Category Archives: PR
Video Book Review – Brand Against The Machine by John Morgan
No joke – this is an amazing book! I took nearly 5,000 words’ worth of notes on it and could have easily just transcribed the entire thing. It’s that good! Reminds me a lot of The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk, but with apologies to Gary V I think this book is even better!
Six “Sticky” Tips for PR/Marketing Success
Just started reading Made to Stick and have to say its 6 Principles make for a great PR/Marketing/Social Media strategy:
SIMPLICITY: Proverbs are ideal – a one-sentence statement so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it.
UNEXPECTEDNESS: Violate people’s expectations/be counterintuitive. Generate interest and curiosity.
CONCRETENESS: Explain in terms of human actions and/or sensory information. (NOT abstract concepts!) Example: Ice-filled bathtubs, apples with razors. Use concrete language.
CREDIBILITY: Idea has to carry its own credentials. “Ask yourself if you are better off today than you were four years ago.”
EMOTIONS: Make them feel something. We are wired to feel things for people, not abstractions.
STORIES: To get people to act on your idea, tell a story.
Why the consumer-business relationship has changed forever, and what it means for all of us
This is probably the most important video Gary Vaynerchuk has ever made, and coming from a self-professed GaryVee fanboy like me, that’s saying something! 
Gary’s brilliant book Thank You Economy nailed this trend back when he wrote it in late 2010/early 2011, but this video crystalizes how important customer service will be in 2012 and beyond thanks to Social Media. Watch:
Big news: Join myself and Bestselling Author David Meerman Scott for a special PR/JOUR Google+ Hangout on Jan 11!
Do NOT miss the chance to pick this PR/Marketing/Social Media expert and NYT Bestselling Author's brain!
Awesome news! Just confirmed USA Today and The Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author and PR/Social Media Expert David Meerman Scott will join me for a special Google+ video hangout on January 11 at 3:30 pm Eastern/2:30 pm Central time.
Save the date and spread the word!
We’re going to talk about David’s new book Newsjacking – PR/JOUR folks this is NOT to be missed! David is the best of the best when it comes to cutting-edge PR/Marketing trends, and his concept of “Newsjacking” is both controversial and potentially the biggest new PR/Marketing trend we’ll see in 2012 and beyond.
Special thanks to David for being such a class act and so willing to share his time and expertise with myself and the rest of us! Pick up a copy of Newsjacking ahead of time (only $6.99 for the e-book) too!
Make sure you have David and myself in your G+ Circles so you can participate!
Video: Longtime TV News Director Scott Libin Shares Game-Changing Secrets to Getting Your PR Clients on TV
Scott Libin has spent more than 25 years in the TV News business.
Scott Libin spent nearly three decades as TV News Reporter, Producer, Anchor and News Director. I can’t think of a better expert when it comes to finding out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to getting TV News coverage for your company/client.
Scott and I had a great discussion this week (video below), and I was really impressed with his honesty and candor when it came to getting inside the head of a typical TV Reporter/Producer. He shared some great insights and advice on what will (and will NOT) work when it comes to getting the TV News coverage your company/client wants.
I was also fascinated/excited about his take on whether or not PR people should use the controversial strategy of “reporting on the reporter” during interviews. This is where you (the interview’s subject) capture the entire exchange with the reporter on video, and then (if you need to) put out a copy of the video online as a defense/explanation for a quote you felt was taken out of context, bias demonstrated by the reporter, etc. (Skip ahead to the 8:25 mark of the video to hear this exchange.)
Social Media and the ability to easily capture and share video online has completely changed the TV News business. Think about the strength and leverage you or your client now has when agreeing to sit down for a potentially controversial/difficult interview! In the past, you were at the mercy of the TV Reporter to represent a fair and balanced report on air. Now, you can film and then release your own record of the conversation to prove to your core stakeholders/audience/critics/etc. that what you said was taken out of context or misrepresented.
Game-changing stuff, and I’m glad guys like Scott Libin are here to help PR pros and journalists alike sort through it all!
Here’s our discussion:
QUESTION: Would you advise a PR client to use this “report on the reporter” technique? Why or why not? And if you’re a journalist, would you refuse to conduct an interview if the subject told you he or she was going to tape the conversation and possibly release it later online?
Video: Great PR/Crisis Communications tips with industry legend Jon Austin
This video from our weekly JOUR/PR Google+ Hangout is stocked with great Crisis PR/Communications tips from industry legend Jon Austin. Jon used to be the top spokesperson for Northwest Airlines (now part of Delta) and has been a PR/Crisis Communications pro since the early 1990s. The discussion was like a master’s class in Crisis PR – I loved every minute of it and learned a ton. Hope you enjoy!
