A lot of people think that the only time you need a PR team is when things go awry. 

FALSE.

A crisis can happen at any moment and hopefully you have a PR team already in place that knows your business and its stories well enough to recover swiftly and effectively. 

If you don’t have one in place, or if you’re curious on what sticky situations may arise, here are easy ways to help prevent a disaster from happening in the first place. 

Preventable Things You Can Do To Avoid Getting Into a Crisis

Understand Your Competitive Landscape

You are always better prepared if you know what's going on around you. By being in-tune with your competition and what’s happening in the newscycle and world, you have the opportunity to create messaging and a narrative that best serves you in a positive light. Your messaging and narrative is the backbone of every piece of communication for your company, internally and externally. 

For example, years ago I worked with...

When it comes to the art of public relations, there are several tried and true tactics that work, like getting to know your key media, being organized and respectful of a reporter’s time, and providing juicy nuggets of information as an exclusive to a single reporter. But, there are so many potential cringe worthy mistakes that are actually pretty easy to make.

Life in the PR lane is FAST and the following mistakes are simple missteps that even the most seasoned professional can sometimes make. As someone with nearly two decades of PR experience, I’ve witnessed firsthand the horror that some of these mistakes can create. Here are three of the most common PR mistakes I’ve seen and why you should avoid making them.

The 3 PR Mistakes To Avoid

1. Sending Mass Email Pitch Blasts 

How would you feel if you got a text message from somebody asking you to dinner, but they got your name wrong? Or, asked you to dine at a steakhouse when you’re vegetarian. Would you...

Picture this common scenario for a PR pro: you work hard to create, pitch, and then secure media coverage. That may look like a feature piece in a premier business media outlet, a contributed article in a prominent trade magazine, or some sort of interview with a spokesperson. GREAT. It’s published, everyone oohs and aahs internally. And then what? 

Maximizing your great media coverage is critical to squeezing all the juice from your hard work. There are several other really easy ways to gain additional exposure and maximize your gain from your media coverage.

1. Post coverage on your website under "News" 

Republishing coverage on your site is a great way for visitors to see the latest and greatest from your company. Third-party validation via media coverage is a simple, yet highly effective marketing strategy—people buy from companies they trust and that are credible. When reposting on your site, be sure to summarize and then redirect readers to the article...

*Chase Jarvis 

When explaining PR versus Marketing, I’ve always found it helpful to use this analogy (and most of us can all relate to dating!).

If a man tells a woman she’s intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he’s saying the right things to the right person to influence her decision to date him and make her feel a certain way. That’s Marketing.

If someone else (like a friend or relative that) tells the woman how handsome, smart, and successful he is, it influences her decision to date him and makes her feel a certain way. That’s PR.

Dating example aside, here’s another analogy:, 

"When you see a company on a billboard, that’s Marketing. When you read about a company in a newspaper, magazine, or online blog (and it’s not sponsored!) – that's public relations."

Can you see the difference? Marketing is paid for, or called “owned” because the company “owns” the messaging. PR...

You’ve worked hard to get your contributed content a shot at publication: you’ve researched your ideal outlet, identified the right reporter or editor, written a successful abstract and pitch, and now you’re ready to craft your content.

Tips for submitting contributed articles 

You’re so close. Don’t blow this opportunity by making simple, rookie mistakes. Heed the following six steps to ensure your content has the best possible chance for publication.

1) Remain vendor neutral in your writing.

Unlike your personal blog or your LinkedIn page, this isn't all about you. In fact, it should have literally nothing to do about you or your company—it's about something you have expertise about. It's important to provide all angles and arguments. Keep in mind that people don't want to hear an advertisement for your business; they want to learn something.

2) Avoid overusing industry jargon.

Not only are words like “leverage,”...

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 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...

Oftentimes, companies have public relations roles reporting into the CMO. Why? Perhaps the hire is junior so it doesn’t make sense to report to the CEO, or maybe the company doesn’t understand the key differences between PR and Marketing so assumes it falls within the same business unit. The reasons for reporting into a CMO can vary, but the truth is that both the company and PR professional are best set up for success when there is a direct line of communication to the CEO, whether that is by structure or access. 

As a seasoned veteran of the PR industry, I've worked with PR professionals that have either reported into the CEO or CMO. From this experience, I can tell you precisely what works really well and what doesn’t. 

That said, wherever your PR function sits within your business structure, it’s imperative that they have, at a minimum, a dotted line and access to the top and here’s why: 

• PR is not Marketing and has different...

Oftentimes, these two closely related marketing terms are used interchangeably. But the truth is, there is a stark difference between Public Relations (PR) and Communications. When making a hire for your business, it is important to differentiate and understand how both are impactful, yet serve different purposes for your business’s needs. 

Here’s the breakdown.

What is Communications?

Think of Communications as the overarching umbrella that covers all different types of Communications functions, such as: events, sponsorships, social media, content, and yes, PR. Communications also sets the strategic messaging for your business—the themes, messaging strands, and most salient points you want your audience to know about your business, product, or service. 

So when you say you need to hire someone for Communications (i.e., Director of Communications, VP Communications), you could very well be speaking about any of those important tools. It’s somebody...