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It’s difficult to use a scientific approach to measure something that is not a science. That debate is especially relevant for PR pros. Is public relations an art or a science? And how do we measure the impact of a public relations program? If you believe that PR is a science, then quantitative metrics are the answer. That means diving into data such as click-through and conversion rates, social media engagement stats and website analytics. If you believe that PR is an art, then qualitative metrics are the key. That means measuring outcomes, not just outputs. Look at the quality—not just quantity—of the media placements. For example, what was the sentiment of those media placements? Did they include your key messages?  On social media, it’s... read more

Like much of digital marketing, search engine optimization is constantly evolving. Valuable content and quality links are still the two most important ranking factors, but here are three other things to consider as you create your content strategy for 2018. RankBrain

What is it? RankBrain is Google’s machine-learning artificial intelligence system that helps process its search results in an entirely new way, according to Greg Corrado, a senior research scientist at Google. Now the third most important factor in their overall algorithm for ranking webpages (right behind links and content), RankBrain analyzes a query and returns the most relevant content even when a page doesn’t contain the exact keyword phrases used in the search. What does it mean for you? Quit trying to force a... read more

How can you help consumers discover your organization? Everyone has questions about products and services before they make purchase decisions. Content is an excellent way to highlight your industry knowledge and expertise and get in front of people searching the internet for information. However, if you have ever searched for information online, you know all content is not created equal. So how do you develop content that sets your organization apart? Lead With Credibility

Showcase organizational know-how by providing relevant answers to your audience’s questions and concerns. This gives them the answers they are seeking and a view into your key employees' knowledge and levels of expertise. For example, a local yoga studio might have instructors create weekly blog posts answering their students’ questions,... read more

This year Pushkin PR celebrates 20 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 20 lessons in that time. But for the purpose of this blog, here are 20 lessons that really stand out. Collaboration is cool. A US Census Bureau survey recently confirmed that Colorado leads the nation in working from home. Like a lot of independent practitioners, I started in a home office. Flying solo is nice but I enjoy working in teams. I found... read more

Musicians, especially solo acts and “front men” who need to keep the audience amused while they change a broken string or the band argues about what song to play next, can become quite adept at distracting the audience from noticing that the train is running off the tracks.  As a notoriously disorganized folksinger friend used to say when things looked particularly unrehearsed, “Life is a series of humorous pitfalls designed to keep us alert and dancing.” Unfortunately for the corporations they run, a recent series of self-inflicted wounds left CEOs anything but amused, and the only ones who were kept alert and dancing were the crisis communication firms trying to put out the fires. United Airlines drags a ticketed, seated passenger off a plane against his will,... read more

Those working in Public Relations know how important it is to be versatile and ready for anything. From creative social media strategy to finding the perfect person to pitch a story to, we have to know how to do it, and fast. So we’ve come up with the five best tools PR experts should always have up their sleeve and ready to use at a moment’s notice.

Thunderclap It! We all know coming up with the perfect campaign for your client is hard work, but the real work begins when it’s time to implement it. That’s where Thunderclap can help. It’s a platform to get your campaign message mass shared by your followers, which will then be seen by their followers. Sounds easy right?... read more

At 75.4 million strong, Millennials—18-34 years old in 2015— now outnumber Baby Boomers, according to The Pew Research Center. This group continues to grow as young people immigrate to the US. The Millennial population is projected to peak in 2036 at 81.1 million. As PR professionals, we think a lot  about how Millennial consumers are unique from their older counterparts. This is especially true when it comes to healthcare. So how is the Millennial patient different, and what does it mean for hospitals and healthcare providers?

They take a holistic view of health. Many Millennials are health conscious. They exercise regularly; eat a healthy diet; and try to get enough sleep, believing a healthy lifestyle will prevent some of the ailments that afflict their... read more

Snapchat is one of social media’s newest networking sites and is fast becoming one of the most used apps out there. With over 150 million users daily (and growing), Snapchat reaches roughly 41 percent of 18-34 year olds in the United States alone. This means that a single National Sponsored Geofilter typically reaches 40- 60 percent of those daily users.

Understand your audience. Snapchat offers a different type of environment where marketers can reach their audiences. Think of it as casual Friday rather than a Monday morning meeting with your boss. Grubhub ingeniously engaged with almost every single message it received garnering the highest Snapchat score of any brand (53,668 at that time) and giving it great insight into what type of content its... read more

Spring Training began last week as pitchers and catchers reported to Major League Baseball camps in Florida and Arizona. For baseball fans, there is nothing like Spring Training. It is a time to forget about last year and look forward to a fresh start. It is a chance to shake off your blues and have a little fun in the sun. It’s like a break but not a vacation. Teams establish their goals for the coming season, and every player works hard, or they don’t make the team. Hope springs in Spring Training. Whether they are rookies or veterans; All Stars or Minor Leaguers; Hall of Famers or guys who only had a cup of coffee in the show, everyone has a positive outlook. There... read more

Whether or not you believe in making resolutions, the beginning of the year is a good time to take stock of where you are professionally, set some goals, and do some housekeeping. Get electronically organized Set aside an hour early one morning to get your computer organized. Create folders and subfolders for important projects. Find a home for your photos and gather them all in one place. Likewise, make sure all music and video files are stored in their proper folders. Clear your cache, delete unnecessary downloads, and remove unused applications from your phone and computer. Take a moment to run a scan of your system with an anti-malware program, like Avast Free (PC) or Sophos Home (Mac). Now, back everything up and take the time... read more