Category: Media Relations
-
Local Ebola news coverage an example of “what if it happened here?”
The outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa and its subsequent spread into the United States has caused the news media in the city where I live (Portland, Oregon) to produce stories about what would happen if the virus came to this part of the country. I’d be surprised if the same isn’t happening in…
-
Do your homework before pitching a reporter
A Newsweek reporter who writes about music decided to try an unusual experiment. Instead of ignoring the multitude of news releases and pitches that public relations “professionals” send him, he decided that one for week he would read and respond to every email he received from a PR person. His resulting column (which you can…
-
Keys to success straight from the source: the news media
Whenever a new professional approaches me for career advice, I always give the same advice: join either PRSA or IABC, go to their professional development events and volunteer for them. These organizations and their events are not only a great networking opportunity, they are also a way to showcase your skills to others in the…
-
When to send both a media advisory and a news release
In my last post I explained the differences between a media advisory and a news release. There are times when you should send out only one or the other. But there are certain situations where it’s appropriate to send both. Let me explain. Let’s say you work at a nonprofit group and it’s planning to…
-
When a news release is NOT necessary
I was talking to a new communications professional the other day about two news story ideas involving the company where she works. One possible story was about a special event her company was planning to hold. Her other topic was “family-owned companies where fathers and daughters work together.” Both are potentially newsworthy topics, I told…
-
The Three Questions Every Community Newspaper Editor Asks
When an editor of a community newspaper receives your news release, he or she is going to ask three questions to determine if they’ll either publish it or discard it. The first question they’ll ask is: Is the topic of this news release really news? An editor defines “News” as something that is: • Actually…
-
Consider all factors before holding a news conference
There are a few good reasons to hold a news conference, and many reasons not to. Let me explain. It’s my belief that you should only hold a news conference when you have something of major important and/or news significance to announce. The media might come to your first news conference but if you wind…
-
My holiday gift to you: a media placement tip
‘Tis the season for easy news media placements! This is due to a few factors: 1) Newspapers typically run “fatter” this time of year because their ad sales are up (due to the holiday retail sales season). So editors face a situation where they need to fill more pages with news content. 2) Many news…
-
Use target audiences’ established information sources
Many target audiences possess unique expectations and characteristics and sources of information. As a communications professional, you must be aware of them in order to reach the desired audience. For instance, in many large metro areas numerous ethnic groups have their own newspapers, radio stations and television channels. This is good for a communications professional…
-
New media training guidebook includes chapter by Tom Unger, APR, ABC
PR News Press has just published “Media Training Guidebook – Vol. 4” that includes a chapter by Tom Unger, APR, ABC. Unger drew upon his 10 years as a news reporter and his more than 20 years of public relations experience to write a section for the book about relationship building with reporters entitled “7…
Recent Posts
- Don’t put all your effort into just one story pitch
- When you should not send out a communication
- Maintaining consistency is a must in your business writing
- Four keys for comms pros to win the trust of senior executives
- Why effective business communications is difficult for some pros
Tags
#Olympics Apple computers Dunkin' Donuts Ebola virus Intel Mad Men Netflix Nike PRSA public relations Roseanne
Comments
I view this blog as an outlet for me as an individual to express my opinions and offer advice about…
Great advice, Unger! It's way too easy to treat writing like a task and move on to the next item…