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How do you prepare for an interview? How do you know if you're reaching the right audience? And what do you do when the other side is attacking you in the media? Here we offer expert insights and tips to help you better understand the complicated business of public relations—and tell your story more effectively. 

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Man raises his fist while being interviewed by the news

Great Tips for Writing PR Talking Points

05-16-2022

Talking points act as reminders during an interview or the presentation of a project or proposal. In public relations, talking points are not only important but useful when disseminating information. While they may sound like an easy task, effective talking points follow a couple of rules and structure. Read on to find out how to craft talking points that will get the main message across. Talking points: What they are and how to write them Talking points are short parts […]

Talking points act as reminders during an interview or the presentation of a project or […]


Media Tips: Don’t Say, “No Comment”

02-02-2020

I don’t know any better way than just to come out and say it, just don’t say, “no comment.” There has to be another answer that you can give. Reporters and your audience can’t stand hearing those two simple words. As Nancy Reagan always said, “Just say NO,” to “no comment.” The issue with the ever so easy to say and often used phrase is that “no comment” really is a comment. Short of cursing and admitting guilt or failing […]

I don’t know any better way than just to come out and say it, just […]


Media Tips: Best Media Interview

01-27-2020

Media Tips: 10 Tips to Kill Your Next Media Interview So you have a reporter that is ready to do an interview. Now is the time to shine, but you can’t just be smart, nor knowledgeable about the topic, you need to be so much more because you will have one chance to share your message and that’s it. You have to make this interview count! You have to give your best performance, your best media interview. Here are tips […]

Media Tips: 10 Tips to Kill Your Next Media Interview So you have a reporter […]


Responding to Journalist

Media Tips: Responding to a Journalist

01-06-2020

Responding to a journalist: Check out this quick guide to help you develop a process when each media call or email comes in. This 1, 2, 3 guide to responding to a journalist is just the start, but it is a good start in setting you up for success. If you don’t already have one in place, create a media call sheet. It doesn’t have to be too fancy, just record every media call that comes in and how it […]

Responding to a journalist: Check out this quick guide to help you develop a process […]


How to respond to a reporter

Media Tips: How to Respond to a Reporter

01-02-2020

How to respond to a reporter’s initial inquiry: So, a reporter reached out; how do you handle it? If you answered the call, take down the reporter’s contact information, news organization, deadline, topic, and, if possible, how they decided to call your organization. If you received an email, follow up with them to make sure you have that same information. In both cases, let them know that you will look into it and will follow up if you can help. […]

How to respond to a reporter’s initial inquiry: So, a reporter reached out; how do […]


Purpose of Press Release

Beyond Breaking News: 15 Other Purposes for Press Releases

08-20-2019

Press releases are not on their way out, the king is not dead! Not only is the press release still a good mechanism to distribute news worthy information to the media, it can now also do so much more…

Press releases are not on their way out, the king is not dead! Not only is the press release still a good mechanism to distribute news worthy information to the media, it can now also do so much more…


Media Expert

7 Steps to Assert Your Business as an Expert

04-17-2019

Even in this digital age, where consumers regularly make purchases without even seeing the item firsthand, “trust” still matters a great deal. According to a 2018 SurveyMonkey survey, trust in a brand matters “a great deal” or “a lot” for 65 percent of consumers and “some” for another 27 percent. One of the surest ways to raise your trust factor is to position your business as an expert. Inherent among brands who’ve reached expert status is a degree of trustworthiness […]

Even in this digital age, where consumers regularly make purchases without even seeing the item […]


A 6-Point Checklist for More Shareable Press Releases

08-25-2017

You’ve crafted the perfect headline, finagled the just-right quote, triple-checked your spelling, and scored client approval.By all traditional measures, your press release is ready for life in the wild.But how long will it survive? While quality content is important, it hardly matters if the press release isn’t sufficiently “shareable.” This wasn’t an issue 10-15 years ago, when generating awareness was as simple as sending an advisory to local media. But today, creating a buzz is more of a self-starting enterprise […]

You’ve crafted the perfect headline, finagled the just-right quote, triple-checked your spelling, and scored client […]


How Sorry Apologies Doomed Pepsi and United Airlines

05-16-2017

By Alex Altman More than a month later, the bruises still shine bright. No matter what they do, Pepsi and United Airlines can’t outrun the ignominy of their recent PR blunders. In an age where attention spans are as limited as airplane legroom, that’s really saying something. At this point, pretty much every aspect of these mistakes has been unpacked. And what’s interesting is that while both situations transpired in completely different ways, they’re bound by common themes: including weak […]

By Alex Altman More than a month later, the bruises still shine bright. No matter […]


Tips for Working with Social Influencers

04-03-2017

By Alex Altman The relationship between brands and celebrities goes back decades. Watch TV for an hour today and it’s a virtual certainty that you’ll see Jennifer Garner hawking credit cards, Chris Paul peddling insurance, or some other famous person selling you something you don’t need. In 2017 though, you don’t need to star in sport or cinema to get paid like a celebrity for endorsing a product. All you need is a large social presence. People who wield their […]

By Alex Altman The relationship between brands and celebrities goes back decades. Watch TV for […]