Today’s guest post is written by Lindsay Bell.

“We want a story that starts out with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax.”  - Samuel Goldwyn

Today’s guest post is written by David Meerman Scott.

I’ve been in and around the real-time news business my entire career, both on the news creation side (working for Knight-Ridder and other publishers) and the PR side of the house.

The transformation I see in the news business right now opens the best opportunity ever for smart marketers to bypass all the spin B.S. and reach journalists when they are looking for what you have to offer.

Speaking of spin, because I write for a bunch of publications I get several hundred pitches a week.

Most suck.

Why?

Because people want to tell me about their stuff when it is convenient for them. The fact that so few people understand how to reach reporters when they need the information is why I love Newsjacking. Continue Reading »

Have you heard about Lowe’s pulling their advertising from the TLC program, “All-American Muslim?”

The story goes like this: Lowe’s was advertising on The Learning Channel. As part of their media buy, their ads aired during the new reality show.

A conservative group, The Florida Family Association, complained.

According to the Associated Press, the group called the show:

Propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.

Riiiiight.  Continue Reading »

If you missed it a few weeks ago, the New York Times wrote a piece about redefining public relations.

You see, the last time PR was defined was in 1982. Yes, 30 years ago.

And, in the last five years, our industry has completely been turned on its head.

All of the journalists we spent our entire careers building relationships with were suddenly unemployed.

Companies began to rush to figure out how to make money with the newest and shiniest penny. Continue Reading »

There are some of us who wait until Christmas Eve to shop (cough, Martin Waxman, cough).

Of course, I have no room to talk this year. I’ve been traveling and speaking so much that I still have most of my side of the family to get. Hope my mom doesn’t mind taking me shopping later this week!

For people like Martin and myself, I asked my team for their thoughts on holiday gifts.

What came back was a hodge podge of some inexpensive (and some expensive) and fun gift ideas. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Molli Megasko. 

Did you know 9.2 percent of 25- to 34 year-olds are unemployed in America?

I’m not an expert at being out of a job. In fact, I don’t know what it’s like, and I’m definitely not sitting here saying it’s easy by any means.

What I do know is how to look attractive while being unemployed.

Besides the job of looking for a job, following are five ways to busy yourself while unemployed. Continue Reading »

I love The New Yorker. It’s one of maybe five magazines I still subscribe to the print edition.

I love when it arrives because it means a good two hours of solitude while I absorb every article in the month’s edition.

But I’m mad at them right now.

They ran a movie review of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” a week before the embargo date.

First of all, if you haven’t read the Millenium series (Dragon Tattoo is the first), please go do that now. In fact, don’t come back to Spin Sucks until you’ve read them all.

It’s OK. We’ll wait. You won’t be able to put them down and you’ll be back here before Christmas.

Back to The New Yorker. Continue Reading »

I’m thinking Spin Sucks should do a moron award…with a badge and everything (maybe Erin Feldman will create one??).

Last week we had Coghlan Consulting Group. This week we had Governor Brownback and Mayor Winder.

I learned about a PR guy in Arizona who tweeted about “midgets” and “special ed” persons…all while working with the Special Olympics.

Then I received an email last night of, what looks to be, another moronic move.

It seems almost too easy. But what do you think? A Spin Sucks Moron Award?

While we think about this, I thought enough time has passed that we can talk about the crisis that is Penn State. Continue Reading »

Today’s guest post is written by Tim Otis.

It’s no secret we’re overwhelmed with content.

But where is all the good content? How do you define it? And most importantly, how do you ensure you’re not consuming content that turns out to be a total waste of your time?

Stories come and go. And they become the inspiration for other stories strewn about people’s social feeds and channels.

What separates you from the last guy who just shared a link is you’re not buying into it right away because you understand your other role aside from “content strategist” – the role of an analyst. Continue Reading »

Let’s talk politics today, shall we?

OK, not really politics, but the politicians who don’t know how to use the web appropriately.

In one corner we have Mike Winder, West Valley City (Utah) Mayor, who was using a false identity to write news stories that were published in at least three different publications.

In the other corner we have Sam Brownback, the Kansas governor, who demanded an apology from a high school student because of a disparaging tweet she sent about him.

Let’s see who will win the biggest moron award.  Continue Reading »