While many of us bemoan the shrinking print media, while our newspapers and magazines become thinner, while publishing schedules are being slashed, and while digital media seems to be replacing mainstream, for those of us in public relations, this may actually present some benefits. At least that’s the opinion presented in a recent blog post by Michael Smart, a media relations expert who writes, coaches, and speaks in an effort to help PR folks improve their pitching skills.
While I’ve been a bit absent from the PR scene in recent years—hands full with event management, website development, and other marketing communications tasks—I’ve continued to faithfully follow several leaders in the PR space. Michael Smart is one of them. I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop he presented for PRSA’s San Francisco chapter several years ago. Not only was the workshop informative and enlightening, Smart’s presentation and manner made the entire experience engaging and just a lot of fun! Not something I can often say about the practice of media relations.
Smart brings us into the journalist’s world and provides relevant examples and actionable tips on how we can help make their jobs easier, thereby getting more attention for our clients and causes. In this post How the Digital Revolution is Making Pitching Easier–Sometimes from the PRSA PRsay blog, he highlights the opportunities we now have to contribute to articles that are published digitally. I believe his tips in this post are right on target. If media relations is any part of your job, or if you’re a small business owner or non-profit trying to get your story out there, I highly recommend following Michael Smart and social media and subscribing to his email list. I always learn something from his newsletters and webinars. Enjoy the article, and let me know what you think.