media outlets. And that is part of it. But let me ask a couple of questions: Who likes to win something? Who likes…

There are so many “hooks” in life. Hooks can be for fishing, for hanging artwork or coats or just simple tools in the garage. Hooks are used for snaring things, capturing stuff, and grabbing on to what it is you want now. Hooks serve such a multi-faceted function that the value of using a hook…

If we’re in business, then we are probably measuring something. It may be our bottom line, number of proposals being written, clicks on our website, or our cost of goods sold. It’s easy to quantify profits, payroll costs and advertising expenses. Gauging the effectiveness of social media efforts is also important and the good news…

I am often asked by people what PR (public relations) writing is supposed to look like. Certainly, there is no magic formula, though there are plenty of good ideas to share on the topic and several critical components to good PR writing. Before we proceed, however, I’d like to first explain what is PR writing….

We all know the power of words, especially action-oriented phrases and words emphasizing results. They can indeed help shape press releases and convey a company and personal brand in a more effective way. One powerful tool that connects your messages and words in a press release (and other content like blogs) is understanding SEO (Search…