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 […]
What’s your biggest failure? That’s become kind of a trendy question to ask yourself. Various TED talks espousing the merits of failure have gone viral. “Fail faster” has become the battle cry of Silicon Valley. But I’ve never liked failing. Doesn’t taste good. So I’ve been pondering this question. Reflection seems natural lately, because I […]
My last two posts on not using hedging words in emails to journalists and instead relying on your belief in your purpose seem to have hit home. Among the many responses I got, reader Carly M. helpfully asked: “As someone who is always ‘just’ trying to get a story placed, this really hit home. My question is: how […]
I boarded my connecting flight last week, eased into my aisle seat in row 25, and unzipped my bag to pull out my laptop. But it wasn’t there. You know the feeling when a sudden crisis hits. Your brain goes into rapid-fire. Here’s the staccato of thoughts that coursed through my head, all in a […]
