Agency blogs are like sewers—what you get out of them depends on what you put into them

(Apologies to Tom Lehrer for that headline.)

I follow so many blogs from PR, marketing and advertising agencies that I was taken aback when the headline Agencies Ditch Blogs cross my feeds. The Digiday post by staff writer Jack Marshall suggests that agencies “are increasingly turning their backs on blogs in favor of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and newer kids on the block like Instagram and Facebook.”

A lot of agencies do maintain blogs, Marshall observes, but largely so they can shine a spotlight on themselves when they win awards, make a noteworthy hire or issue a press release. But because blogs don’t contribute to… Read More »

FIR Interview: PRSA Chairman and CEO Gerard Corbett on the Senate inquiry into PR spending

FIR co-host Shel Holtz interviews Gerard Corbett, Chairman and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) about the association’s advocacy effort that was launched after the announcement that a U.S. Senate committee would investigate government spending on public relations.

Additional resources:

• Roll Call article about the investigation: “Senators Will Investigate How Tax Money Is Used for Administration Spin”
• Gerry Corbett’s opinion piece published in Roll Call
• PRSA President William Murray’s opinion piece published on the blog of the Institute of Public Relations

Get this podcast:

• Download the MP3 file (9.31Mb,… Read More »

FIR Book Review: “For Immediate Release,” by Ronn Torossian

FIR Book Review Editor Bob LeDrew reviews the new book by 5WPR founder, president and CEO Ronn Torossian, “For Immediate Release” (no kidding). The book’s subtitle is “Shape Minds, Build Brands and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations.” From the book description:

“It is essential that businesses know how to communicate quickly, often preemptively, and effectively to survive—and at a cost that is far lower than comparable marketing and ad campaigns. The first book by the owner of a top 50 PR agency (5WPR), For Immediate Release, Ronn Torossian reveals how public relations can do just that—while also defining brands;… Read More »

PRSA’s advocacy in face of Senate investigation of PR is a good reason to pay association dues

Back in 2007, I wrote a post speculating about the future of professional associations. Digital and social media have made it easy for professionals to tap into an abundance of professional development and networking opportunities that don’t require annual dues. Facebook and LinkedIn groups provide a forum for in-depth discussion with professional peers, for example. Both of these channels, along with Twitter and Quora, make it easy to find subject matter experts. Countless agencies and individuals offer free webinars, white papers and ebooks. In-person gatherings like Podcamp, Third Thursday and the like provide opportunities for… Read More »

Who needs the press to make sure a press release gets the word out?

This morning I learned that Vocus, the public relations services company, has acquired email marketer iContact.

That Vocus would add email marketing to its portfolio is interesting enough, but for now, let’s focus on how I found out about the acquisition.

Not too long ago, I would have read about it in the business section of my daily newspaper, in my weekly edition of PRWeek or in my RSS feeds.

The business section of my daily newspaper has shrunk to the point that there’s no room for such reporting in the print edition. Increasingly, we’re seeing paywalls blocking online content from all but paying subscribers. As more and more… Read More »

Work in PR? In Europe? This is THE 2012 social media conference for you

European conferences that focus on the role of social media in public relations aren’t terribly common and those that are scheduled tend to be pricey. The Social Media World Forum is coming up next month in London, but its focus is broader than public relations and a ticket for the entire event will set you back US $920. There’s a marketing-focused conference, M2C, in Hamburg next month; admission is over US $2,500.

If you’re based in Europe and work in PR or organizational communications, your best bet is likely to be the 2012 International Social Media & PR Summit, scheduled for April 11-12 at ING House—a pretty amazing looking… Read More »

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