Articles Written By:

Stacey Brucia

Lessons learned from #PRfails in pitching

Ten percent of social media users complain daily via a status update, tweet or other public communication, according to a study from VentureBeat.com. My guess is that number would be a lot higher if we posted a status update every time we considered complaining; sometimes discretion wins, and mumbling to ourselves must suffice. As media relations professionals, we can learn a lot about better ways to pitch our targets if we take note of journalists’ gripes that do make it to public status. I’ve been…

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Cracking the Morning Show Nut: Tips from TODAY, Good Morning America and More

Recently I was inspired by the chance to hear directly from producers at TODAY, Good Morning America, Morning Joe, The Meredith Vieira Show and more at a PR luncheon in New York City. The session was a great confirmation that there really are people on the other side of our pitch emails, and even national morning shows do want our pitches. (Trust me: This second part was said aloud—to a room full of PR people.) Whether you’re in media relations yourself or a business with a…

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What is daytime TV looking for? Tips to pitch Meredith Vieira and Rachael Ray

When I first started in PR, no matter who the client, they wanted to be on Oprah. And many wished for the most-anticipated show of the year, the reveal of Oprah’s favorite things.  Frankly, it’s a bit easier for us PR folks that there no longer is the “holy grail” that was Oprah. (By the way, until I googled a moment ago, I had no idea that there was still a “favorite things” list. Credit to you if you have the patience to click through…

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4 tips to engage journalists on social media

I admit it: I recently listened to a Bulldog Reporter webinar on engaging journalists on social media hoping that I’d find that one secret to unlock all doors: “If you do X on social media, 25 percent more journalists will say ‘yes’ to your story pitches.” Sigh. That didn’t turn out to be one of the slides. In dieting and in media pitching, there’s no magic pill. However, the webinar did confirm a lot of our own practices at THP as far as dos and…

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FORBES on Follow up: Don’t do it

“Incessant follow up is annoying.” Or, even harsher: “Following up is not a good idea. All of the time, a follow up is not necessary.” Those points were made repeatedly by several journalists at a FORBES “Inside the Media” event I attended in NYC this month. And even a few weeks later, I’m still having trouble accepting the fact that even one follow-up is a mark against myself and my fellow PR professionals. Not to say I don’t understand the journalist side of things: Online…

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Standing out from the Spam: Crafting pitch subject lines

For good or for bad, lots of media relations is done by email. We need journalists and producers to open and respond to our email out of the hundreds that they receive each day – and beyond straight pitches, we’re competing against real life – stories they’re actively working on, demands from the boss, even emails from the spouse about home stuff. It’s tough to be seen among such volume, and so we media relations folks examine (read: obsess about) everything: What’s the best time…

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Working with chronic illness

This morning I took some drugs. And I’m thrilled to be working. Not really two thoughts that should be paired together, right? But, if you have a chronic illness, it’s a victory when the meds do their job and you can continue on with a normal day. Without apologizing or explaining yourself. Lately, it hasn’t been that way. Some background: I suffered from my first migraine when I was 11 or 12. If you have migraines yourself, you know what I’m talking about – crippling…

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Paula Deen’s diabetes PR disaster, ya’ll

Editor's note:  This post is a guest post from THP's "Employee Number One" Stacey Brucia, who mans New York PR and social media outpost. I’ve been watching CNN today and now have NY local news on in the background. And a top story of the day is Anthony Bourdain’s tweet that’s a hit against Paula Deen. It’s follow-up story to Deen’s announcement yesterday that she is a spokesperson for a diabetes drug company. I’d name then, but then I’m giving them more PR. And that’s…

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