Michelle Garrett’s Post

Yesterday, I presented a webinar about pitching your news to hundreds of attendees. Today, I received yet another pitch about haircare products. (Yes, I, too, receive pitches from PR practitioners because I've done some writing over the years and am listed in a media database or two). WHY do I continue to get pitches for haircare products? Have I EVER written about haircare? No. Will I ever write about haircare? No. I write about topics like public relations, communications, B2B marketing, manufacturing, content, social media, freelancing and consulting. So WHY, oh WHY, do I see SO many pitches for things that I have never written about? That was really the main point of the presentation - don't pitch ANY reporter about a topic they've 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 covered. How do you determine this? Do some research. Whether you use a media database, visit the media outlet's site, look up the journalist's social media profile, or read some of their work, make SOME effort to find the best fit for your pitch. PLEASE. Pulling a random list from a media database, then blasting out the same pitch to hundreds of journalists will NOT help you earn media coverage. #PRTips #publicrelations #mediarelations #publicity

I'll see YOU in San Diego! Excited to announce that I'll be speaking at this year's Content Marketing World event! Thrilled to be presenting once again alongside other content and marketing leaders at #CMWorld this October. My session, The Benefits of a PR Approach: How to Get More Bang from Your Content, covers: ✳️ Why publishing content on your site isn't enough - it needs to be amplified ✳️ How using a PR/earned media approach will help your content be seen by more of your target audience ✳️ How to determine which content is the best fit for this approach ✳️ How your content and PR teams can work together to create and amplify this content - including examples of content that editors love ✳️ What to do 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 your content is published as earned media The link to register is in the comments. #publicrelations #contentmarketing

Today's PR (and maybe just work/life) tip: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. Over and over again, I see companies that are making an announcement but have waited TOO long to get their public relations plans together. I've had companies get in touch with me when their launch is coming up NEXT week 😬 Work backward from your announcement date to ensure *everything* you need is ready: ➡️ Content: Press release, pitch, background/supporting materials ➡️ Visuals: Photos and captions, video, headshots, logos ➡️ Third-party references: Customers, partners, analysts ➡️ Data: Research to support your key messages (use your own or cite external research) ➡️ Web site or landing page ➡️ Social media: Be sure it's up-to-date (as in, if you haven't posted in six months, remedy that) Sometimes, preparing all these elements can take a while. For example: 🔘 Approvals of a press release by a customer or partner's legal team might take weeks if it's a larger company. 🔘 If you're using customer quotes in a press release, they may have to get permission and approval for that. 🔘 If you don't have your own data to cite, you might need time to research to find some that's a fit. 🔘 Your site is one of the first places a reporter will visit once you've gotten their attention. It's the same with social media. If they visit and find outdated information, that can be problematic. Also, keep in mind that it's summer, and landing coverage may take longer as reporters take vacations, too. Bottom line: Start planning EARLIER than you think you need to. More time is better than not enough. #PRTips #PublicRelations #B2BPR #PRConsultant

Earned media coverage helps build a company’s credibility and reputation. However, it’s not as simple as blasting an email to a random list of journalists. But how often does a company write a release, issue it via a wire service, and then call it a day? Without pitching the press release to reporters, companies could miss out on opportunities to get their news and stories featured by media outlets. Join me on Thursday, July 11th, at 3:30 p.m. ET for a special live webinar where I’ll share how you can take a more thoughtful approach to pitching journalists and—most importantly—secure more media coverage. Thank you to Notified for having me - and to Aggregage for producing! #PRTips #PRWebinar #PitchYourPressRelease #pressreleases

Looking for some insightful reading material this LONG holiday weekend? How about two books that'll help you boost your public relations efforts? My book, 𝐁2𝐁 𝐏𝐑 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬, is currently #9 on the Public Relations Best Sellers list, while my friend Michelle Glogovac's book, 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 is #14. They'd make a great combo for your reference shelf! #PRbooks #publicrelations #communications

Reporters, what would you like PR practitioners to know about pitching you their news/press releases? What tips would you give? I'm hoping to get some input directly from journalists on what's working best 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 to help public relations pros do a better job, as I put together a couple of upcoming presentations. I know what works for my B2B clients, but I always like to gain a broader perspective to inform my work. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. #publicrelations #mediarelations

Join me July 11 at 3:30 EST for this Notified webinar, where I'll share advice and tips on effectively pitching your press releases to journalists. Hope to see you there, along with the 800+ people already registered - the link to sign up is in the comments. We'll cover: ➡️ What a press release is - and isn't - for 👍 ➡️ What to include in a well-written release 📝 ➡️ The best methods to pitch your news to journalists 🗣 ➡️ Other ways you can repurpose your release ♻️ #publicrelations #mediarelations #PRtips

If you're in PR - or maybe doing your own PR - and haven't yet checked out Peter Shankman's latest venture, Source of Sources, you should. It's free. Link to sign up in comments. #PRTips

On June 26 at noon ET on PR Explored, I'll be talking with Eleanor Hawkins, a communications strategist and writer at Axios. She authors the weekly Axios Communicators newsletter covering topics and trends that impact how leaders, brands and employers communicate.      I'm looking forward to talking with Eleanor about trending topics in the world of communications.      Catch it live on YouTube, 6/26 at noon EST. No cost - and no need to register. Stop by if you can - or listen/watch later.  Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://lnkd.in/ecGnjkPD

This is today at noon ET - join me and my guest Eleanor Hawkins, author of the weekly Axios Communicators newsletter, on PR Explored. It streams live on YouTube and here. See you then!