Basics of Public Relations

PR Business is Booming
The worldwide revenues of the top 50 PR firms have more than doubled over the last three years. These firms serve many of the world's largest clients. They have state-of-the art resources. They have the jobs. Look here.

PR Coups and Capers
Public relations is an inexact science. Sometimes it sizzles, other times it fizzles. Some strategies are immortal, others are fatal. Take a look at these PR wonders and blunders.

Very Best PR Connections
Your one-stop connection to the Best-of-the-Net PR links. Lots of the Net's best resources for jobs, references, associations, fresh & regularly updated.

Your Future in Public Relations
Who has a future in PR, what gets you started, where to find career support when the going gets rough, and why you should even bother. Lots of details and links in this four-part article.

Storytelling and PR
Once upon a time, a CBS newsman had a clever idea. The best way to get a company's story out, is to tell it like a story. Everybody comfy? Well, listen to how Robbie Vorhaus does it.

Making the Most of Media Interviews
Media interviews can be a PR boost or bust. A few moments of preparation can help avoid months of fallout and clean-up. Media training expert Jim Cameron gives a straight take.

Public Relations and/or Advertising
Your message is urgent. Your target is set. Your method is debatable: Should you use public relations or use paid advertising? The answer, says Michael Driscoll, is it depends.

Create a Killer Online Newsroom
Studies show most online newsrooms fail to meet journalists' needs. Kay Bransford shares the top three ways to be among the best online resources when reporters come to call.

Fast PR Moves on Slow News Days
Sitting in the doldrums with nothing new to promote? Take a fresh look at your old tactics with a wealth of suggestions from Roni Singleton.

Public Relations for the New Entrepreneur
In this fundamental primer for enterpreneurs just finding their feet with public relations, author Jill Lublin prescribes seven basic steps for becoming known.

Objectives: The 'Weakest Link' in PR
Fuzzy objectives can be the weakest link in a public relations campaign. Mitchell Friedman says g'bye to shoddy goals and welcome to sharper strategies through a bullet list of definitive planning tools.

Successful Company Communications
Forget all the airy definitions and rationales. The bottom-line for effective public relations is advancing the company bottom-line. Andy Marken says it's all about delivering value.

How to Stage Great Media Events
From concept to finish, successful media events require careful planning and caring execution. PR event specialist Andrew Garlikov says make it easy for the media, and they're more likely to come.

Squeezing Fresh Tech Media Plans
Marketing and media relations for high-tech companies require some specialized tools. Mark Coker provides a comprehensive checklist for tech PR pros, with some useful tips for the rest of us too.

Ten Steps to Better Media Relations
Connecting with the media may always be a challenge, but it doesn't have to be complicated. Kyle Potvin offers a simple plan for better media placement results.

Media Directories
Media directories for print and broadcast outlets. Search for local, national, and international media markets.

Media Relations
Find more ways to maximize your media placements with insider tips and resources.

How to Write a Public Relations Plan
Craig Myamoto, APR and Fellow PRSA, says "the public relations plan is one of the most important documents you will produce in your career." He gives some handy guidelines on how to make your PR plan shine.

Business Wire
The first newswire to establish an Internet Web site in 1995, BW delivers company-generated news and multimedia content to traditional and online newsrooms, targeted journalists, and other wired news consumers. Provides free access to member company news archives, including profiles and electronic media kits.

Campaigns and Elections
A collection of articles, references and links for political campaign communicators.

Institute for Public Relations
Established in 1956, IPR carries out valuable PR research, education programs, and makes data widely available to improve the profession. The IPR has supported more than 200 separate research projects covering everything from what PR students should study to an analysis of how new technologies are affecting the profession.

International Association of Business Communicators
A 13,700 membership with access to industry information sources including Communications World Online for searching business communication topics. Plus a current and free PR job board provided to members and non-members lets you interact directly with the employer or agency posting the notice.

Market Wire
Market Wire provides press release distribution of corporate news and media advisories directly to leading newspapers, broadcast outlets, newswires, consumer and trade publications, analyst terminal systems, Web sites and online databases around the globe.

Investor Relations Information Network
The Investor Relations Information Network provides investors, shareholders, and money managers instant access to companies' annual reports, quarterlies, fact books and press releases in their original format.

Media Insider
A free service for the PR community, Media Insider is hosted by PR Newswire and ProfNet, its expert directory linking reporters to 11,000 media relations professionals. Among the departments for registered users (it's free): media placement intelligence, reflections on the practice of PR, and a bulletin board for jobs in PR.

O'Dwyer's PR Market Place
Online access to the inside news of public relations, including firms, insider analyses, jobs, publications, and more.

Occupational Outlook for PR
A comprehensive overview of the how's, where's, why's, and why not's of a career in public relations. Courtesy of the Bureua of Labor Statistics within the Department of Labor.

PR Canada
An online newsletter about the Canadian PR scene. Available free by subscription, it covers Canadian industry news, career opportunities, media, and more, including an archive of hands-on how-to articles written by experienced practitioners.

PR NewsWire
Provides comprehensive communications services for public relations and investor relations professionals ranging from information distribution and market intelligence to the creation of online multimedia content and investor relations web sites. PRN's 33,000 members consist of communications firms, government agencies, and companies including 70 percent of the Fortune 500.

PR Watch
PR Watch is published by the Center for Media & Democracy, a nonprofit, public interest organization dedicated to investigative reporting on the public relations industry, combating manipulative and misleading PR practices.

PRPlace
PR Place includes addresses and hot links to PR organizations and publications, on-line news services and databases, journalism interest groups, and more.

Public Affairs Council
The PAC provides products and services that help member organizations become more effective in their public affairs activities through our conferences, workshops, publications, information clearinghouse, surveys, e-mail discussion groups, and external outreach programs.

Public Relations Society of America
PRSA is the industry's largest professional group. In depth PR resources, member and agency lists, links and several superb publications - Strategist and Tactics. PRSA has 114 chapters throughout the United States, with about 20,000 members.

Publicity Insider
Bill Stoller offers several useful (and free) articles on public relations fundamentals such as "ultimate PR and publicity secrets," and publishes a "Free Publicity" newsletter for PR-hungry businesses.

Strategic Communications
A useful by-the-number outline of effective strategic communications planning, by Peter O'Malley.

The Gallup Organization
Gallup's core expertise is in measuring and understanding human attitudes and behavior. Gallup also conducts The Gallup Poll, a leading source of public opinion since 1935.

Young PRPros
A not-for-profit online communications forum focused on communications professionals in the first 10 years of their careers.

More Basics of PR
Even more feature articles on the fundamentals of public relations.