2504, 2023

Stuff that PR consultants just do

By |25th April 2023|PR|Comments Off on Stuff that PR consultants just do

There are some things that good PR consultants just do. It’s part of their DNA, and they don’t give it a second thought because it’s so fundamental to the way they operate – they simply don’t question it until they realise that not every other PR consultant does what they do.

Here are just three things […]

2601, 2023

5 ways to measure the success of PR campaigns

By |26th January 2023|PR|Comments Off on 5 ways to measure the success of PR campaigns

How do you measure the success of a PR campaign? This is one of the first questions that come up when working with new clients – which is normally couched in the killer question: “what does PR success look like to you?”

And that’s where the measures of success can vary wildly. For some, it’s more […]

2709, 2022

Journalists are customers, not the enemy

By |27th September 2022|Customer service, Journalists, Long reads, PR|Comments Off on Journalists are customers, not the enemy

PRs can build better relationships with journalists if they think of them as customers.

That’s a hugely contentious statement that will stick in the craw of some on both sides of the divide, but the reality is that PRs won’t achieve anything for their clients if they’re not focused on delivering a great service to their […]

2706, 2022

What journalists want: be the hero of your story

By |27th June 2022|PR|Comments Off on What journalists want: be the hero of your story

Journalists are all too willing to give PR folks and their clients the heads-up about what they need so that everyone gets what they want: the journalist gets a great story, the client gets great media coverage and the PRs gets a feather in their cap.

In a webinar hosted by Jon Card, a freelance journalist […]

403, 2022

Global coverage for world’s first flying classroom

By |4th March 2022|PR|Comments Off on Global coverage for world’s first flying classroom

What a throwback. I’ve just come across this project and it’s bringing back lots of happy memories.

A primary school in Stoke bought an old commercial airliner to use as a new classroom. The project was such fun because I worked with the children so they became the PRs for the project – which attracted global […]

407, 2020

Netflix’s Tiger King: a lesson in PR dirty tricks

By |4th July 2020|Awards, Celebrity PR, Crisis PR, Long reads, PR Insight|Comments Off on Netflix’s Tiger King: a lesson in PR dirty tricks

Netflix’s Tiger King: when business rivalry becomes attempted murder 
How to beat dirty business tricks by competitors
If you’ve not yet seen Tiger King on Netflix, then drop what you’re doing and start binge-watching it, as it’s been the best car-crash series in a long while.

If you have, then you’ll know it’s a “you couldn’t make this […]

1202, 2020

The press release is still king

By |12th February 2020|Journalists, PR|Comments Off on The press release is still king

A recent survey of journalists working for broadcast outlets and national daily and Sunday newspapers has found that the press release is still the most recognised source for PRs to serve up news stories.

Of the journalists polled – from media including BBC News, ITV News, Sky News, MailOnline and London Evening Standard – 94% plumped […]

1305, 2019

Behind the scenes at a football press conference

By |13th May 2019|PR, Press conference|Comments Off on Behind the scenes at a football press conference

I had the privilege of attending a pre-match press conference at my beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers, where Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo faced the media ahead of the final game of the Premier League season against Liverpool.

It was one the busiest pre-match ‘pressers’ of the season and was crammed full of TV, radio and print journalists […]

2105, 2018

Stupid job titles – and other things that really annoy journalists

By |21st May 2018|Journalists, PR|Comments Off on Stupid job titles – and other things that really annoy journalists

Sam Metcalf is one of the most influential business journalists in the East Midlands and gets hundreds of press releases every day, all vying for use on TheBusinessDesk.

His tweets, expressing various levels of frustration at some of the news stories he receives – or the calls he gets offering editorial ideas or comment pieces – […]

1001, 2018

How to damage a business with one social media post

By |10th January 2018|Crisis PR, Facebook, PR disaster, Social media|Comments Off on How to damage a business with one social media post

One errant post on social media can potentially bring any business crashing to the ground in a matter of hours – as one growing restaurant chain in the Midlands has found out to its cost.

In November 2017, an Italian restaurant hit the headlines for fanfaring a £200,000 investment that paved the way for the opening […]

2508, 2017

The National Lottery’s comms team should be sacked

By |25th August 2017|Brands, Crisis PR, PR disaster|Comments Off on The National Lottery’s comms team should be sacked

Almost exactly a year ago, I praised the National Lottery’s PR team for an outstanding performance at the Rio Olympic Games, which, in my opinion, outshone the achievements of the likes of Sir Mo Farah, Sir Jason Kenny and the Brownlee brothers.

But, 12 months on, if the same team who were responsible for such an […]

707, 2017

Sorting the factual from the fake news

By |7th July 2017|Brands, Facebook, Social media, Twitter, YouTube|Comments Off on Sorting the factual from the fake news

Following my recent piece about fake news, the phenomenon has continued to wreak havoc across the web, including in the recent UK general election. But steps are being taken to help the public to distinguish whether online articles are true or not.

As reported by the BBC, Facebook has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness […]

206, 2017

Is fake new old news?

By |2nd June 2017|Fake news, PR|Comments Off on Is fake new old news?

It’s undoubtable that reporting and journalism have changed – thanks to social media and the 24-hour news cycle, anyone can get a message to the press instantly.
This has resulted in a revolution in getting up-to-date information to the masses, whether it’s the latest travel information or something more important, like evacuating coastal regions in response […]

2810, 2016

How to waste loads of money at exhibitions

By |28th October 2016|Exhibitions, PR|Comments Off on How to waste loads of money at exhibitions

Why do companies spend shedloads of money exhibiting at trade shows – only to be let down by staff who are more interested in looking at their phones than talking to potential customers?

I went to a very big trade show recently and was appalled at the amount of exhibition stands where people who were supposed […]

810, 2016

Trump V Clinton – the battle of the brand names

By |8th October 2016|Brands, PR|Comments Off on Trump V Clinton – the battle of the brand names

Is the US presidential election going to be won on the policies being put forward by the two candidates, or are we witnessing a personal brand showdown?

It’s official: we live in an era where your name is your brand – from your social profile to your designer jewellery range. But, in politics, where you’d expect […]