Public Relations

Archive of blog posts on public relations and PR tools.

Press Release Optimization Checklist and Tips

October 18, 2011

Press release optimization doesn’t get the attention it once did, at least within the SEO community. But a considerable number of releases are distributed over the wires and added to online pressrooms every day, so it is still an important tactic for PR professionals. Why wouldn’t you try to increase the search engine visibility of [...]

Email Press Release Optimization Circa 1999

July 27, 2011
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While going through some old documents I came across an article I’d written on email press release best practices back in 1999. It’s a fun look back at the early days of online media relations so I thought I’d share it. I started doing online public relations activities in 1995 and from 1996-2000 I managed [...]

How Much is a PR Professional Worth to a Startup?

July 12, 2011

While watching the film The Social Network over the weekend one scene in particular caught my attention. Mark Zuckerberg and key members of the early Facebook team are meeting to discuss roles and ownership stakes in the company. To quote the Mark Zuckerberg character in the film (emphasis is mine): “Now here’s the arrangement. Eduardo [...]

Better than Great: A Cure for Buzzwords and Marketing Speak

June 1, 2011

Twice in the past year I’ve covered the most overused PR buzzwords and marketing speak and press release buzzword abuse. It is fun to point out the biggest offenders but even well-intentioned marketing communicators can find it difficult to avoid them. Ready to stop being a “leading provider” of “unique,” “innovative” and “award winning” overused [...]

Social Media News Releases Get 3x More Media Coverage

March 24, 2011

Social media news releases have lots of advantages, and what’s not to like? They offer a clean, simple format that encourages companies to be clear and succinct. While multimedia content can be added to any press release, SMNRs are much more likely to incorporate images and video. It is easy share and repurpose the information [...]

PRFilter Shows Press Release Buzzword Abuse Still Prevalent

February 22, 2011
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Press release search engine PRFilter came out of beta last week. It aggregates press releases from 10 wire services and distribution services and pulls them in directly from 60+ technology and media companies. Users can filter by specific industries, countries and time periods and create personalized accounts for further customization. It seems to work fairly [...]

Fewer PR Organizations Plan to Increase Focus on SEO and Social Media in 2011

December 8, 2010

The results of the Vocus 2011 PR Planning Survey are out and the number of organizations that plan to focus more on SEO and social media has declined. In this year’s survey 51% of the respondents indicated that they would focus more on SEO in 2011, down from 57% in 2011. And the number of [...]

Press Releases Do Get Shared on Google News

December 1, 2010

In reading a post on Google Operating System about the Most Shared section on Google News I found it interesting that a press release from NASA was among the leaders. I checked today and it is still at the top of the list for the week: Press releases tend to be the ugly stepsister when [...]

Paywalls, Media Coverage and User Access: What’s a PR Pro to Do?

July 13, 2010
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Being the savvy, well-connected PR pro that you are, you just helped bring about a great piece of editorial coverage in a major media outlet. The client is thrilled, you’ve won the praise and envy of your colleagues, all is well…except that online the article is behind a paywall so hardly anyone will ever see [...]

The Most Overused Buzzwords and Marketing Speak in Press Releases

June 29, 2010

Unique, one-of-a-kind, best-of-breed…blah, blah, blah. We see this type of marketing speak over and over in press releases and promotional materials. And let’s be honest, we’ve all used it at one time or another — shame on us. But which buzzwords are the most overused? I saw an item in PR Daily recently using the [...]

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