When people ask me for the key to success at PR, I always tell them it's a combination of creativity and persistence. Most people fail at getting coverage because they give up at the first "no". It's important to remember that editors and producers change...
I got a round of "what did you think of the story" calls this week after we finished a major event here, the Minneapolis Boat Show. It always surprises me when producers and writers care what I think. After all, I'm just the flack, right?...
I can't tell you how often I think about my first secretary job (we were secretaries then) and how I had to learn to "handle" the busy lives of others. It helps me so often with journalists, particularly when we're doing TV. You would be...
I think one of the things that made my transition from working mainly with technology managers to working with journalists is that they share alot of the same traits. They're typically over-worked, under-appreciated, single-minded people whose jobs require them to multi-task. And that can make...
Occasionally you will all have the opportunity to ruminate on the old maxim that "any press is good press." This week I had the audacity to vex our local gossip columnist. You can read the lovely article here if you like. Basically, I didn't give...
This is NOT a tagline. It's not a mission statement either. It shouldn't contain words with lots of syllables (or heaven forbid, adjectives). It should say what you do, why you do it and who you do it for. For example, waxcoach.com is a do-it-yourself...
I have to admit, I've been a bit slack on posting blogs in December. It had a bit to do with finishing my Masters degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. I'm proud to say that I am now done with higher education for the time being. I was...
I know how hard that is. But for small businesses, it's essential that you figure out a budget in terms of hours per month you're going to spend on PR, and then commit to it. I'm the typical shoemaker's daughter. I try to promote myself,...
I was in a meeting recently and the client asked me how to measure the results of their PR campaign. It sounds tough, but it's not really. CPM means "cost per thousand" in the advertising world. It is the cost per thousand impressions, derived by...
This week one of my contractors picked up the phone and called the office of Kevin Huvane. Mr. Huvane is one of the top talent agents in the country and represents many A-list stars. Within 30 minutes we had the internal fax number for Harpo...
