Well, it’s not really July yet, but it is time to think about the holiday season if you’re pitching glossy, national print magazines. I like to prepare a “round-up” of current clients and story ideas I have available for my media friends. Once I start working directly with the media contact, I then customize the [...]

Do you share personal information when you pitch the media? From gruesome to glorious, the media needs to know your personal stories. It’s what adds depth to the segments they’re producing and the articles they’re writing. I even had a Good Morning America producer say to me once, “I have the doctor I need to [...]

Here’s a lesson in what NOT TO DO in social media. Last week I made this amazing iced coffee using Starbuck’s VIA Instant Iced Coffee product. It’s pretty good. So I added the photo to my Facebook page for kicks and posted, “Honk if you like iced coffee.” It was fun. A lot of people [...]

No one rolls with manners better than Southerners. I mean, they invented hospitality and graciousness. Being from Utah, I’ve been completely schooled in manners since I moved here. The way Southerners think is amazing and good manners really enrich your life. I think that one of the mistakes people make when reaching out to the [...]

The reason most people blog is because they have a passion for what they do. They want to share their posts with others who have similar interests. Bloggers have changed the face of media, so engage them. Believe me, they can get the word out that you’re hot stuff. When you’re working to establish relationships [...]

An important (and sometimes uncomfortable) fact about PR is that the media doesn’t care about you. Don’ t take it personally—they don’t know you or anything about what you’ re doing, so they have no reason to be interested. At least until you give them one. Or preferably several. What they do care about is [...]

It’ s time to dust off your homework skills. You may have thought your homework assignments were long gone. But if you want great media coverage, you have to hit the books—and hit them hard. What I mean is you have to know your target audience—as well as the right media for your target audience. [...]

Some times you may need to apologize to the media. What if you messed up? What if you intended to mail something and forgot? Or, how about sending an email you promised and oops, you had a senior moment. Don’t sweat it. Media contacts are resilient. They are so incredibly busy they know what it’s [...]

So you’ve spent some time figuring out why you do what you do and what you want to get out of it. Great! The next step is to define your product and find the best way to market it. You may think that your book, merchandise or service is your product… and you’re partially correct. [...]