Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazing Diet Patch
The fastest - Easiest way to lose weight! Try it now FREE!
http://click.topica.com/caacVmib1dcnCbNO4tAa/MyDietPatches
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe information is located near the bottom of this and
all newsletters.
---------------------------------------------------------------
eReleases.com PR Fuel(TM)
The Leader in Affordable PR
http://www.ereleases.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.ereleases.com
...............................................................
December 29, 2004
...............................................................
The eReleases Advantage:
- Reach traditional newswire service (through PR Newswire)
- Reach subscribing journalists on deadline (more than
38,000 professionals receive our daily press releases)
- Receive proof of distribution with our exclusive WireWatch
report (see your release on Yahoo! and several websites).
- No membership fees or commitment
- A national distribution including posting to wires
http://www.ereleases.com/index.html?GCID=C3480x015
<a href="http://www.ereleases.com/index.html?GCID=C3480x015";>
AOL Users Click Here</a>
...............................................................
PR Fuel: Another Year of Lessons
By Ben Silverman
As you read this, I'm most likely playing poker at the Monte
Carlo in Las Vegas, winding down another year that saw me
work way too much and play too little. I'm sure you feel the
same way, so I hope you're getting some well-deserved time
off. Looking back, 2004 wasn't an unusual year for PR, but
there were some interesting developments.
Blogging was embraced by many in the PR world this year, as
numerous PR people launched blogs and, more importantly,
began utilizing blogs as another medium to get a message
out. Companies small and large proved that blogging can help
shape public perception and that when used effectively, a
blog can be an important information outlet and
brand-extender. If your firm hasn't figured out how to use
blogs to your advantage by now, you're behind the curve.
While PR disasters hitting the actual PR industry are
certainly nothing new, Fleishman-Hillard took the cake this
year and racked up enough bad ink to make even Microsoft
blush. There were PR industry disasters in England and in
various countries in Asia and Africa. The U.S. PR industry
has a decent handle on how to deal with its own trash, but
as PR begins to define itself in areas where the government
and media traditionally worked hand-in-hand, there are going
to be a lot of growing pains.
The media's fascination with PR scandals took an interesting
turn this year, as the media itself was in the bullseye.
What the media, however, once again failed to do was look at
the real human impact of PR scandals. This, curiously, is a
positive for those dealing with PR scandals because the
media continues to overlook the big picture in many cases -
and too often concentrates on the most obvious impact of
whatever it is that created the PR problem in the first
place. Laziness continues to rule the media, and this makes
a PR person's job easier.
One of the less positive aspects of the business I noticed
this year was how PR continued to intersect too closely with
advertising and marketing. In speaking with PR people this
year, I found many upset, or even bewildered, by clients who
wanted services that don't fit the traditional bill. As
technology continues to change the way we live our lives,
it's inevitable that our jobs will change, too. But what
does this mean for an industry that traditionally has been
about human interaction and relationships? Those who can
combine the new with the old will help redefine the PR
industry, hopefully for the better.
However the year went for you, I hope 2005 finds you happy,
healthy, safe and prosperous.
Ben Silverman
Columnist, PR Fuel
---
PR Fuel Follow-Up
Back in June, I wrote about how a friend of mine asked me to
help develop a corporate PR training program
(http://www.prfuel.com/archives/000247.html). He had just
been promoted to a management position at a big company, and
he was dealing with breaking in three new PR hires and three
new PR interns. I checked in with him last week.
"After a few bumps along the road, the training program
worked out perfectly. The three people we hired have become
important assets, and I think the three interns we had came
away with a great experience. One of our interns has stayed
on, and we plan to hire her when she graduates in the
spring."
I asked my friend what the most important takeaway from the
experience was.
"Be completely honest with people," he said. "Tell them
exactly what you expect, and tell them to not be afraid to
ask questions. I learned that a lot of mistakes we had been
making in the past only occurred because people never asked
questions. Once I figured this out, it made me a more
patient manager, and a better PR person.
---
Can PR Be Quantified?
It wasn't the best PR year I've ever had, but it was a good
one.
I only did one television interview, but I did do seven or
eight radio interviews. No feature stories this year, but I
got the lead mention in a PR Week story, and the news that
I'd left my job as a newspaper columnist got me a
considerable amount of mentions in trade publications. I
also racked up at least a half-dozen "expert quotes," did a
few speaking engagements, and was mentioned in at least a
dozen articles (by name or by column title).
Where I fared best, oddly, was behind the scenes. I was able
to "plant" about a dozen stories in the mainstream media
that helped promote my personal or professional views. I
also had about a half-dozen letters to the editor printed in
various publications (hey, thanks for the free column
space!). I can't forget blogs - gotta love them blogs! I got
a nice amount of links into the PR Fuel blog and a decent
amount of mentions. I still have to work on getting more
blog ink though. Oh, and I got two mentions in books
published this year - never a bad thing!
Despite all of this, I still have to ask the big question:
Can I quantify the press I got?
There really is no easy answer, and one reason is because
most of the press I got this year was not geared at
generating revenue directly. That will change in 2005 as I
take an aggressive PR posture on behalf of my employer. The
proof will then be in the pudding, or the press, I guess.
Looking towards 2005, my personal PR goals are to land at
least one expert quote per month for me, and at least one
per month for someone else at my company. I want to try to
score at least 15 total speaking opportunities and land at
least two feature articles in newspapers or magazines. And,
not to be forgotten, I'm aiming to get someone from my
company on television at least once every six weeks.
Hmm, that's a lot on my plate in addition to my normal job
duties. Maybe I should hire a PR person?
What's your PR goal for 2005? Email me at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] and let me know.
---
Visit the PR Fuel website at http://www.prfuel.com for daily
PR industry news and commentary.
---
Ben Silverman is a former business news columnist for The
New York Post and a Contributing Editor for FindProfit.com
(http://www.findprofit.com), an independent investment
newsletter. He can be reached via email at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
---------------------------------------------------------------
(c) Copyright 2004 by MEK Enterprises d/b/a eReleases.com
9403 Good Spring Dr., Suite P-3, Perry Hall, MD 21128
All rights reserved.
The opinions expressed by the writer are his own and not
necessarily endorsed by MEK Enterprises d/b/a eReleases.com
---------------------------------------------------------------
...............................................................
eReleases: Big-time PR that doesn't cost big bucks
http://www.ereleases.com/index.html?GCID=C3480x015
<a href="http://www.ereleases.com/index.html?GCID=C3480x015";>
AOL Users Click Here</a>
...............................................................
Visit us online at: http://www.ereleases.com
<a href="http://www.eReleases.com";>AOL Users Click Here</a>
To subscribe, send a message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To leave, follow directions near bottom:
Your free subscription is supported by today's sponsor:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Buy Stocks and Index Funds for just $4 No Account or
Investment Minimums and No Inactivity Fees Automatically
invest weekly or monthly and build your future.
http://click.topica.com/caacVmlb1dcnCbNO4tAf/Sharebuilder
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--^----------------------------------------------------------------
This email was sent to: [email protected]
EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1dcnC.bNO4tA.bmVsYXlh
Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit:
http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER
--^----------------------------------------------------------------
