Public Relations

Public relations executives can schedule an interview between a client and a high-profile reporter that might lead to a great story in print or online, but only if the client shares a great story during that interview. Otherwise? The coverage suffers, or never posts at all.

One of the challenges public relations (PR) professionals face today is that many people associate PR with traditional processes rapidly becoming outdated. This misconception creates an uphill battle to convince potential clients that PR is an industry still very much alive and needed in today’s crowded media landscape. In fact, it’s more important than ever. With social media’s 24/7 conversation, some companies would have a nearly impossibly time digging themselves out of crises without proper PR guidance. But crisis communications isn’t the only need for PR now – a digitized…

A lot of people have a lot of bad stuff to say about the PR industry and PR people in general. In fact, CNBC posted a story a few weeks ago highlighting the most stressful jobs for 2013 and, yup, you guessed it — PR Executive came in at number 5. It was beat out only by police officer, airline pilot, military personnel, and firefighters. What is that about? Those folks are risking their lives to save others! But while PR may be stressful at times, I still think it…

The ability to effectively manage agency/client relations is a skill which benefits everyone in your organization, regardless of where they sit in the office. As a successful public relations professional, I’m always looking for new ways to foster a positive, productive and trusting relationship with my clients. Managing client relations is obviously something we take very seriously here at Overit. Happy clients create a happy agency! Below are some of the obvious and sometimes not so obvious tips for a successful agency/client relationship. 1. Tell great stories PR is all…

I remember reading in my college textbooks how public relations professionals used to actually fax pitches and press releases to media outlets. Don’t laugh. I’m serious! It may be hard to believe now but there was a time when reporters received actual hardcopies of these documents. Media kits were built to be quirky, fun, and creative to catch attention and inspire a story idea. Reporters spared a few minutes on the phone for a quick download of a new product launch. My, things have changed. Today, these tactics belong in…

Hey there, fancy journalist, I’m a PR professional with a question. Here it is: Why do you hate us? Yes – I’m really asking you! Of course, it’s not just journalists constantly ripping on our profession. PR people are a running joke in most Web circles. It seems like every time I sign onto Twitter there is some foul-mouthed tweet bashing our industry. While I’ll be the first to agree there are some HORRIBLE PR people out there who blast out long, exaggerated pitches to every reporter listed on Cision,…

Our primary clients at OveritPR are startups. Startups are a fascinating group of people because their excitement and drive is contagious. But I have a confession to make. At first, the responsibility of helping these fast-paced companies build their businesses and futures intimidated me. However, the more I work with them, the more I realize I actually resonate with these companies on a much closer level than I could have ever imagined.

Good client relations are a skillset you will use no matter where you go in your career. In fact, most major brands and in-house positions want to hire people who are or were “client facing” because it demonstrates they can work well with all types of people.

Some will argue working with the client can be more of a challenge than dealing with the press or even a crisis situation. Clients are demanding, opinionated, and often limited by other factors in their work environment that can then affect the supporting agency team.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about pitching best practices for rookies and got some awesome feedback from it. It even got picked up on PRDaily; woo hoo! This time around I want to write about what it should look like when you put those best practices to use to get some really great coverage for your clients. We work with an array of clients here at Overit Media, be it the alternative energy space, outdoor power equipment market or project management for the enterprise. It is our…

This is part love letter to public relations and part love letter to my wife. That should earn me some bonus points. “Why do we need…?” These same four words have begun countless questions throughout my life, from the first visit down the candy aisle with my mother to the latest visit down the candy aisle with my wife. “Why do we need social media?” Now that is a question that does not get answered with a “Because I haven’t had the dark chocolate variety” response.I am not an ancient…