Your PR Architect

If you're a PR professional, you may disagree with me. And I'd love to hear your viewpoint. Six months ago, a local acquaintance asked me to help promote his book on business leadership. Most news media I contacted were enthusiastic, interviewing him on air, including his book in a newspaper column, or running op-ed essays he'd written about business conduct. By Holger.Ellgaard (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0  (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],  via Wikimedia Commons Except one. An experienced news/public affairs broadcaster who initially expressed interest, asked to read a copy of the client's book, and then went silent. Didn't respond to emails or phone calls. Even when I asked co-workers at the broadcaster's station, who first said they'd been busy, and told me he'd get back to me. Except he didn't. Nor did his producer.  I hate giving up. But, after six months of unresponsiveness from the broadcaster, I decided to ce...

I have genuine admiration for anyone who's succeeded in public relations for 30 or 40 years. My colleague Ray is one of the best. So I read his blog on the new golden age of PR with authentic interest. Yes, the profession has a new look -- very digital, and often data-driven.  But as I read Ray's comments, I noticed an absence of the most important word in this profession: relationships . He mentions it once, in the context of creating deeper relationships between marketers and PR professionals, and their audiences. In an age where you can swap online analytics with anyone, I'd argue that we're not in a golden age of PR -- because relationships are dwindling. Emails and voice mails are a poor substitute for live, face-to-face conversations. At Cedar Point, OH., "Gatekeeper" is a roller coaster. By Jeremy Thompson from United States of America  (Cedar Point 105  Uploaded by Themeparkgc) via Wikimedia Commons It's important to know the ed...

You're on Twitter. And your clients ought to be on Twitter. Or should they? Not without an escort. That would be you , the PR professional. You need to guide clients' use of Twitter. It's a stream-of-consciousness (or semi-consciousness) tool that without strategy and discipline can damage a clent's brand more than enhance it. Applebee's PR ordeal over the employee who posted a guest's receipt in response to a modest gratuity blew up, in part, because of its exposure on Twitter. (It didn't help that an inexperienced Twitter manager at Applebee's extended the exposure of the unhappy event.) AT&T Twitter ad, 9-11-2013 Today's @ATT ad , using symbols of the Sept. 11 tragedy on 9/11 to promote its wireless products, demonstrates social media tone-deafness at its worst. The backlash was swift, loud and punishing. AT&T took down this image (at right) within minutes after the backlash. But what about your use of Twitter? Are you ...