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…
Somebody recently asked me about launching a corporate blog. They said “Oh, I hear this is a great marketing tool.” It is indeed. It can help any business with SEO, build community, even increase sales (the latter being the part that people care about). Here’s the thing: it is a…
There’s a million and one blog posts from flaks and journos on how to pitch. Maybe they’re worth your time. The “how to” guides of pitching sound the same most of the time though. People tell you that you’re supposed to research the reporter, usually lead with an email, make…
Internships are wonderful things. For the intern, exposure to professionals and learning on the job are the main upsides. For the organization, internship programs, if done right, are a great HR tool. Two former interns in my department are now full-time Communications Coordinators. It has been incredibly easy for them…