On the Matter of AI in PR

I recently penned a piece on NotebookLM, an AI platform now in beta at Google Labs. Toward the end, I wrote, “I’m pretty sure I’m just scratching the surface of what this cool new AI tool is capable of doing.” The PR world is ablaze with those claiming to use AI and machine learning technology in their daily…… Continue reading On the Matter of AI in PR

Where Founders, VCs, Creators, and Journalists Collide

In Toronto’s Distillery District In my last post, I offered some personal observations and select conversations from several media panels at the 2022 Collision Conference, which just concluded in Toronto. Here I’d like to share some memorable moments, which included taking the ContentMakers Stage alongside three path-breaking entrepreneurs who built their companies by helping gamers…… Continue reading Where Founders, VCs, Creators, and Journalists Collide

Collision’s Audacious Return to Toronto

It’s been three years since Web Summit’s sister tech conference, Collision was physically held at Toronto’s Enercare Centre. This year the tech confab returned big time, with a sold-out audience of 35,000+ and more than a fair share of forward-thinking founders, entrepreneurs, VCs, and established tech giants and luminaries to fill the nearly four days of programming…… Continue reading Collision’s Audacious Return to Toronto

Embargoes and Exclusives

Media Manipulation or Good PR Strategy? Journalists bristle at the notion of being manipulated by PR people as if they’re some cog in a company’s marketing communications program. Some of their biggest gripes include the PR person’s request to see a reporter’s questions in advance or review his/her story copy prior to publication. More often…… Continue reading Embargoes and Exclusives

The 2019 PR/Media Quiz

Some years ago, frustrated by the lack of a mechanism to assess prospective PR agency candidates, I developed a questionnaire on media and PR trends that served as a non-scientific barometer for hiring. It was not intended as a measure of whether a candidate will ultimately succeed in the job, but rather one that speaks…… Continue reading The 2019 PR/Media Quiz

Rachel Maddow, Journalist First

A common refrain from the media cognoscenti goes something like this: Try listening, reading or watching those whose views run counter to your own. It may open your eyes to how others see the world. I hear this constantly from friends, family, and way too many social science pundits.  To them I say: bullshit. I will…… Continue reading Rachel Maddow, Journalist First

Pitch Imperfect: PR’s Lost Art

In previous end-of-the-year assessments of the public relations biz, I’ve tackled the following trends and developments: 2015: The need for PR pros to consider paid digital marketing schemes to advance their client’s communications objectives, i.e., “we no longer can rely solely on the benevolence of journalists to tell their stories (“New Media & The PR…… Continue reading Pitch Imperfect: PR’s Lost Art

Podcasts for PR Peeps

It’s no secret that podcasting, once left for dead, has a new lease on life now that our mobile devices serve as the primary vehicles through which we acquire news and information. One NYU student writer recently extolled the podcast as “the future of journalism.” The buzzworthy “Missing Richard Simmons,” Buzzfeed’s “Another Round,” and the #1-rated “S-Town”…… Continue reading Podcasts for PR Peeps