Remember that reporter who you ticked off when you kept calling to ask, “Can you tell me when the news release I sent you will be printed?” Or the editor who won’t talk to you again because you promised him exclusivity on an article, then turned around and gave it to a competing magazine? Both… Read More
Media Relations
Crain’s Chicago editor offers tips on how to get into his paper
I swear I’m not making this up. PR people actually call newspapers and ask journalists, “Can you help me get a client into your paper?” As in, “My butt’s in a sling, and I need a media hit—fast!” As in, “I can’t convince anybody else to write about this guy. Do you mind if we… Read More
What you can do to fight bias in the media
I just finished reading the book “Bias—A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News,” written by former CBS correspondent Bernard Goldberg and published about five years ago. It hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. So do I think the media slant the news? I thought they did long before Goldberg’s book. I’m a… Read More
How to create an Experts Directory to promote your experts
If you have numerous experts within your company, nonprofit, government agency, trade association or other group, are you making it easy for the media to find them within seconds? For most of you, I’ll bet the answer is no. Take a cue from colleges and universities, which publish annual “experts directories.” The directory is an… Read More
How to find freelancers and start forming relationships
When it comes to forming valuable relationships with media people who can help you, treat freelance writers with the same respect you would staff writers. Here’s why they can be so valuable to your publicity campaign: —If you pitch a freelancer, it’s their job to tweak the pitch, flesh out the story, and sell the… Read More
New to publicity? Start at bottom of media ladder
When someone who has never gotten publicity tells me they want to get onto “Oprah,” or onto the front page of The Wall Street Journal, I tell them they’re in for a rude awakening. “Do you really wnat to make all your mistakes on America’s Number One daytime talk show?” I ask. If you want… Read More
TV Weatherpersons Day is February 5
You can score a great publicity hit if you tie into TV Weatherpersons Day on February 5, which this year also happens to be Super Bowl Sunday. I’ve been preaching about this for years because so many Publicity Hounds have told me it works. A few days before February 5, send your local TV weatherperson… Read More
Dying to get on ‘Oprah’? Check her website
When Publicity Hounds think of ways to get onto “Oprah,” they spend days and sometimes even weeks crafting the perfect pitch that will appeal to her producers. Most of them, I’m guessing, probably miss a vital step that could save them a lot of time. They fail to visit her website and click on the… Read More
Research media outlets before sending expensive press kits
Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London and New York sent me a copy of their slick, beautiful 2006/2007 course catalog, which must have cost a fortune to produce. I plucked it from my mailbox this morning. As soon as I opened the envelope, I asked myself, “Why are they sending this to me?” I’m not… Read More
Attend Business Journal parties, but don’t pitch
The Business Journal in Milwaukee hosts its annual Book of Lists party on January 19, and I’m kicking myself because I have a speaking engagement that night. Similar parties will be held all across the U.S. by other papers in the American Cities Business Journals chain. They’re held to honor businesses, non-profits and organizations that… Read More