Obtaining permission to include mentions and quotes from third party companies in your clients’ press releases or case studies is a fundamental part of the PR person’s lot. It therefore took me by surprise this week when a client was so amazed that it was even possible, let alone standard practice.

I’ve been working with a new client who is sitting on a gold mine of brilliant case studies but had not idea how to use them to full effect. When I ran through the process outlined below you could see the smile break out across the MD’s face realising how easy it was to unleash all the great news he was sitting on.

It’s a process that’s as old as the hills but tried and trusted to ensure all parties have full input into the story and full knowledge of how and where the information will be distributed.

That said, there are occasions where getting permission isn’t always possible or easy so you have to be creative – especially if there’s a story which is simply too good not to be told.

That’s what happened to another client this week who has made products for one of the most iconic companies in the UK, if not the world.

By virtue of the fact that these products would be in full public view we thought it was important to claim the credit as the makers of them and blogged about it. Obviously if the said company objects then of course we’ll take the blog post down immediately, but in the meantime my client is happy to take the plaudits for a prestigious job well done.