Continued from last week . . . Two recent pitches crossed my desk – one hailed as “best pitch ever, actually” by the journalist that received it, the other posted to Facebook and Twitter with “#cringeworthy.” The difference comes down to one word in the so-called “bad pitch.” Before I go any further, I want […]
One pitch was hailed by the journalist who got it as “the best pitch I have received. Ever, actually.” The other got posted to the recipient’s Facebook and Twitter feeds as an example of how NOT to pitch with the hashtag “#cringeworthy.” My followers shared these two pitches with me recently, a few days apart. […]
Sometimes, when people hear what I do for a living, they ask me, “Aren’t you worried there won’t be any media left to pitch?” No way. There are more media than ever before. And even the “legacy” or “traditional” media are giving us more opportunities to reach their audiences. Here comes a specific example, but […]
I’ve had a look inside some PR campaigns that worked with celebrity spokespeople. I wish I could tell you about the celebrity you’ve heard of who brought her mom to the media training. She had no connection to the brand and the cause the brand was promoting, treated the whole thing like a chore, and […]
The wording of the storefront sign in downtown Manhattan was so transparent it was jarring. I couldn’t take my eyes off it, and it occurred to me that pitch writing would benefit from the same surprisingly honest approach. My family just completed a 17-day tour up the East Coast from Williamsburg to Boston guided by, […]
Last week a few readers emailed me links about a new software startup that is going to “disrupt” the public relations industry by automating much of the pitching process. This used to happen about once every two years. Now the emails come about every six months. Investors are really into artificial intelligence replacing humans. I […]
Why would a time-starved journalist make the time to accept an in-person meeting when they could just as easily get information from you by phone or email? That was the question that came in various forms during the virtual training meeting I held for my Inner Circle members this week. We heard from two Inner […]
During our hike in the mountains Saturday my wife pointed to some dandelions beside the trail and said, “I keep thinking these are weeds, but up here they’re wildflowers.” What’s a weed? A plant that grows on its own, without nurture, that people don’t like. What’s a wildflower? A plant that grows on its own, […]
I totally get why journalists and bloggers vent their frustrations about PR people online, and why people would think that could be a valuable source of intelligence about how to better connect with them. But the frequent negativity dampens your confidence, and their generalizations can even lead you away from the very tactics your peers […]
PR pros are pretty hard on themselves… You want to succeed; you have tons to do and very little time to do it. Today, I’m going to offer you a secret that will “stop the PR insanity” almost instantly. It will give you MORE time, give you MORE energy, and give you much more CLARITY […]
