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Defining Public Relations
When you mention 'public relations' most people think about certain channels of communication: particularly editorial publicity, sponsorships and 'launch events' for new products.
When you mention 'public relations' most people think about...
How to Really Benefit from Associations (Part 3 of 3-Part Series)
This is Part III in a 3-part series. For your convenience, the entire series is online here: · Part I: “How to Develop Industry Contacts” http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations1.html · Part II: “Tips For Improved Networking in...
Online Marketer On A Mission
How to avoid common online marketing mistakes David Moceri is on a mission. The 28 year old online marketing entrepreneur is determined to avoid the common mistakes made with promoting online business by combining innovative, proven cutting edge...
THE BOOKLET JOURNEY
Way back in 1991, when my organizing business was already 8 years old, I spotted an offer for a free copy of a booklet called "117 Ideas For Better Business Presentations" . Well, because I do business presentations, and because the price was right,...
The Magic And Mystery Of Teams
Discover The Coach Within You One of the three basic roles of leadership is the coach or mentor. The best boss is often the best coach. (See: http://tlc-leadership.com/the_three_faces_of_leadership) In sports the coach is very conscious of his role...
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PubliCity Outside Your City: Outsourcing For More Affordable PR Services
We all know that the Internet has taken away geographic boundaries in the business world. The accessibility and expansiveness of the Internet allows the entrepreneur/business owner anywhere in North America to search outside his local yellow pages for the best and most affordable services available. This is especially true when it comes to finding PR/publicity services for your business. What it boils down to is . the Inter'net can mean a 'net savings in your publicity budget.
A few months back, I got an email from a California client who discovered that the local part-time freelance publicity specialist he had hired was charging three times the amount I charge and providing half the services I offered. Because of that, the client hired me to work with the freelancer in heading up this nationwide campaign launch. The freelancer told me that because of West coast cost of living/overhead, he was forced to charge the higher fees -- surprisingly, he was one of the cheapest publicity pros in that area! I have heard stories like this time and time again from clients who hit the 'net in search of a cheaper alternative to PR services listed in their local directory.
That fact was drilled home to me even more when I recently took a detailed look at my portfolio of clients. I was surprised to learn that over the last few years more than 40% of my clients for my Midwest-based PR business have come from the West coast, another 25% from the East coast and 10% from Canada. A quick e-mail polling of clients revealed the same story over and over. They simply found it hard to locate professional, affordable PR services in their area, so they turned to the Internet to find it.
Frankly, for publicity campaigns restricted to your city/region, I recommend going with a local PR specialist/firm. They typically know the local media market best and have solid media contacts there. But for a national or industry rade specific publicity campaign for your product/business, explore the possibility of hiring a PR individual or team outside your geographic area -- especially if your product has nationwide appeal. One client remarked that he liked how our campaign brought a Midwest feel to his East coast-based business and helped him open up potential new business avenues. Another client said he looked to outsource to a small to mid-sized city PR business because, as he put it, "No matter the size of the office, West coast PR firms seemed very plastic and glitzy, while the East coast firms seemed to be too
hectic, almost frantic." That may indeed be a huge generalization on his part, because I'm certain there are wonderfully professional PR businesses in almost every city.
Be advised -- mechanically, most PR agencies do basically the same thing. Sure each firm/office/freelancer has their strong points. The major difference lies with the respective creativity, ingenuity and professionalism of the PR individual or staff. Don't take this to mean that "cheaper is better" - there is certainly something to be said for the phrase "you get what you pay for". Just don't pay three, four or even ten times as much to get you the same amount of quality. Look for a firm that can give you an entire campaign from start to finish -- release/kit, media market research, media contacts, large-scale media distribution, media tracking/clipping -- not just a $100 - $500 release distribution.
Take to the 'net and see what you can find. Above all, ask for references, writing samples, publicity placement history -- where they have generated publicity for past clients. Make sure they are technologically advanced enough to get timely, high-quality publicity information to media outlets all over the nation that benefits your business. Look for a PR service with a broad range of media contacts in multiple formats (print, broadcast & Internet) and strong media tracking capabilities. Some PR pros promise to pitch your campaign to hundreds of magazines and newspapers when your strongest media market may be in radio/TV shows & newscasts -- or vice versa.
I am not reinventing the PR wheel here, I am simply saying that when it comes to generating publicity for your business/website/venture/invention, the best match for you may not be in the big glass building in your city's downtown. Big firms in big cities most often mean big fees and not necessarily big quality.
Bottom line -- the Internet is giving entrepreneurs of all types the opportunity to afford publicity -- publicity from outside your city.
Todd F. Brabender Spread The News Public Relations Generating publicity/media exposure for innovative businesses, products, inventions & experts. http://www.SpreadTheNewsPR.com info@SpreadTheNewsPR.com
About the Author
Todd Brabender is the President of Spread The News Public Relations, Inc. His business specializes in generating publicity/media exposure for innovative businesses, products, inventions & experts. http://www.SpreadTheNewsPR.com info@SpreadTheNewsPR.com
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PR.com: Directory of Businesses Jobs Press Releases Products ... |
Comprehensive Directory of Businesses, Jobs, Products, Services, Press Releases, News, & Articles in all Industries. Promote your business. FREE. |
www.pr.com |
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PR Newswire - news distribution, targeting and monitoring |
News and press release distribution services for small business marketing, corporate public relations and investor relations, government and organizational ... |
www.prnewswire.com |
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PR Week Magazine |
News and features about the public relations industry, with links to US, UK, Asian, and German editions. |
www.prweek.com |
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Public relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Public relations (PR) is the art of managing communication between an organization and its ... PR historians say the first PR firm, the Publicity Bureau, ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Puerto Rico - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Hyperlinked encyclopedia article covers the country's history, government and politics, geography, economy, demographics, language and culture. |
en.wikipedia.org |
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The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) |
Largest professional organization of public relations specialists representing business, consulting firms, government, associations, schools, ... |
www.prsa.org |
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CIA - The World Factbook -- Puerto Rico |
Profile of Puerto Rico by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). |
https: |
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Center for Media and Democracy - Publishers of PR Watch |
A nonprofit, public interest organization dedicated to investigative reporting on the public relations industry. |
www.prwatch.org |
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Puerto Rico Vacations | Puerto Rico Tourism Company | Puerto Rico ... |
Puerto Rico Tourism Company Official site includes nightlife, area sports, culture, and travel information. |
www.gotopuertorico.com |
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PR: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with pr on Technorati. ... This page shows everything that has been tagged with pr. To contribute to this page include this code ... |
www.technorati.com |
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Edelman |
Full service global public relations firm. Includes company profile, management team, practice areas, industries served, case histories, client listings, ... |
www.edelman.com |
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LEWIS PR - global public relations |
LEWIS PR is a global public relations consultancy working with leading and emerging brands and delivering predictable results tied tightly to client goals. |
www.lewispr.com |
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IANA | .pr - Puerto Rico |
University of Puerto Rico Gauss Laboratory Facundo Bueso Building Office 265 ... Puerto Rico Email: tech@uprr.pr Voice: +787 765 3263 Fax: +787 754 0757 ... |
www.iana.org |
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Online Public Relations Home Page |
Free online resource for public relations professionals. |
www.online-pr.com |
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Chartered Institute of Public Relations, CIPR, the professional ... |
The CIPR is the professional body for the UK public relations industry, providing PR training and events, PR news and research, and a PR jobs board. |
www.ipr.org.uk |
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PR News Online — Trusted Source for Public Relations News, PR ... |
The latest news on public relations delivered FREE right to your inbox. ... Psycho-Geometrics Help You Know What 'Shape' Your PR Team's Personality Is In ... |
www.prnewsonline.com |
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O'Dwyer's Public Relations News - odwyerpr.com |
Features breaking news about the public relations industry, a database of PR firms, listing of PR service firms, client search tool and job postings. |
www.odwyerpr.com |
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PR News Online — Trusted Source for Public Relations News, PR ... |
E-letter. The latest news on public relations delivered FREE right to your inbox. ... Share ideas with your peers in PR News' just-launched Forum ... |
www.prandmarketing.com |
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Linux PR: |
Comprehensive Press Release and Public Relations resource for the Linux community. |
www.linuxpr.com |
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Escape to Puerto Rico - Your Internet Guide to Puerto Rico |
Internet guide to everything Puerto Rico. Offers lots of photos, accommodations and travel information from around the Island. |
escape.topuertorico.com |
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