What's next for Kate?

In August, TLC decided to pull the plug on Kate Plus 8, which will leave Kate Gosselin unemployed. So, what's next for her?

The reality TV star is a little nervous and I would be too. She's not as popular as she was back in 2005 when the show started. She's said she's not sure what will be next and is 'freaking out.' However, saying that she'll go back to her old nursing job if nothing else pops up. But, what about the little ones who have spend most of their time behind a camera and are use to their school and neighborhood? She is going to try and keep that all the same.

But, how does Kate stay in the spotlight? Can she or will she just disappear? I guess she is determined to stay in the limelight if possible. She has reported it's just to much fun.

I wish her well though - she doesn't have the best reputation in the public eye and she is old news. She really needs to do something to stand out again and prove herself as a positive influence and an expert in some area. I'm not exactly sure how she can do that at this point. Honestly, I see her falling out of the buzz just as quick as 'Octo Mom.'

Executive Vacation During Turmoil? Bad PR Move?

This week as President Obama parks the tour bus and travels to Martha's Vineyard for a break with his family, he is undergoing some criticism. Some question whether the chief executive should be taking a break at all, amid stock market volatility, a "crisis" economy, and dropping poll numbers.

Cheif among the president's critics, of course, are the declared GOP candidates for his job. Newt Gingrich blasted Mr. Obama for taking vacation, as Gingrich himself headed off to Hawaii for a "fundraising" trip. A more credible objection was voiced by the Washing Post columnist Colbert King, who says that the president already enjoys two taxpayer-subsidized residences and should devote his time off to talking with hard=pressed citizens, not rubbing elbows with the elite on Martha's Vineyard.

This "controversy" is probably more about PR than reality. After all, the man's completely accessible, and Congress doesn't get anything done even when it is in session - honestly. Plus, he does have 'vacation' time away from his job. But, it raising an interesting question, should chief executive take time off during rough times? If a company is being downgraded, your customers are losing confidence and your recovery prospects are uncertain do you take a trip or cancel it? Probably not.

Leadership is often conveyed through images. A CEO in crisis shouldn't be photographed in luxury surroundings, but neither should be be seen as desk-bound, beleaguered, or overwhelmed. A strong leader needs to be seen as engaged, committed, but also independent. This says, Rosabeth Kanter in her book Should Leader Vacation?

I think Obama should be able to take a vacation and enjoy time with his family. He is working hard no doubt and he is due for time off. Also, like previously said he is accessible at all times. He never truly tunes out. However, from a PR standpoint, this doesn't look the best and I would advise him to think of a way to do a working vacation in not such a 'wealthy' spot.

State Fair Tragedy and How Gearing Up for the MN State Fair has Changed

Since the Indian's State Fair tragedy over the weekend, the Minnesota State Fair has been triple checking their stage and building structures and safety protocol and plans.

In Indiana, inspectors work to determine what went wrong when the wind gust toppled the stage, there will be more eyes on the stage that will be constructed in Minnesota later this week.

The Minnesota Grandstand stage that will be built by an outside contractor named Premier Global, has a form that looks a lot like the stage in Indiana. The Minnesota State Fair says it's a portable stage and that they don't have any permanent stages. After what happened in IN, the Minnesota fair is going to have people on site with the stage throughout the fair.

Also, the Minnesota State Fair upping their severe weather safety protocol. They are identifying on the map the five best building for taking shelter and how they will report the news to fair goers.

The event in Indiana was terrible. I think their management and PR team handled it as best they could. It's hard to know what to do, but I think their statement was well thought out and it was really nice they held a ceremony before reopening the fair on Monday. They have received some criticism for not just closing the fair all together. To that I say, how can you? It's only once a year and so much money is put into it from all directions - from vendors, farmers, and sponsors. The show must really go on as sad as it is to say.

Domino's Posts Customer Reviews on Times Square Billboard

Domino's Pizza is taking transparency to a new level. The nation's largest pizza chain started letting customers post reviews on a Times Square billboard last week, perhaps the most public venue imaginable. Customers who order food using Domino's online Pizza Tracker app can broadcast their opinions on the glowing sign at 44th and Broadway in New York. Unless they're profane or irrelevant. The most interesting part about this campaign is that no comments will be excluded, no matter how negative.

The Times Square ad will run for two hours and 54 minutes per day and show comments at a rate of four per minute. The risky gambit is the latest step in a public reinvention campaign that started at the end of 2009, when Domino's acknowledged its bad reviews and set about changing its pizza recipe.

This move shows tremendous confidence. Domino's learned the hard way how social media can influence public opinion of a brand, when video of its employees abusing customers' food went viral. It will be an interesting case study to see how this goes!

MN Shutdown Is Tarnishing Image

Right now, the "Minnesota nice" brand is not being upheld.

Not one politician in the Minnesota state legislation lists their primary occupation as advertising or public relations executive. Usually the ad and pr people get a bad rep for spinning the truth or creating an image that is not, but currently I believe our state could really benefit from having one on board. Clearly, current officeholders can't see how deeply damaging the state government shutdown is to MN's brand.

A brand is a set of associations that resides in people's minds. Shutdown stories have been splashed on the front pages of national newspapers. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times opined about it last Wednesday. Cable and network newscasts have routinely run reports and commentary on our dysfunctional democracy. And these-brand damaging stores have been echoed online, as well as on air via local and national talk radio shows.

Adding to the brand insult to injury, Fitch Rating just cut our bond rating from AAA to AA+. And presidential campaign ads from former Governor Tim Pawlenty, boasting that he won in 2005, remind the country that this is our second shutdown in six years.

The job cuts and holds are extremely damaging too as far as trust goes. People may or may not like a brand, but they'll still trust it. An inability for a brand to do its core job at its lowest level is very troubling.

Also, this image projects the idea that Minnesota doesn't have it figured out. We have portrayed this image of having a great quality of life, but this really damages that. Before, people across the country looked to us and thought of our great health care, great education and well balanced living.

Also, the national level may be in a similar situation if they can't resolve its fiscal crises. Wisconsin was similarly used as a framing divide for the national debate over public employee unions when its capitol was convulsed with protests last winter.

In the end, our brand is super important. Beyond the business perceptions, the state's brand is critically important, because it affects tourism and all of the lives in our state. Regardless of what happens to our brand, this entire screw up and inability to negotiate is affecting our state's quality of life. The layoffs will soon affect many more people than just the state workers and they will just need to give in on something. I hope they figure that out soon.

Negative Doesn't Always Mean Negative

PR buzz is not always perfect. As a PR pro, you know that you can do a lot of work, but still need a little bit of luck.

When you work with reporters, you do not have full control of what gets shared; even if YOUR prep work is spotless. You may have created great keywords and statements that can get misdirected, or your product may be poorly reviewed. It's really out of your hands. However, bad news is not ALWAYS bad. It's still news, right?

Currently, I work with a client that is very unique and has gained success with a niche market. They are trying public relations for the first time ever and getting a lot of buzz. However, the mainstream market does not particularly love the product and are willing to say it. My client knows and even says they are not a brand for everyone, but he still gets nervous after reading a negative review or hearing a negative comment. Nonetheless - they are getting ALOT of publicity. One review did come back negative, but they still placed a large photo in the review and said where someone could buy the item. This is what counts.

Again, in a situation when a reporter does give you negative feedback - don't be surprised. This can happen! I was reading about a similar situation where a brand received negative PR after reporters tried the product and didn't enjoy it. The company came out making a statement that said too many went way too far with reviews and said they wouldn't release any more items to be tried until further notice. This is a poor move and never do this. PR works symbolically with media - they need each other. So, if you think something, don't way something. You don't want the reporters on your bad side even more.

Why Woman Don't Get Caught In Sex Scandals

Last week, when yet another male politician/celebrity, Rep. Anthony Wiener, confessed to sexting a young woman among others, the whole situation seemed almost laughable. He confessed his "terrible mistakes" and declared himself "deeply sorry for the pain" he caused. What is with these guys? Do these influential men never think they will get caught? Now we can just put Wiener in the same category as: Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer, John Ensign, John Edwards and Bill Clinton to name a few.

It may be easy to simply say this is bad male behavior or to dismiss it as a testosterone-induced, hard-wired connection between sex and power - powerful men attract women, powerful women repel men. And some may say that working women are just too busy to cheat on men.

However, these is substantial evidence that shows there are differences between the women and men who try to get a head in politics. Women tend to join in politics to help a reason they are wanting to change. More of them want to make a difference than men. Men tend to run because they see it as a career path they want to conquer.

Women tend to not want to get involved unless they know it is something they are passionate about. Men tend to just look at other politicians, and say ' I can do that.'

Another reason women may not cheat in politics is that they feel they need to do more to compete with their male colleagues. They feel the pressure to do well is much greater than men do.

I'm not saying that women are immune to sex scandals. I'm just saying that their is a trend with men, and I'm not sure women politicians could overcome these obstacles like some of their male counterparts have.

Whatever the reason for the difference, I think maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask more women to join into politics and that it shouldn't be so off balance. I was inspired to write this post after watching the This Week report. Let me know your thoughts please!

Writing for PR 101

Every week PR pros write thousands of words. We draft and finalize press releases, pitches, fact sheets, client emails, create business proposals and more. With all this information coming from our fingertips, sometimes we forget how to be creative with words. Here's a few new pointers.

Remember to read. When you read, you learn.
When writing, consider the audience and your voice. Think to yourself who will read this, and what will they hear?
Embrace the style guide. (i.e. AP Stylebook)
Do not trust Microsoft Word's spell check and grammar check... always proofread!
Consider your quote structures and remember that the commas and periods are always within the quotes.
Beware of the pronouns. Make them agree!
Lastly, always remember to give your work time to breathe. Step back and take a break from it. Then reread it for edits.

Lady Gaga's Marketing Mania

Lady Gaga is all over the place - from her music to signing million dollar marketing campaigns. This month she signed deals with some very successful companies - both Google and Starbucks. That makes her a must see where she'll be next kind of gal.

Maybe it's just that Google and Gaga run of the tongue easily. She just signed a 10 million dollar partnership with Google Chrome to be the "face" of the new laptop line coming out this summer starting June 15. Gaga is already the star of the Google Chrome web browser commercial. Watch the video here.

Also, starting this month, the world's largest coffee shop chain will partner with the megastar for a large-scale online promotional campaign. The plan is to have Lady Gaga will engage with fans in a scavenger hunt across Starbucks' numerous digital proprieties, such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. The campaign will run through June 3, and coincides with the release of Gaga's new album, "Born This Way." Scavenger hunt participants can collect prizes, stream the new album, download new songs and watch exclusive videos from the in-store digital networks. Another brilliant PR campaign both both businesses.

So, what's with everyone wanting to be tied to her? The fact is Lady Gaga is possibly the most in-demand artist currently worldwide. This is for several reasons: She's got an army of fans, she knows how to attract attention, She's reportedly engaged in the deals that carry her name, and she's not shy about working with anyone. Another reason, her label-Interscope-shares in the revenue gained from such partnerships through a 360 deal with Lady Gaga. This makes perfect sense as to why everyone wants a piece of her. Don't be surprised to see her popping up a lot more throughout 2011.

With New Design, McDonald's Aims to Be the New Starbucks

The fast-food chain is undertaking gradual transformation to be less clownish, more coffee shop.

By 2015 McDonald's isn't going to look like the McDonald's you're use to. It'll look like Starbucks, or at least the $1 billion plan. In a front-page story on Monday's USA Today, the 56-year-old fast food chain's stores are undergoing the most massive renovations in their history.

The revamped McDonald's looks like something like this: wooden tables, faux leather chairs, muted colors, and nothing like the famously bright red-and-yellow arches, and the stores' durable but not very comfortable fiberglass tables and steel chairs. Even the restaurants' exteriors are getting earthier tones.

It seems that McDonald's is taking cues from its fast-rising competitor Starbucks, which now ranks No. 3 behind McDonald's and Subway in U.S. sales for chain restaurants.

Starbucks' popularity is partially due to the fact that customers feel comfortable there. They can bring their laptops, sign onto free Wi-Fi and spend an afternoon there, something that just seems weird at McDonald's. Most people go their to get their meal quickly, and without leaving their car.

But the new stores might change that. According to USA Today, the restaurant is redesigning some 800 locations this year and plans to redesign a majority of the franchise's 14,000 stores by 2015. In the process, they might just reinvent the idea of fast food.

Find New Buzzwords.

Most communications professionals have been guilty or using, and overusing buzzwords every now and then. Why do we do this, even when we know it's wrong? Even when we know it reflects poorly on us as communications professionals? Even when we know influencers hate it? Further, even when we know these words end up as e-mails in spam folders and cause a glazing (or even rolling) of eyes for those who read them? So why do we use them a lot? It's obvious, because it's the words most people want to read/hear and they are easy to understand.

This week, I invite you to try and be more creative. Pull out your thesaurus and try something new. You may find it to be more successful.

Here are some overused buzzwords you should try to stay away from:

leading

solution

best

innovative/innovate/innovator

leader

top

unique

great

extensive

leading provider

exclusive

premier

flexible

award winning/winner

dynamic

fastest

smart

state of the art

cutting edge

biggest

easy to uselargest

real time

What Good Public Relations Cannot Do

Often I've heard about some one's bad experience with a PR firm that has spiraled into a strong dislike for PR people. It's painful to hear criticisms and generalizations about my business, but I can't resist jumping in to diagnose the problem myself. My feeling is that 95% of client-agency problems comes down to one thing: expectations. On both sides. Expectations for publicity outcomes, service levels and overall return-on-investment are not always articulated during the courtship, or even the negotiation phase of the relationship. However, many times clients have circled back later usually causing misunderstanding and disappointment. This has caused me to think about a few things that event the best PR programs cannot accomplish:

Replace a sales and marketing campaign. PR is actually a very unreliable tool when it comes to driving sales of a product or service. Yes, a strong publicity placement can make the phone ring, but a PR campaign more typically works to drive brand visibility and favorability over time. It's just not a demand generation tool.

Serve as as cheap or "free" advertising. A good way to look at the difference is like this, use advertising for frequency, but PR for depth. Altogether a good, social PR campaign usually has increased visibility as a long-term goal, it's very difficult to achieve an ad-like level of control and frequency with earned coverage.

Overcome a bad product or customer service. PR can help repair customer relations after a service interruption or problem, but unhappy consumers will always share their feelings, and social media is a powerful megaphone. What's more typical PR tactics like implied endorsement from third-party expert or celebrity can actually make matters worse if there's too great a contrast between the PR and the reality.

Make you famous. PR can help you build a brand or personal reputation, and raise your profile in professional circles, but it won't make you an overnight celebrity.

Cure a crisis. Most situations we term "PR crises" result from poor business practices, not faulty communications. Yes, a good crisis program will help you prepare for a problem or issue, and sound communications handling can mitigate its effects, but PR can do little in the face of unethical or shortsighted actions.

In Public Relations, Looks Aren't Everything (But They Sure Can Help)

Many movies hing on a simple wardrobe change as a transformation experience for a character. From My Fair Lady to The Devil Wears Prada, pop culture points to the impact of appearance. Public relations is an image business and how you look is as much your calling card as the one in your wallet.

Everything about how you look, your haircut to your shoe choice, speaks volumes about who you are and where you're going, whether you are consciously trying to communicate that or not. Usually, the safest way to dress is to stick with simple, understated clothing. Men should invest in a gray or black, light wool, two-button suit. For women, keep color, accessories and skin to a minimum. Basic shapes such as a wrap dress or a tie-neck blouse paired with a pencil skirt are sure to impress. Otherwise, a black suit is safe and professional way to dress for your business meeting. It doesn't have to be an exact match- there is no reason why you can't buy a nice blazer and wear it with a pair of chic pants that you already have in your closet. When in doubt, guys (if not on a job interview or uber-formal setting) should wear dressy khaki pants, a blue, crisp, button-down shirt and a good-looking tie. Bring a navy blazer. You can always ditch it at the last minute if no one else is sporting one.

Start by shopping your closet. Buy the basics and then add affordable, amazing pieces to mix in match with. There are tons of affordable choices ranging from online flash sale sites to designed collaborations with big box retailers including pick up some basic wardrobe building blocks. Consignment stops are great for accessories too. A good handbag can make a powerful punch in the style department.

In PR, looking the part is key to being able to communicate effectively to your audience. Consider your client, their expectations, the setting of the meeting and the purpose. This even matters when you're looking for a job. During an interview, you're evaluated not only for what you have to say, but what you're wearing.

Whether you are trying to land a job somewhere full time or freelancing, remember that companies will hire and promote people who help put their best foot forward in every scenario. No matter what you're doing, you are, in essence, the face of the company, so it's vital to pay attention to your style.

Charlie Sheen's Publicist

Charlie Sheen's publicist resigns respectfully after latest round of actor's media outbursts.

Veteran Hollywood publicist Stan Rosenfield who has represented Charlie Sheen through through the actor's rehab attempts and breakup with his employers on the hit sitcom "Two and a half Men," abruptly resigned on Monday.

"I have worked with Sheen for a long time and I care about him very much," Rosenfield wrote in a brief statement. "However, at this time, I'm unable to work effectively as his publicist and have respectfully resigned." In a follow-up e-mail, Rosenfield said he had represented Sheen for at least seven years.

The news came on the same day that Sheen turned up in another round of interviews on ABC, NBC, TMZ and elsewhere, attacking everyone from CBS to his father, former "The West Wing" star Martin Sheen. Since CBS and Warner Bros. decided last week to halt production on "Two and a Half Men" after Sheen attacked his boss, Chuck Lorre, the actor has gone on a manic round of media interviews. It's unclear what role, if any, Rosenfield played in setting up those interviews.

But, the public relations man was still working on the Sheen account Monday morning, when he dispelled an e-mail hoax that said Sheen had retired from acting.

As a fellow PR professional, I feel for Rosenfield. It's hard to work with someone who is not working with you, listening to your advice and setting up their own media relations efforts, spewing their own key messages - which in my opinion is sending Sheen into a downward failure spiral. Right now, Sheen doesn't care a thing about his own PR. He wants to do and say anything he wants and is not thinking about the repercussions. This is all fine and dandy, as long as Sheen keeps his fan base. Once that's gone, it doesn't really matter anymore if his TV show comes back or not. No one is going to want to pay Sheen the money required to keep his fancy lifestyle going. I wish him well.

What is Klout?

I just learned of the website Klout, an online personal profile social media influence measurement tool. It's pretty cool if you're social media savvy and interact a lot using social media tools.

People are given an 'online score' which measures your overall online influence. The score ranges from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence. Klout uses 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to measure True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score.

True Reach is the size of your engaged audience and is based on those of your followers and friends who actively listen and react to your messages.

Amplification Score is the likelihood that your messages will generate actions (retweets, @messages, likes and comments) and is on a scale of 1 to 100.

Network Score indicates how influential your engage audience is and is also on a scale of 1 to 100.

The Klout Score is highly correlated to clicks, comments and retweets. I recommend you check out your own Klout Score if you use social media a lot. Learn more: www.klout.com

How to Pitch a Reporter Using Twitter

I've recently started to use Twitter as a means of pitching my clients. Public relations is still quite a new line of work, but the reality is that PR professionals cannot always just do the same thing, we cannot always rely on sending a pitch and making follow-up calls to see success in our work. As PR professionals we need to keep evolving and thinking of new ways of reaching media. I think Twitter is a great way to do this. Why? Because first, many reporters are doing freelancing and don't have a specific outlet, phone number or email address, and second, most of the reporters we're trying to reach are there and posing questions to their followers! Here is what I've found to be the most successful ways to start the conversation with the media you want to through Twitter.

1. Introduce yourself. Don't jump right into your pitch, especially if you've never contacted this person before. Say "hello!" Otherwise, you're being creepy and rude.
2. Keep it brief. This may seem like a given, as it's Twitter, but try to keep your pitch to the point and don't send more than two tweets relating to the pitch. No one wants to read a book when they check their @ messages.
3. Don't use "netspeak." It's your prerogative to tell your BFF that you're "LOL"-ing at her joke and will "<3u4eva," but keep it professional for a pitch.
4. Link it up! 140 characters isn't going to be enough to hook someone (or event get them to remember what you're talking about five minutes later), so include a link with all the details.
5. Keep the conversation going. Don't pitch and ditch - keep engaging with your new contact (even if they decline your pitch)! You might be making a valuable relationship.

Have any experience with this sort of pitching? Please share your story! Happy tweeting!

Cool PR/Fundraiser Idea From Minneapolis Based United Way

A new fundraiser website lets donors grin while giving. In a way you can call it a way of "turning that frown upside down."

The Happiness Exchange website shares depressing statistics - "32 percent of people living in poverty are children," and "1 in 5 American adults can't read enough to get by" - and allows donors to replace them with a smiling video or photo of well, you.

I heard about this fundraiser being managed by the United Way of the Greater Twin Cities and thought it was a neat idea. The site, (http://www.happyexchange.org/) allows donors (it's attracted those who are pretty tech savvy) to post a snapshot or snippet of their grinning faces over a sad fact that they are helping change with their gift. Further, the idea is that benefactors can 'look around' and see other fellow givers, resembling the title sequence of the classic show "The Brady Bunch" in which anything but good cheer was frowned upon.

Know of any other neat fundraisers? Please share!

The Most Powerful Tweets of 2010

Twitter started as a place for users to share thoughts and feelings using only 140 characters. However, over the recent year more celebrities, government officials and PR professionals are using Twitter and share some very exciting and influential news.

Here are the most influential tweets from 2010 according to Twitter:

Ann Curry: @usairforce find a way to let Doctors without Borders planes land in Haiti: http://bit.ly/8hYZOK THE most effective at this.
After the massive 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, Doctors without Borders flew in a team of physicians to assist the wounded, but they were unable to get clearance to land the plane. Reporter Ann Curry used this tweet to convince the U.S. Air Force to allow the flight to land.

White House: Welcome to @twitter President Medvedev! RT @KremlinRussia_E: Hello everyone! I'm on Twitter, and this is my first tweet.
When Russian president joined Twitter, this White House immediately reached out and welcome him to the Twitterverse. Obama quote: Red phones no longer required.

Leigh Fazzina: I've had a serious injury and need help! Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I'm stuck bike crash in woods.
Twitter to the rescue: When she crashed her bike in a fores with no cell phone reception, a gravely injured triathlete saved her own life when she tweeted out a desperate call for help.

BP Global Public Relations: Catastrophe is a strong word, let's agree to call it a whoopsie daisy.
After the Deepwater Horizon platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing one of the largest oil spills in history, it was a parody account, not BP's official Twitter account, that defined the discussion -- spoofing the company's attempts to improve its public image. "Gulf Oil Spill" was the #1 Trend on Twitter in 2010.

Presidencia Ecuador: Gobierno declara estado de Exception #Ecuador #30S
In late September, civil unrest in Ecuador increased dramatically after a new law cut benefits for public servants. President Rafael Correa accused opposition and military forces of a coup attempt, and used Twitter to declare a state of emergency in a tweet. Leaders across Latin America and the world tweeted response to show their support for the people of Ecuador.

Clarence House: The Prince of Whales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton - www.princeofwhales.uk.gov
In a royal first, Clarence House, the Prince of Whales' private office, created a Twitter account to announce Prince Williams' engagement to Kate Middleton. Now how Henry VIII did it.

Johnathan Schwartz: Today's my last day at Sun. I'll miss it. Seems only fitting to end on a #haiku. Financial crisis/Stalled to many customers/ CEO no more.
When the CEO of one of the most high-profile technology companies in the world announced he was stepping down, he kept his resignation letter to 140 characters. Johnathan Schwartz left the Sun Microsystems with this simple message.

John M. Foster: Congratulations to Raul Labrador on a hard-earned win, and best of luck as Idaho's next congressman.
Twitter was a powerful campaign tool during 2010 U.S. Midterm Elections, and Election Night results often broke first on Twitter. Demonstrating how quickly the world of political communications is changing, Idaho incumbent Walt Minnick's campaign manager issued a concession tweet.

Carles Puyol: Gran ambiente en la rua!!! orgulloso de ver a tanta gente feliz. http://twitpic.com/24qkg5
The FIFA World Cup final represented the largest period of sustained activity for an event in Twitter's history: during the final game, people from 172 countries tweeted in 27 different languages. Twitter put fans in direct touch with teams, players and commentators - and when Spain celebrated it's big win in the Final, Charles Puyol captured the zeal with a Twitpic of the scene from his perch at the victory ceremony.

Are Press Releases the Answer?

If you are an entrepreneur or work for a small business, most likely when you hear 'PR' you think send out a press release. And yes, press releases have their place as media-relationship building-tools and announcements, but there is a much better way to get some great, press mentions.

Actually, if you send out a poorly written press release to the wrong people, you can do more damage than good. After all, reporters receive hundreds of press releases each day and have no problem instantly deleting or tossing the bad ones.

Instead, do some research. Ask yourself these questions:

Who do you want to talk about your business?
Who is the appropriate media member to contact?
What is that person going to care about?

Once you've gathered your talking points, pick up the phone and introduce yourself to the reporter. Give your story succinctly and with passion.

You have a 50/50 chance: The reporter will want more information or thank you for calling. Either way, you're started to build a valuable, media relationship.

Today, PR activities can help your business grow quickly through credible, third-party media mentions and word-of-mouth buzz. However, if you don't take the time to develop and practice pitching your unique story idea, or hire an experienced expert to do it fo ryou, all of your efforts can be a complete waste of time and money.