There is a lesson for business from last week’s General Election: focus on substance and engagement. It’s been nearly a decade since I wrote a post for PR Week when I advocated that companies ditch corporate speak and started talking plain English like their audience. It’s basic communication. The same relates to politics. Take the
The frequent misuse of the terms “strategy” and “tactics” in public relations annoys me. If you’re a student of PR or even just unsure of the difference between strategy and tactics, this post will answer your questions. A few years ago I charged a young account manager with developing a strategy for a client as
Disclosure is a big deal in an era of mistrust. PRs should lead by example and disclose client interest in their social media activity. [Disclaimer: The following does not constitute legal advice] I’m sure we’ve all seen it: someone we follow in the PR industry sharing a brand campaign without any indication as to whether
When I looked online into the subject of PR degrees I found more than 30 institutions offering such courses. It’s a hot topic and university courses must keep pace with rapid change in the comms sector to remain relevant. So I’ve invited a student onto the podcast to discuss it further. I’ve worked with academia
I’ve been reading how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to replace PR jobs. I believe quite the reverse is true. Automating low-skilled, repetitive tasks will free many to do more meaningful, thoughtful PR. You can never replace human authenticity with robots in a people industry. I read this thoughtful piece on the PRCA blog around
As a freelance copywriter I have to make sure my copy serves two audiences well. It must engage, entertain, educate and often persuade human readers, and please search engines. I use a range of free copywriting tools help me remain disciplined in the copy I write. Not only for my tech sector clients, this
There are few positives from Edelman’s new Trust Barometer, but our belief in what we find in Search is on the rise. Couple this with other recent data on the trustworthiness of influencers and ethical brands you can see the emerging trust challenges for PR. Trust is the currency of the Internet. That’s how I
Influencer marketing is high on the agenda of PR agencies and the brands they represent. But how many understand how to find influencers, how they work, when and whether to pay them, or the role of microinfluencers, for example? I’ve been on both sides having run influencer relations for B2B and B2C brands, and on
My guest in this podcast is Rich Leigh who runs his own consumer PR agency in Gloucester, England. We talk: Measurement: How SEO and PR are married with social and content, therefore metrics should reflect true business objectives, not vanity metrics or (the amazingly still-used) advertising value equivalent The London Bubble: Prompted by Marshall Manson
How can brands best prepare and distinguish between genuine customer complaints and Internet trolls? Here are our six steps for managing online customer service. The Internet has always been toxic long before 2016, this most polarising of years. In 2015, a quarter of UK teens reported being trolled online. For brands keen – rightly
