In our busy world, no one has time for the full story—they want a synopsis, a digest, a capsule that takes only seconds to deliver, is easy to swallow, and resonates in their minds. And it must contain everything they need to know.

Since publicity is about getting your message across, brevity is a must. You must create a short introductory message that will cut through the din and draw attention to who you are, what you do, and the benefit it will provide. We call these messages sound bites.

If you want to get your message across, you need a great sound bite that will immediately capture the attention of busy people. When you get an opening to deliver your sound bite, you better make it good! You must deliver your sound bite quickly, clearly, and compellingly. The more briefly you say it, the better it is. Read More »

I have been fortunate to have some great clients over the years (Microsoft, BET.com, King Features Syndicate etc., international accounting firms) and they all have been very pleased with my work.

I consider myself a traditional PR pro who actually follows the tradition of reading or watching a media outlet before pitching. I have also established myself with thousands of media placements on behalf of my clients. So when I see random people with no sort of media or journalistic experience start calling themselves a publicist, I just shake my head in disgust. Read More »

Good question. Some people believe that press releases are obsolete and that no one actually reads them. True—most press releases are not read thoroughly, but they are scanned.

People glance at headlines and bullet points and give most releases a quick once over. So there’s always the chance that yours will grab their attention as long as yours has strong headlines and easily accessible information. Read More »

Aching to get into a major magazine like Time, Cosmopolitan or AARP?

The easiest way is to start writing briefs on timely, controversial or fun topics, then submit them to magazines on your media list. Read More »

Here’s a great tip for anyone creating a product–either a physical product like a widget or an information product like an ebook or special report.

One of the very best ways to have the blogging community embrace your product is to involve bloggers in its creation.

That’s right. Let’s say I’m writing an ebook on how to get a job in public relations. Here are ways I can involve bloggers: Read More »

The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day is April 22 and and if you haven’t thought about how to leverage it for your own PR purpose, you should. It is a holiday that almost any business can use to gain some visibility, even if your business hasn’t technically gone green yet. Read More »

Here’s a clever publicity idea many of you can steal.

But brace yourselves because the crowds, not to mention the print reporters and TV cameras, will be knocking down your doors. Read More »

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 »