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Learning to listen can get you some great feedback Musicians know how to listen. They understand that the music within and around them provides the inspiration they need to express themselves. They also understand the value of feedback. Why listening is critical to public relations success Any rock n’ roll guitar player can tell you how to get good feedback. Just turn up the volume, point the guitar at your amp, and let it wail.  It’s not always pleasant to hear, especially when it happens by accident. But in the hands of a master like Jimi Hendrix,  feedback can unlock a whole new world of music. Feedback is also an important key to public relations.  Too often, PR campaigns focus on “communicating to” someone. We... read more

This year Pushkin PR celebrates 25 years in business. It seems like yesterday that my wife led me by the hand into the deep end of the pool and gave me the encouragement I needed to leave the world of steady paychecks. I’m proud of how much I’ve accomplished and how much Pushkin PR has grown.  I’ve learned a lot more than 25 lessons in that time. But for the purpose of this blog, here are 25 that really stand out.    1. Collaboration is cool.  Like a lot of independent practitioners, I started as a one-man shop in a home office. Flying solo is nice but I enjoy working in teams. I found that collaborating with creative people to deliver quality work is extremely rewarding.... read more

For 25 years, Pushkin PR has been fortunate to work with exceptional clients who do incredible work. Today we take a look at Strive Health, the national leader in value-based kidney care. Strive aims to fix a broken kidney care delivery system by identifying patients earlier, prioritizing the right care at the right time, and driving better outcomes – all while lowering cost. In short, Strive’s goal is to rock the boat.  We asked our friends at Strive how the company managed to balance its rapid growth without losing the core values that resonate so strongly with its employees. How has Strive managed to maintain that balance in the midst of a global pandemic? Here’s what they told us.   How has your corporate culture changed after... read more

Whether you work for a healthcare company, a nonprofit or professional services firm, the importance of online reviews cannot be understated. While word of mouth can be a powerful lead generation tool, today’s consumers are increasingly heading online to research businesses and products before pulling the trigger on both small and large purchases. 84 percent of adults read reviews when they research products and services, making it crucial for businesses to build up a strong listing of positive reviews. Getting more online reviews for your business While many marketers are aware of the important role reviews play in attracting new customers, figuring out how to get your current client base to leave reviews can feel daunting. Consider these three tactics to generate more reviews for your... read more

Identifying a Public Relations Crisis Every brand is at risk of facing a public relations crisis. In the age of cancel culture and the 24/7 news cycle, we’d even go as far as to say that for today’s brands facing a PR crisis isn’t a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of when.  Many organizations find themselves in emergency situations as a result of internal problems or corruption. However, even when organizations are fortunate to have visionary leaders, a solid communications team and a great product or service, external factors can quickly create a crisis situation.  Whether a problem originates internally or externally, there is one commonality: you must quickly determine if you need to respond and if so, what the appropriate response is. When... read more

Independence Day is a great time to remember the values on which America was founded, as evidenced by the eloquent opening to the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That’s a powerful statement, and one that we often take for granted. The Fourth of July is also a time for us to think about how lucky we are to have the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Freedom of speech. Freedom of the press. Freedom of religion. Those are the inalienable rights that the Founders fought a revolution over. Not to trivialize the... read more

What’s the difference between Crisis Communications and Reputation Management? Crisis communications professionals are used to getting panicked calls from current or potential clients. Sometimes these calls come from organizations that are expecting bad press and want to get ahead. Sometimes the bad press just happened and needs to be addressed before the story becomes even bigger. And sometimes organizations call because they are concerned because the bad press just keeps following them around. A crisis is immediate. It’s a fire that you need to put out, but the damage from that fire can have a long-term impact on your reputation. As Warren Buffet famously said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll... read more

Preparing a Public Relations Strategy for 2021 Our jobs, our lives, and everything we thought we knew changed dramatically in 2020. As we look back on a year filled with challenges, we also look ahead to what we can expect in 2021, including the trends that will impact the public relations profession. As the vaccine rollout begins, even if a bit slowly, and COVID-19 cases here in Colorado seem to be on the decline (for now), things may finally be looking up a bit for 2021. However, there is no question that COVID-19 will continue to have an impact on all industries, including public relations. Besides the global pandemic, the other big story in 2020 was the push for social justice with the Black Lives... read more

On November 18, PRSA Colorado presented Pushkin PR founder and president Jon Pushkin with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the chapter’s virtual 2020 Gold Pick Awards celebration.  The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a PRSA Colorado Chapter member for distinguished service to the profession of public relations, the community, and to PRSA. This award may be based on volunteer work for non-profit causes, leadership on a significant public relations issue affecting the community, and/or outstanding educational achievement in public relations. The recipient must have been a member of PRSA for at least twenty-five years at the time of nomination. Here are Jon’s remarks as he accepted the award and took the opportunity to look back on his career in public relations. I want to thank the... read more

When I was a working musician, I always looked for opportunities to soak up a lesson or some words of wisdom from musicians whose talent just blew me away. It did not take me long to figure out that the one thing that separates the good musicians from the great ones is that great musicians never stop practicing. They know that they can always get better and that there is always something they can learn. They know that the day they stop being creative is the day some young hotshot passes them by.  Public Relations is No Different Now that I run a Denver public relations firm, I know that the same rule applies for PR pros. If you ever get to that point where... read more