A reader wrote this week and asked: “We are looking for some advice on when to send a media notice to our contacts announcing a press conference. A week prior to the press conference? Two days? Or is it best to hit them a couple of times?” The Publicity Hound says: Why do you think… Read More
crisis communications
Beware your lawyer’s media advice in a crisis
I shake my head in disbelief every time somebody who has just been sued is quoted in the newspaper as saying, “We can’t comment because the case is in litigation.” I saw that quote again this morning. Some people actually think there’s a law somewhere that prohibits them from commenting on lawsuits filed against them.… Read More
The danger of sponsorships
If your company or oranization wants to partner with a big-name celebrity or sports star, understand the potential danger—and that you might get publicity you wish you hadn’t gotten. Aurora Health Care, Wisconsin’s biggest hospital system, has pulled its sponsorship of the 2005 Ahman Green Football Camp because Ahman Green, the popular running back for… Read More
Crisis training for public information officers
Public information officers for government agencies and nonprofits are often the first people the media contact when disaster strikes. Even though many have formal training on how to respond, PIOs representing numerous agencies in the same community sometimes never meet each other. When there’s a major disaster, the PIOs are on their own. Misinformation can… Read More
Newsletter shows you what to do before crisis hits
“Crisis Manager,” the free international email newsletter about crisis management, has a complementary website, Crisis Manager University. The goal of the site is the same as that of the newsletter–it brings crisis management education to those who don’t work in this field, or even necessarily in PR. “People are crisis managers, whether they want to… Read More
Phenonenon of “Bad News Friday” may be changing
Savvy PR pros have known for years that if you have bad news to announce, the best day to announce it is on Friday. That’s because Saturday’s paper is skinny and has less space for stories. People are distracted by chores and other things on Saturday and don’t watch as much TV as they do… Read More
How to protect your good name on the Internet
These days, your good name can be damaged within a matter of minutes. It can happen if a blogger posts an entry about you, your company or non-profit, on the Internet. Minutes later, it’s picked up and either repeated or referred to on four other blogs. The next day, you start getting email messages from… Read More
How quickly could you set up an emergency hotline?
The story about the woman who claims she found a finger in Wendy’s chili begs the questions, if a crisis hit your company or organization tomorrow–like a product recall, for example–and you needed a way for customers to quickly contact you for help, how long would it take to get a toll-free hotline installed? How… Read More
Don’t fall for this trick
It’s an old reporter’s trick–one of the best in the book. The cops use it too. So does one of my doctors. It’s called silence. And it’s designed to make you talk about something you don’t want to talk about. Beware of it the next time a reporter is interviewing you, either on the telephone… Read More
Mustard museum fights Reader’s Digest
What do you do when you’ve been hammered by the almighty Reader’s Digest? That’s what happened to the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin when an article in the December issue placed the Mustard Museum on its list of “5 Museums Not to Plan Christmas Around.” “Want a fun vacation?” the article asked.… Read More