Archive for the ‘Public Relations Tips’ Category

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ginny Richardson Public Relations is a PR firm specializing in social media and media relations for business, healthcare, not-for-profit, arts and entertainment. Located in Hinsdale, IL, a suburb of Chicago.
Connect with GR-PR
Click here to subscribe to the GR-PR blog RSS Feed about public relations and social media GR-PR's public relations blog on Wordpress. Click here to follow Ginny Richardson Public Relations on Twitter. Recieve tweets from GR-PR about public relations, media relataions and social media in Chicago Click here to see the Ginny Richardson Public Relations page on Facebook, a global social networking website. Click here to view the Ginny Richardson Public Relations page on LinkedIn, a social networking site for business.
Can I Quote You?
“Working with Ginny is one of the best parts of my job. Besides the outstanding PR packages for which she is so well-known, Ginny can advise those of us on limited budgets about priority items, and how to avoid wasting resources on “low-return” efforts. The broad spectrum of her knowledge also makes her a trusted advisor in related areas such as corporate sponsorships and guest information materials. When it comes to events, Ginny is an invaluable resource to me and others in our organization.”
by Julianna Patterson Greer, Director of Special Events
 IL St. Andrew Society