Online PR and social media expert BL Ochman reminds us to Google reporters and bloggers whom we’re targeting with pitches and press releases, so we’ll know if they’ve covered our competitors. Her eight-question quiz for PR people is a dandy. It includes a question I can’t ever remember anyone asking: Are you reading your competitors’ press releases? If not, start. Subscribe… Read More
Media Relations
Embarrassing a reporter during an interview can backfire
When you’re doing a media interview and the reporter asks you a question you’d rather not answer, never say “no comment.” The only thing that’s worse than that response is trying to embarrass the reporter by asking an unrelated question so preposterous that it’s designed to throw him off guard. People who do that usually end up… Read More
Dirty hotel glasses story on D.C. radio show today
Thanks to Publicity Hound Natasha Henry, a writer for the Tower Federal Credit Union in Laurel, Maryland, for letting me know that the story on dirty hotel glasses, which I wrote about several weeks ago, was featured this morning on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” on 96.3 WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C. “It’s interesting to see how fast this story is getting… Read More
Dirty hotel glasses: Fodder for more TV I-team stories
More Publicity Hounds have responded to the items you’ve read here and here, about the Atlanta TV station’s I-team report on dirty hotel glasses, than any other item in recently memory. An observation: I half-expected the PR departments at Embassy Suites, Sheraton Suites and the Holiday Inn in Atlanta to email me and explain improvements they’ve made… Read More
How Not to Pitch a Reporter
The next time you send an email pitch to a reporter, take an extra minute or two to send the email to yourself first so you can see what it looks like on the screen. Laura Lorber, the Wall Street Journal’s assistant news editor for WSJ.com, blogged about an email she received from an unidentified… Read More
Newspaper, radio layoffs, buyouts can work to your advantage
It’s time to say buh-bye to some of your favorite reporters. Right now, all over the U.S., there’s an exodus of experienced, high-profile, high-priced journalists taking early retirement. To boost profits, newspapers are offering buy-outs to some of their veteran staff members who will be replaced with cheaper, less experienced reporters and editors. Here in… Read More
Left-leaning PR flacks, spin doctors host media training
PR people hate being called flacks. And they despise the word “spin.” But not the left-leaning PR pros hosting the True Spin Conference Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in Denver, Colorado. It’s a media relations training session with panels, workshops and networking. “This conference brings together flacks from progressive advocacy groups around the country to exchange ideas and… Read More
Follow-up calls to journalists can brand you as a pest
The next time you send a press release to a journalist, and you’re tempted to make a follow-up call to see if he’s using it, read this article by Washington Post humor columnist Gene Weingarten. It’s a perfect example of what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those annoying follow-up calls from PR people. I took… Read More
Radio-TV Interview Report gets good reviews
Radio-TV Interview Report, the magazine that TV and radio producers read to find guests, gets mostly positive reviews from speakers who have responded to a question about the effectiveness of ads they bought in that publication. In a recent issue of SpeakerNet News, a free ezine, speaker Jim Bouchard asked readers for feedback on RTIR. RTIR is published by Steve Harrison,… Read More
Wall Street Journal pitching tip: Show your warts
An article in the October 2007 issue of PR Tactics includes a great tip for pitching the Wall Street Journal and any other business publication. It’s courtesy of Gene Coulter, editorial director at Peppercom in New York and former news editor of the Money Investing section of the Journal. “You need to learn how to think like a… Read More