Mel Brooks once famously observed that “it’s good to be the king.” It’s probably also pleasant to be Bill Gates or Michael Arrington. I’d even guess that some folks think it’s pretty good to be me.
What is it like to have responsibility for running a PR firm? You might be able to imagine the upside, but there are struggles too. Here are some of the pain points — and some of the issues that folks like me think about on a daily basis: Continue reading
If you were to ask me about my PR firm’s competition, you would only hear good things.
Really!?
Eight years ago my friend and mentor Joan Stewart shared these words of wisdom with me that even in this economy I still believe ring true: “There’s enough business to go around.” I really took that idea to heart and have made a great effort to never turn away from, or ignore, other firms specializing in the same areas my firm does. Continue reading
One of the most frequent questions I am asked as a public relations practitioner and as someone who talks frequently with entrepreneurs and small business owners is: “Why should a start-up like mine use PR?” Or: “What value would PR give a small business like mine?”
Those are certainly fair questions. After all, like any good professional service, PR offers many beneficial services, resources, expertise, counsel and value, and yes, that does cost a pretty penny. (Hopefully, a penny most businesses find valuable.)
Before answering that question, though, I like to ask the CEO: “Well, what is your business’ story? What’s unique about you and your company/service/product?” Continue reading
Today’s coffee talk is with Chris Barger, director of global social media for General Motors. In March I had the opportunity to listen to Chris’s keynote speech at the 2010 Media Relations Best Practices Summit hosted by PRSA and Ragan’s PR Daily, and immediately knew he would be a great guest. In my opinion, because he was so candid and honest in how he presented that I still remember the information he shared today. He’s also quite funny which kept the attendees paying attention ;).
Like your typical PR professional he’s a fan of caffeine and is very specific with how he needs it. If you’re going to ask him to coffee remember to get him one of the following: Tim Horton’ english coffee cappuccino, Dunkin Donuts coconut coffee light and sweet, and Coffee Beanery’s crème brulee. So sit tight because this is a long one but I promise the golden nuggets of information make it completely worth the procrastination at work ;).
As director of global social media for General Motors’s, I’m going to assume you receive resistance but would you say it’s changed?
The resistance today is definitely different than it used to be before the crash last summer. Continue reading
Memorial Day is a time to remember our fallen heroes. What is a solemn occasion has also marked the unofficial start of summer. Yay! This means many of you (majority in the New York City area) are still cleaning off that grill from this weekend’s festivities.
Since moving to Austin about a year ago from New York City, I learned that barbecuing isn’t simply throwing meat on a grill. My barbecue knowledge increased when I landed Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q as a client. They’ve even trademarked the tagline, Real Texas Bar-B-Q®. What I found out from their Bar-B-Q Insiders is that grilling isn’t really barbecuing.
So here’s my attempt to tie in real Texas barbecuing with pitch letter writing: Continue reading
Welcome, welcome, welcome! You’ve made it just in time to the
GRAND OPENING of the PRBC’s Sports PR Hall of Fame! Grab a Danish and some orange juice, we’re about to get underway!
At the PRBC Sports PR Hall of Fame, we honor people from the sports world that have effectively mastered the art of public relations, for better or for worse. This Hall encompasses athletes, managers, owners and even fans. Nobody is off-limits, as long as they are linked to sports.
When deciding who should be included in the inaugural class, many factors were considered. We won’t go into detail about them here because…well…we won’t.
At it’s core, PR is about image. And your image is defined, in large part, by your words. So, we are proud to induct the following athletes into our “One-Liner” wing! Continue reading
One concern I continue to hear from folks across the board: How do I manage my social media time and resources?
“I’m already strapped for time. How do I fit this in?”
“How do I manage my accounts over the evening hours and on the weekends?”
“My senior management staff doesn’t have time for this stuff. But, they want us to be involved.”
Time management is a potential huge barrier for organizations looking to dive into social media and digital PR. In fact, with so many companies now adopting the tools, I tend to think it might be one of the top concerns right now. Continue reading
I had a conversation last week with some really bright folks who run a social media agency in New York that works with several Fortune 500 brands. We got to discussing crisis communications within a real-time setting, and how they could effectively use social media to almost instantly respond to a crisis and mitigate its effects.
Throughout the conversation, we kept coming back to the point that in order to properly handle any type of crisis in real time, no matter what the brand or situation, you need a proper plan in place well before the crisis even hits. Because no matter what type of media you are using to monitor and respond, you always need a plan in place that details exactly how, who and why you will respond and the type of response you will give to different audiences to ensure their concerns are addressed appropriately. Continue reading
Congratulations to the graduating class of 2010! You made it through four years of college and you’ve achieved freedom (for the most part). As the majority of you look for and find your first professional job, I wish you all the best. But I also want to bestow some knowledge that I wish someone would have shared with me.
I was fortunate to be hired at a small PR firm in an account coordinator position three months after college graduation. I had three internships on my resume, a number of accolades, leadership roles and graduated magna cum laude. I was (what I thought) “on top.” Unstoppable. Valuable. Ready to take on the world. Continue reading
Is a love of music a pre-requisite for a successful PR career? At one point or another, you’ve probably tweeted your undying love for Pandora, grooveshark or blip.fm. Or told your friends and followers about that awesome new band you just discovered. And, we all know that singing your favorite song at the top of your lungs can be a surefire cure for a stress-packed day … whether you’ll admit it publicly or not, right?
Well, now you have a chance to put your vocal chops to good use for a chance to walk the red carpet! (That’s right, actually walk the red carpet. Not stand on the other side with a clipboard ushering people through the line.) The Tony Awards, Macy’s and CBS launched Macy’s Ticket to the Tony’s — a nationwide online contest in which one lucky fan will win the opportunity to walk the red carpet, attend and be featured on live television at the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 13th. Continue reading