A recent article on PR Daily outlined some of the top ways PR can take advantage of Clubhouse—the new social app that's taken the world by storm. Part podcast, part TedTalk, the high-profile app can be a great resource for PR Professionals. Veteran PR Professional and RemotePRJobs.com Founder Andrea Holland gives her own take on the popular—but obscure—app:

"Clubhouse is early, but in my experience thus far, it’s proving to be an interesting and fruitful tool for PR professionals. Whether you are choosing to moderate a discussion or simply listen in (you’re not obligated to talk), it can be pretty valuable. It’s also super addicting and many evenings, I’ve found myself listening to conversations for hours on end, when I should be asleep (oops!).

That said, I think it’s valuable for PR professionals for three reasons:

1. Content: I’ve been in a few rooms where I’ve been able to workshop a pitch with other PR...

Generate more PR for your startup

As a startup, you may have given a lot of thought toward a marketing plan. As you dig deeper into marketing and communications, you hopefully have discovered one function that stands out when it comes to helping build the bottom line, spread awareness of a product or service, and reach a targeted group of customers. 

Oh, and did we mention building brand credibility and authority? If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably public relations (and it’s completely true!).

Why your startup needs PR

Public relations (PR) is a marketing all-star and can be a slam dunk for startups looking to maximize time and money to help achieve both its sales and marketing goals. Here, we break down some of the top ways PR can help startups:

1. Generate business leads

PR can help generate new business leads due to its increased eyeballs on your business. When your company is published (e.g., quoted or a fully written article) in targeted media...

How to work with reporters

I remember sitting in my office several years ago, when I received a call from the Wall Street Journal. My team was there, and half of them (all relatively recent college grads) sat in utter shock looking at the caller ID.

"Is the Wall Street Journal proactively calling you?!" one of my junior publicists asked.

It was unfathomable to her that a reporter actually wanted to talk to a PR person, unsolicited and of his own volition.

The truth was the person calling wasn’t just a random reporter I had no connection to. It was a long-time colleague, associate, and genuine friend…who also happens to write for the Wall Street Journal.

One of the keys to professional success, particularly in a “people” job like PR, is being able to make honest, authentic connections. Whether it is a family member, friend, or a reporter, a relationship is a relationship.

How to build a working relationship with a reporter

To build a relationship, it starts...

In our digital world of divided attention, you have to make your case in the blink of an eye, or risk being ignored. 

Research says that your first impression of somebody is made within the first seven seconds. The same thing goes for when you are pitching content to a journalist. And let’s not forget that you’re also competing with the other messages screaming in their inbox. 

So how do you make your pitch standout to a reporter, but also provide them with the necessary content they need? Oh, and it also has to be succinct? That can be tricky.

Taking it back to Public Relations (PR) 101, a reminder that your email pitch is what you write in the body of your email when you’re sending an abstract of an article you’d like published. Keep in mind that your abstract is a first glimpse of the topic you’re proposing and is at the heart of your pitch. Make sure it’s clear, concise and compelling. You’ll paste your abstract into the body...

How negative press affects your brand

In today’s social media-heavy world, brand reputation is one the most valuable assets a business owns. One negative article about your brand from a major media publication or a negative interaction on social platforms can trigger a public relations crisis. This ruins your credibility and leaves your business in shambles. Even if it isn’t your fault, negative publicity leaves a lasting impact. 

No company enjoys dealing with a PR crisis, but the good news is that negative news can be overcome. There are countless examples of brands and individuals that have recovered from a scandal and are now viewed in a positive light. PR disasters are one of the worst things to happen to brands, but they can be overcome.

So how do you deal with negative PR? In this post, we’ll go into the details of how to manage bad coverage and how to turn it into an opportunity to control the narrative.

You May Also Like: The Best PR Pitching...

How many times have you sat at your desk ready to write about something you know a TON about, but still don't know where to begin or what to write?

As a subject matter expert writing contributed content, it’s not always easy to come up with a fresh spin on what you are close to and know so well. And who wants to waste their time typing, retyping, and backspacing, over and over? 

Remember, the whole point of writing contributed content is to share valuable information that establishes your authority and credibility, offers solutions to people’s problems and pain points, and supports an overall positive association with whatever you’re promoting. Easier said than done, right?

As you aim to meet these objectives, you may need some prompts to get the juices flowing. As you consider the questions and ideas below to help get things moving, be sure to keep your computer, a favorite note-taking app like Evernote, or even a pen and paper handy to jot down your ideas...

When I was starting out in PR more than a decade ago, I shared a pitch email that I drafted for a reporter with my boss for her feedback. She took one glance, looked at me, and gave me the simplest, yet best advice of my career: “You need to go on a DIET! A word diet! Cut it down. Cut it short. Get to the point. Reporters will not read long pitches.”

As a newbie in PR, I was slightly taken aback and thought “but wouldn’t ALL of the information upfront be appreciated by reporters?” As I put this in practice during the years, I realized I could succinctly pitch reporters AND also provide them exactly what they needed.

While it’s not an exact science and to each pitch its own, there are several factors to consider when pitching reporters. Here, I share some of my top tips that can increase the likelihood of your pitch being read.

1. Edit and re-edit your pitch emails before you send them. Make sure you catch all grammatical errors and have the...

According to a recent survey*, 64% of clients are reducing their PR budget and 77% of agencies are reducing their retainers. Because of this, thousands of PR/communications professionals have been furloughed and/or let go in the last three months. If you are one of these, know that you are not alone. 

You may be approached by clients independent of your agency or former brand, asking you to work for them as a PR consultant. You may jump at the opportunity or feel hesitation at the thought of starting on your own—maybe both. Whatever your level of enthusiasm, there are likely lots of emotions and thoughts circulating in your mind about moving to a freelance or consultant model for your work. 

I’m here to tell you, it’s not as overwhelming as you think. You’ve been laid off or furloughed, and you’re scared. I know, I was there too (read more about the times my own work was scarce here). I had many of the same apprehensions, feelings, and...

To successfully place your content or pitch, you sometimes have to put on your best Sherlock Holmes hat to sleuth out not whodunit but who’s likely to do it—and how to best contact them.

The “it” in question is to publish your contributed content. But finding contact information for reporters can sometimes be ultra tricky. 

Before we go through ways to uncover their contact info, let’s back it up a bit to the steps that got us here. You likely created a list of media outlets that speaks to your desired target audience. GREAT. Now that you have a fully vetted list of publications that accept contributed content, as well as contact names (reporters/editors) at each one, you need one more piece of crucial information: their email. Yes, there is software you can purchase that has this information, but I’m telling you, it’s simple (and free) to uncover on your own. Also, your research will be the most current, while sometimes databases lag...

Any freelancer knows that when you decide to venture on your own in any capacity—part-time or full-time—you must be a jack of all trades. Clients will have different goals, needs, and proficiency levels when it comes to different PR tactics and the biggest enigma for them is often social media.

Why is social media so elusive anyway? Social media is one of those mediums and practices that is literally changing every single moment. It’s fleeting in that a tweet, a post, or a comment can be seen and then forgotten, but can also be heard around the world if it’s particularly popular or goes “viral”. What resonates one day or one moment, might not the next. And, it moves and changes SO FAST. 

Overall, social media is really about engagement and brand awareness. With the right strategy, that can translate into excellent value for your business. Despite how complicated it may seem, there are some best practices that always ring true for social media...