Amber Naslund of Radian6 wrote a wonderful post last week on social media topics that need to go the glue factory. One she did not mention was more of a piece of advice: “Be remarkable.” It’s a real favourite of digital marketing/social media types these days. They throw this gem…
Organizations tend to think their “news” is newsworthy and merits media coverage. As a result, everyone in PR has been asked by a client or boss, “How come our announcement/press release etc got no coverage?” It’s a hard one to answer because it’s usually a loaded question. Here’s a list…
In 2006, I worked for the Conservative Party in its election War Room. The contest became known as the “Tim Horton’s versus Starbucks election” in certain quarters. Harper was the Tim Horton’s guy. The hockey dad who drank $1.15 cent coffees at rinkside on Saturday while he watched his son…
The dance music community’s bender extraordinaire, “The Winter Music Conference” (WMC), is now in full swing in Miami. Several friends are there, one of whom is throwing a party. I love House music. Very little surpasses being on a dancefloor with a DJ who knows how to mix beats and…
In an economic downturn, it’s pretty obvious that fresh entrants to the business do themselves a favour by honing skills employers desire. The awesome thing about the web is that people give away excellent advice for free every day. If you’re in PR and getting started there’s a plethora of…
There are right ways and wrong ways to ask questions when you are new to the Comms business (or any business). No sane manager expects entry level people to place clients in huge outlets or solve massive PR crises. However, everyone likes to see that new folks think, even if…
The relationship between PR pros and journalists is too often adversarial. It doesn’t have to be. Especially in an era of newsroom cutbacks where both sides need each other more than ever. I’ll never forget the “PR manual” that was in my desk when I started my second management job….
One of the most difficult things about media relations is that you, the PR person, never have full control of the process and outcome. This can be a hard lesson for young people starting their careers. A reporter may get your name wrong, misspell your website, decide to ignore your…
Fuck the Social Media Release. It is the PR equivalent of a smoking hot girl who is ridiculously high maintenance, empties your wallet and does not put out when it’s time to get down. Here are four reasons to hate SMR’s: SMR’s are a way for large companies to take…