By Kate Finley I have a confession to make. It’s hard to say this in front of everyone and I’m hoping you won’t judge me harshly but it has to be said: I don’t use newswire distribution services. I also don’t think “putting a news release on the wire” is earned media (aka organic PR.) Instead, I think it’s advertising (aka paid media). Yikes. There. I said [&hellip... Read More

By Kate Finley Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend Content Jam with the rest of the Arment Dietrich team in Chicago. The conference did not disappoint. Of course, neither did the company. I got to meet several Spin Sucks crazies (including Word Ninja, Chuck Kent, and Joe Cardillo to name a few), chill with the rest of the AD team, and add to [&hellip... Read More

By Kate Finley Making major decisions within your organization such as brand direction, where and when to expand your territory, a new product launch, or choosing a PR agency to work with can easily become taxing. Decisions like these can be especially challenging because they tie directly into the success of your organization, but you have to give up control to experts who are not always [&hellip... Read More

By Kate Finley If you’re a PR professional and an idealist, please stand up. You’re not alone. Most of us are, and that’s part of why we are so good at what we do. We see the bright side in order to add sunshine and joy to our clients lives through reputation building, increased awareness, tangible results, and bright, shiny, media coverage. Unfortunately, when it comes [&hellip... Read More

By Kate Finley With great power, comes great responsibility. – Stan Lee Sometimes I want to apologize on behalf of my profession. The public relations field is having a few PR problems of its own these days. This is very unfortunate, because so many people rely on us – even to the point of their livelihood. Sadly, the benchmark of public relations excellence is not always upheld [&hellip... Read More

By Kate Finley If I could pick a theme song for Google this year, it would be: The Times They are a changin.’ Dylan reference aside, we’ve seen some major changes at Google during the past few months. From the demise of Google Reader and restrictive access in the Keyword Tool to the lackluster remains of Google Alerts and the sunset of Feedburner, it’s clear the [&hellip... Read More

Today I am here to argue the case for media relations. Amid the ever-present search for better measurement tools, and recent emphasis on the importance of content marketing in PR, I feel this old friend has started to get a bum rap. While it’s true traditional media can be an excellent tool for increasing awareness, my stance is it can also be a valuable, measurable way [&hellip... Read More

Interns and internships. Despite high hopes and the best laid plans, chances are those are two words that induce stomach knots and noticeable cringes for the majority of us. It’s not that your first PR internship was intended to blow up in your face, and it’s not that we don’t want our interns to succeed. It’s just that somehow… there seemed to be a disconnect, leaving all [&hellip... Read More