A PR person’s perspective of the Financial Follies

This past Friday marked my second Financial Follies. The black tie affair took place at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, hosted by the New York Financial Writers’ Association. According to financial media lore, the event has been described as a combination of one’s birthday party, Thanksgiving, and wedding day combined into one magnificent event. […]

PR and the business reporter: After the pitch

Way back in October 2013, I elaborated upon several of the dos and don’ts of PR and reporter relationships. This past week I solicited some new commentary, and one theme that emerged was that Public relations folks often nail the initial pitch, but then fumble the follow-up. The Too Friendly Offering to take a reporter […]

Covering business in Africa: A good or bad story?

Per Talking Biz News last week, the Wall Street Journal recently listed an opening for a business reporter in Africa, describing the position as “the most entrepreneurial of beats.”  The ad was intriguing for two salient reasons: The ad is for a business reporter in Africa, yet the description clarifies that the beat would be […]

The Financial Follies from a PR perspective

The 71st annual Financial Follies (“The Follies”) was held last Friday at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square and hosted by the New York Financial Writers’ Association. The Follies is an event where reporters and public relations professionals alike engage in respectable behavior and generally call it a night after their second drink. I’d been […]

PR and biz reporter relationships, part two

In my last post, I offered the following advice for public relations professionals; “Building strong relationships with reporters is the best way to collaborate on story ideas.” These relationships don’t come easily. They require insightful sources and creative story ideas, as well as in-person meetings and social media engagement. There are, of course, simple rules […]

I cover hedge funds, not skin cream

For public relations professionals, building strong relationships with reporters is the best way to collaborate on story ideas. However, PR pros are occasionally tasked with getting exposure in a completely new area, one in which they cannot rely on their current contact list. In these situations, it is best to do a thorough background check […]