Three Tips for Effective PR Reports

The end of the year is naturally a reflective time. I, for one, look back at the work we’ve completed for our valued clients and look toward the future with a refreshed outlook. And for many organizations, the end of the calendar year also is the end of the fiscal year. As a year draws to a close, communications and marketing professionals slow down for pointed reflection and analysis of a year’s worth of results. If your organization’s year has ended, you may have just wrapped up your annual public relations and marketing report, showcasing your team’s media relations wins and communications successes.

How to Choose the Best Media Target for Your Pitch

“I want our news to run in The New York Times.”

Raise your hand if your organization’s leaders have ever asked this of you.

Leaders zoned in on the pulse of an organization may view all of the company’s news – from anniversary celebrations and executive changes to new product launches – as appropriate for a big media push targeting top-tier media.

It certainly might be exciting news for your organization. And no matter your experience, industry or product, PR professionals know the right story, pitch and savvy media relations skills can help get placed in prominent media. However, as the organization’s communicator, you must identify the media targets most appropriate for sharing this news, whatever it may be.

Why Listening is a Key Part of PR Strategy

As public relations pros, we find it easy to communicate. Whether we’re speaking or writing, communicating is what we do best. We know what to say and when to say it to our audiences … it isn’t a guessing game. Because before we speak or write, we listen.

Measuring a Message: How to Start Measuring Your Public Relations Success

Math has never been my strong suit.

As a PR pro, I can mostly get away with this deficiency, seeing as I mostly deal with words on a day-to-day basis. Fellow practitioners may too consider numbers outside the realm of marketing and communications departments in which they operate.

However, as the C-suite continues to expect a return on investment on every departmental effort and budget, the need to measure public relations success has become more important. The value of communications must be represented in the numerical world of financials and figures.

Emerging as a Leader in Collaborative Settings

To be honest, I never considered myself to be much of a leader.

I’m a doer, a thinker, a good team player – but a leader is not among the first labels I would give myself. But that’s because I, probably like many others, may have been considering leadership to be synonymous with management.

How to Pinpoint the Right Reporter for Your Pitch

Generating interest from the media to cover your news can be a multi-step challenge. Not only do you need to discover and package a captivating story, but you also need to draft the perfect pitch to capture the attention of the media. Even then, as seasoned PR pros, we know there’s another crucial step in the pitch process.