Get Your Promotion in Shape for the Holidays: Marketing for Holidays and Beyond Starts Now

The holidays are upon us, once again, and as retailers try to get in gear sooner each year you can never start planning too early! After all, more than 70 percent of all consumer goods sold in the U.S. are sold in the fourth quarter of the year. For marketers, it’s the opportunity to meet and expand sales projections, and set the stage for the New Year. Read more on getting your promotion in shape for the holidays →

How Much PR Should You Have? Persistent and Consistent is Key to Success

I’m always asked the question about how long a good publicity campaign should last. Invariably in the media business, more publicity is always better. Still, the question is a good one, and it bears answering.

To do that, I want you to think of the consumers you’re trying to reach as a quiet pond in the wilderness. If you want to make the pond ripple, throw a pebble in it. Big rocks make more waves than small pebbles, but even so, the ripples eventually end if all you’re doing is throwing in one rock at a time. Read more on how much PR you should have →

How Familiar (and Unfamiliar) Holidays Can Drive Your PR Campaign

As the dog days of summer wind down, I think it’s only appropriate that I tell a dog story of my own.

It starts with a client of mine who is a dog crusader with a cause. She’s written seven books about it, and just released a new one. Her passion, as if you haven’t figured it out by now, is animal rescue – specifically dogs from animal shelters. It’s a reasonably narrow cause, but she has been getting a great deal of attention, and October is going to be even bigger for her. You see, October is national Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month, sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). For our client, it’s a month made in heaven for her message. Read more on how holidays can drive your PR campaign →

When is a Good Time To Start Your PR Campaign? How About NOW?

“What may be done at any time will be done at no time.”
– Scottish Proverb

Okay, don’t ask what the Jewish grandmother from New York is doing with a Scottish proverb. My chief strategist found it for me, and it fit the tone of my message today. Read more on when is a good time to start your PR campaign →

Planning on Booking Your Own TV Publicity?

There’s More to It than Just Sending Out a Press Release

In the past few months, I’ve covered a lot of ground with regard to how to do your own public relations campaign. I’ve explained how to make yourself or your company appealing to the media, how to write pitches and why articles work better than press releases.

But I haven’t yet explained some crucial elements with regard to orchestrating a PR campaign and more specifically with regard to landing TV appearances. Radio and print publicity definitely require attention to details – but the number of logistical issues you have to deal with for TV exposure is far greater. Read more on how to book your own TV publicity →

Want to Get on TV? Follow a Daily News Routine to Increase Your Chances

Over the years, I’ve always advised my clients that if you want to get in the news, you have to watch and read the news. I know it sounds a little like “bumper sticker” advice, but it’s really not meant as a sound bite. In fact, we use a practical application of that advice every single morning at our agency.

It’s actually a very simple list of easy steps that anyone can do, and it can get blockbuster results. Read more on a strategy to get on TV →

How to Promote Your Product or Book During Your Radio Interview

Making the Host Happy Could Get You Invited Back

Recently, I put together a list of ideas to help people make the most of their TV interviews, so I thought this time we’d talk about radio. While they are both broadcast interviews, the experiences are vastly different, and really should be discussed separately. Read more on How to Promote Your Product or Book During Your Radio Interview →

Marketers Should Not Ignore the She-Conomy

PR Firms, PR Firm, PR Agencies, PR Agency, Public Relations FirmsWomen Make Key Buying Decisions at Home and at Work

I have never really been a card-carrying feminist, nor has my gender been a barrier to my success in the public relations industry. But I’ve not been blind to the fact that a lot has changed in the last few decades, and I think Gloria Steinem was spot-on when she wrote years ago that we’d never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth.

Well, I’d say we’re just about there, because women are controlling the use of more money than at any point in U.S. history. Read more on why marketers should not ignore the she-conomy →

How to Make the Most of Your On-Air Time

PR Firms, PR Firm, PR Agencies, PR Agency, Public Relations FirmsEver since the days when every TV set was a massive 12 inches, and millions of Americans tuned in to watch I Love Lucy in glorious black and white, television has been in the center of our living rooms.

Today, the screens are larger, the picture is in high-definition color and the programming choices are near infinite. Also, in addition to shows of general interest, there are now literally hundreds of cable network shows that cater to specialized niche markets. Plus, millions are now watching TV shows on their cell phones and computers. All in all, TV viewership continues to soar. Read more on how to make the most of your on-air time →

The True ROI of Public Relations: What Do You REALLY Get From a PR Campaign

PR Firms, PR Firm, PR Agencies, PR Agency, Public Relations FirmsPublic relations is the hot potato of the marketing budget.

Chief Financial Officers hate it, while salespeople and business development executives love it. Every year, when the budget is drawn, this is typically how the conversation goes:

CFO: What’s the return on the PR budget?

Marketing Director: I don’t know. Read more on the true ROI of PR →

MSN Money: Marsha Friedman Interview with AP Journalist Erin Conroy

EMSI Public Relations CEO, Marsha Friedman, was interviewed by AP journalist Erin Conroy.

The AP article was picked up by MSN Money, which has 9,180,500 VPM (visits/month).

Click here to read article

The Road to Celebrity Can Have Many Twists and Turns

At the start of her career, Rosie O’Donnell probably never dreamed she’d have her own TV talk show, but she did. And with Oprah Winfrey’s landmark show ending next year, a new Rosie show is being positioned to take over from Oprah as the preeminent daytime talk show. Rosie’s success in the entertainment industry is a lesson to everyone with aspirations to become a celebrity themselves. Read more on the road to celebrity →

How Not to Do a TV Interview

PR Firms, PR Firm, PR Agencies, PR Agency, Public Relations Firms4 “Don’ts” to Keep In Mind to Ensure You Don’t Blow It

Sometimes I feel bad for on-air TV personalities, because if you’re on television regularly for any length of time, you’re going to screw up. It’s inevitable. It’s the law of averages, and when you do, YouTube will be sure to archive it for future generations. Read more on how NOT to do a TV Intervew →

How to Use PR to Overcome the 3 Biggest Challenges of the Natural Products Industry

PR Firms, PR Firm, PR Agencies, PR Agency, Public Relations FirmsIt seems so simple and obvious.

Create healthy products that are really good for people, using natural ingredients or materials. Who wouldn’t prefer to buy foods and other products that are natural and healthy, over those that are…not? Read more on using PR to overcome the challenges of the natural products industry →

Seven PR Secrets for Getting on Talk Radio to Promote Your Book

And How to Make Sure They Invite You Back

Successful non-fiction authors know a secret.

They know that when it comes to achieving success with a book, it’s not just about literary talent, or even the cleverness of the topic or message. They know that – unlike the movie Field of Dreams, where all Kevin Costner had to do was build a baseball diamond and the fans magically would come – just getting a book published does not guarantee anyone will hear about it, let alone buy it. Read more on the seven PR secrets for getting on talk radio →

Do You Skip the TV Commercials? You’re Not Alone

Why Getting On the Show Is More Important Than Ever

Commercials used to be the time to get up and stretch the ol’ legs, get a snack or let the dog out. Today, they are the signal to hit the fast forward button on the remote.

The advent of Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), often referred to by one of the leading brand names, TIVO, has finally given the viewer a break from the background noise of television advertising. Instead of being screamed at by local car dealers, pitched on the ShamWow or told repeatedly to not squeeze the Charmin, many consumers who subscribe to cable TV these days just zoom past the commercials without ever giving them a second look. Read more on being IN the show, not in the commercial →

How Effective Are Your Press Releases in Getting You Press?

Learn Which PR Tools Work Best

I had an interesting phone call yesterday that got me thinking about people’s understanding on the subject of PR—or should I say their misunderstanding. The caller was a prospective client—a very savvy businesswoman—who asked if my firm can send out a press release for a new product they’re getting ready to launch. Read more on the effectiveness of your press releases →

How to Get Your Web Site Mentioned on the Air

More and more, the Web site is becoming the point of sale for many businesses, whether they are product or service oriented. E-commerce is driving more consumer sales than ever before, and the Internet has already become the first stop for companies interested in B2B products and services. Read more on using TV and radio interviews to drive traffic to your website →

Why Getting Published Will Help Your Business

PR Firms, Public Relations FirmsYou know what hard work is. You’ve put in the long hours, worked late into the night, done more working than eating during the lunch hour—all to ensure the success of your business.

You may be thinking about what else you can do to get the news of your products or services more broadly known within your target market. Or, you might be brainstorming future steps to expand your business and make it even more successful. Read more on how getting published can help your business →

In An Uncertain Economy, When It Comes to Your Marketing, Be Certain About This…

PR Firms, PR Firm, PR Agencies, PR Agency, Public Relations FirmsAfter one of the worst periods for sales in retail history, some of the largest retailers in the country are saying that this year they are going to work harder than ever at increasing sales while trying to contain marketing expenses, according to a Dow Jones story that ran this morning. Read more on why marketing is critical when business is down →

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