Ginny Richardson is celebrating 30 years in public relations. With the nickname GR-PR, Ginny Richardson Public Relations is located at 15 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 317, Hinsdale. 

The first 15 of those 30 years, Ginny did PR on evenings and weekends. Fifteen years ago, the sideline business had grown to a point where she was making more money than at her full time job as director of PR for Hinsdale’s Wellness House. She made a decision to pursue GR-PR full time.

Thousands and thousands of press releases later, GR-PR is a company that now includes her partner (and son) Andy Richardson.

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First of all, a disclaimer: during my many years in media relations, I have managed to do every single “do not” on this list. I learned this field not from college, not from post-graduate studies, but by invaluable experience as a reporter in Chicago where I was able to observe all manner of public relations practitioners and their press releases.

I paid attention to which releases were irresistible, and I learned which PR pros were wonderful to work with. Through it all, I was a human sponge, and I learned as fast as I could. You see, to me, the field of public relations is endlessly fascinating and rewarding.

1. Do not launch into your pitch without asking, “Is this a good time?” Reporters and TV producers are frequently on deadline and cannot take the time to listen to a story idea. You must tap softly at the media’s door and show the utmost respect for the high pressure scramble to make deadlines. If they tell you a better time to call, remember to call! Read the rest of this entry »

Public speaking. One end of the spectrum is you’d rather be tortured for eternity. The other end is having a professional speaker’s bureau represent you charging thousands of dollars per speech. There is life in the middle, however, and that’s the subject of this post.

Many people find that no-fee public speaking yields wonderful advantages both personally and professionally. First of all, it’s terrific public relations. Second, it’s networking at its finest, and third, it’s goodwill and community service.

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Many – I’ll wager the majority – of healthcare marketing staffs are gasping for air from too much to do, too many meetings, and not enough time to imagine, create and execute. One task that frequently gets pushed to the back burner is pitching stories to the media when, in fact, such stories in newspapers, on the Internet, and on TV are not only free (talk about cost effective!) but yield the greatest credibility.

Picture this. A positive story about a new procedure at your hospital or practice appears in a newspaper with an impressive circulation. The article involves an elated patient and his or her compelling story. It quotes the physician(s) and/or CEO and contains two photos, in color of course, and a graphic.

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(HINSDALE, IL) Ginny Richardson, president of Ginny Richardson Public Relations (GR-PR), received the Silver Trumpet Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC) on Thursday, May 14, at an awards ceremony at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago. In attendance were more than 500 public relations executives from public relations firms in Chicago and suburbs.

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Case Study

After 14 years in the suburbs, Von Heidecke’s Chicago Festival Ballet (CFB) decided to bring their rendition of “The Nutcracker” to Chicago in 2005. With only three months left until the first performance date, they hired Ginny Richardson Public Realtions to launch the Chicago performance and promote the continuing suburban performances, at which ticket sales had begun to decline.

GR-PR swiftly introduced CFB to the city with 25 million media impressions, and helped increase ticket sales in the suburbs by 16.5 percent through strong media relations, careful image-building and creative positioning.

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(HINSDALE, IL) Chicago’s Jennifer Navarro of Ginny Richardson Public Relations (GR-PR) received two public relations awards in as many days.

She won a Skyline Merit Award from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Chicago Chapter on Tuesday, May 15, and the Golden Trumpet Award from the Publicity Club of Chicago (PCC) on Wednesday, May 16.

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Case Study

Hinsdale Hospital nestles in a corner of Hinsdale, Illinois. Founded in 1904 by a married couple with immense zeal, prayer and a Civil War officer’s generosity, this Seventh Day Adventist hospital grew and prospered into the 21st century. To commemorate the 100th year, Hinsdale Hospital leaders endorsed the writing of a hard-bound, comprehensive history book. GR-PR was engaged (and privileged) to be the sole writer, and a year later – “Century.”

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(HINSDALE, IL) – Free Speech Speakers Bureau, a pro bono speaker’s bureau, celebrates ten years of service to the community including groups, libraries, business clubs and organizations from the city of Chicago and nearly every suburb. Thousands of groups have utilized the well-established speaker’s bureau which provides a roster of 170 outstanding speakers, all of whom speak for free.

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(HINSDALE, IL) – Ginny Richardson Public Relations (GR-PR) won three top awards at the 2006 Publicity Club of Chicago’s Golden Trumpet Awards luncheon, held Friday, May 5, 2006, at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago. In attendance were more than 500 public relations executives from Chicago and suburbs. Awards were presented by Janet Davies, host of 190 North on ABC-Channel 7, and Bill Zwecker, entertainment reporter, on WGN-TV – Channel 9.

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