Blog
This blog is geared towards brands looking to learn about PR, and PR professionals looking to keep up to date on the latest PR trends and news
7 Tips to Landing an Article Via HARO and ProfNet
As a remote PR professional, you’re likely aware of the industry tools that can help you get more coverage for your clients. Two of our favorites have been around for a long time and have developed a huge fan base: HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and ProfNet. Each works as a real-time, modern day editorial calendar—the reporter spells out what specific story they are working on and then, based on these descriptions, solicits pitches and responses from expert sources.
What are HARO and ProfNet?
HARO is a free resource for both journalists and sources, and is supported by advertising revenue (although there is a paid version that allows you to receive queries early). ProfNet, meanwhile, is free for journalists placing requests, but subscription-based for those who wish to respond. ProfNet allows for a little more customization, allowing users to select the specific types of opportunities they want to receive. Both services send out an email a few times a day with requests...
Don’t Make These 3 PR Mistakes
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...
6 Reasons Your Startup Needs 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...
What NOT to Say to a Reporter Before + During a Media Interview
Agreeing to an interview with a reporter can be nerve wracking but also exciting! Here are some pro-tips on what not to say to the media -- before and during your interview. Some of this might not immediately occur to you as off-putting, so be mindful, use common sense and do your best to avoid the following statements/questions.
1. “Can you send me the article before you publish it?”
- This is arguably the question that journalists’ hate most. In the U.S., freedom of speech and expression is something we pride ourselves on and journalistic integrity is a real thing. Remember you are not paying for this article, this is not advertising or marketing. By asking this question, it portrays a lack of trust and although you can control what you say to a journalist, you cannot ultimately expect to have any control what they do with those words (unless you note something is off the record, below).
2. “No comment”
- You hear this all the time, but it is...
Why Does PR Matter for Early-Stage Startups
Imagine if after building your startup where you spent many sleepless nights cultivating the value proposition, identifying your target audience, understanding what you were solving for, getting customer validation, pitching investors, showing how it will impact the world...you launched. And well….
- The press stories were negative.
- The reporter compared you to your competition incorrectly.
- Your founder wasn’t even consulted for an interview.
- ...nobody wrote about you at all.
Now you have to be reactive. You go into crisis mode. You have to go and fix everything. That is 10x harder to come back from, than had you gotten ahead of the news and identified your story before anyone else. This is why PR matters early on. It allows you (the startup) to control your own narrative and story out the gate, as well as who gets to tell it. It’s important to be proactive with the press instead of reactive. This is achieved by working with PR early to create your company...