So, you think you know how to write press releases?

Answer true or false to the following statements:

• I write press releases primarily to encourage journalists at newspapers and magazines to write articles about my company, or for broadcasters who will feature us on the news or invite us as guests on talk shows. » (Read More)

Publicity will put you on the map because it:

- Builds your identity.
- Increases your visibility.
- Generates name recognition.
- Gets your message across.
- Compels people to buy, invest, and do business with you. » (Read More)

The car giant, Toyota, is facing shall we say a tough few months. Unless you’ve buried your head in the sand, you’ve noticed that Toyota has had a series of recalls on some of their popular vehicles. And the critics are pretty split whether Toyota is handling this well.

Every company has communication and public relations crises to deal with. The larger the company, the more likely these crises play out in the media. And there’s nothing like a crisis, coupled with a lot of media coverage, to start the negative word of mouth cycle. So what can your small business learn from Toyota’s troubles? » (Read More)

National Entrepreneurship Week was February 20-27 (sorry if you missed it, mark it down for next year!). The Small Business Administration issued a press release on BusinessWire announcing a free youthpreneur webinar series that same week. They were hoping to stimulate entrepreneurship among students. The webinars took place from 11am-3pm that week and that is where this PR campaign seemed to go all wrong. » (Read More)

When Harley-Davidson broke ground for its $95 million motorcycle museum in Milwaukee last week, you had to look pretty hard to find a shovel.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered the event, but readers didn’t have to suffer through one of those awful groundbreaking photos. You know the kind: a bunch of stuffed suits lined up shoulder-to-shoulder, looking ridiculous in those hard hats, and poised with their feet on the shovels, ready to turn over the first spade of ceremonial dirt. » (Read More)

This is one of those no-brainer tips that sounds so obvious, yet few remember it.

If you want to double the number of your media placements, pitch not only stories but photos and graphics. With newspaper and magazine space at a premium, you sometimes stand a far greater chance of getting a photo published than a lengthy article.

“Especially with the digital cameras that are available today, making photos available to editors automatically DOUBLES the space you receive,” » (Read More)

Don’t tell me you can’t get any publicity because all the reporters who you’ve pitched are ignoring you.

Boo-hoo.

That’s all the sympathy you’ll get from me. I’d rather spend my time telling you about Dick Stangl, a former client who claimed 7 column inches in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to brag big-time about Weimer Bearing & Transmission, Inc., his 86-year-old company, a distributor for the power transmission industry. » (Read More)

I know of a small yet somewhat successful business that just doesn’t understand what it takes to get to the next level after 35 years. Even though someone like me, an award-winning public relations expert, advised the company’s owners to spend a little money on advertising, a resistance to spending money holds the company back like a ball and chain.

Insteadof  becoming profitable, this fledgling company continues to linger on the hopes of press releases with soft news no one cares about. » (Read More)