Public Relations Tips

We're living in the era of the apology. A week doesn't go by without news of an executive or celebrity who says or does something objectionable; which leads to calls for that person to apologize/be fired/resign; followed by an apology (sometimes good, but more often lacking); and then the cycle begins anew.

1 February 2014 No Comment The Government of Canada's announced that it's retiring the traditional format; surely this means the press release is finally dead. Gone forever are those dense blocks of text, overly long headlines and all that complex jargon.

Contrary to popular belief, the pre-internet world was not the Dark Ages of advertising. Traditional methods succeeded (and they still do). Working with a PR professional gave you the opportunities you needed to connect with journalists and editors. But, it's like they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In 2010, 225 of the best minds in PR measurement met in Barcelona and brought the Barcelona Principles down from the mountaintop. These principles recognized the system was broken and established a new, standardized way for communications professionals to measure the efficacy of PR campaigns, shifting the focus of measurement from output to outcome.

Social media is having a dramatic, perhaps outsized impact on how digital news is produced, distributed, consumed and ultimately monetized. As mobile and social technologies reach critical mass, it is fueling a footrace to create highly shareable, yet informative news stories that generate traffic. More critically this is changing how journalists approach their craft.

Whether you're looking to raise your public profile, or hoping to get the word out about a new product, media coverage is one of the best ways to get your company noticed. Unfortunately though, obtaining press coverage isn't a simple matter of firing off pitches and hoping for the best.