Content in releases. A hot topic out of the recent PRSA conference in Atlanta. Once, when you mentioned quality content in a release, you were specifically referring to the level at which the writing stood. Or did not stand. That was, or at least could be, enough...
Some of my favorite conversations with PR practitioners have started with discussing the “people pleaser” issue. In PR, your life revolves around keeping everyone happy: your clients, your contacts, your colleagues, and even your vendors. Here, Abbe Buck, a 30-year...
When it comes to health education, there’s no such thing as too much. This has been made abundantly clear every time we lurch toward another health crisis. In 2014, widespread panic surrounded the much-publicized Ebola outbreak in West Africa. As researchers scrambled...
As technology shifts, our approach to job hunting has shifted as well. This is something very front and center with me as I sit staring at an inbox full of resumes for a newly opened position. Most of the mainstream job sites produce two PDFs when someone applies for...
Why will automated analysis never trump that of humans? Because, in just five words: Machines. Can't. Tell. Compelling. Stories. That's the core of it. Because what is an analyst, if not a good storyteller? When we're talking about analytics, monitoring, and sheer...
As MediaMiser builds a new platform for list building and distribution, and the PR world evolves its outreach methods, it’s time to finally say goodbye to the shotgun-style approach of blasting media with news releases. We now know we’ve got to be more strategic in...
I've been a journalist for more than 30 years, and I've also interviewed hundreds of other journalists about their preferences for dealing with PR professionals. So I think I can say this with some authority: If you want to grab our attention, forget the fancy...
I've written previously about the importance of identifying "geographic scope" when targeting journalists. Most journalists write for either a national or local audience, but how do you define "local"? I work from a home office in El Cerrito, Calif. (pop. 23,549), one...
By Matt Baron, Founder, Inside Edge: Public Relations & Media Services "Coming soon!" Of all the utterances in the online marketing world, few breed more false hope or ring more hollow than that all-too-common sight on websites. The "coming soon" claim—yes,...
It's a practice that many journalists welcome as a way to get a head start on breaking news. Others view it warily, either as a logistical headache or as a hurdle to their newsgathering efforts. Mention it to bloggers who are not experienced journalists, and you're...
In my previous column, I discussed the file formats commonly used to provide photographs and other artwork to journalists. But what if you need to distribute documents—press releases, white papers, backgrounders, studies or other reports that include text and...