Monthly Archives: April 2025

What to Expect from a PR Agency As the Pitching Pool Grows Shallower  

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Journalists are outnumbered. As the public relations industry has welcomed more communicators into the field, news outlets nationwide have faced massive layoffs that have vastly reduced the number of reporters and editors.  

Between 2023 and 2033, the public relations industry workforce is expected to grow by 6%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are now more than seven public relations professionals for every journalist and with some reporters receiving over 100 emails a day, finding a way to grab and keep their attention is critical for any pitching effort.  

It’s tough breaking through an already congested news cycle without the uneven personnel ratio making competition for attention even more difficult. This growing ratio should impact your vetting process when considering your next communications firm or in evaluating the effectiveness of your current agency.  

Consider the following questions when evaluating a PR partner or prospective partner:  

  • Do They Do their Homework? Relevance is the name of the game. Before any good media relations pro jumps into writing, they make sure the topic is relevant to the interests of an outlet’s readership and personalize the pitch to target the reporter’s specific beat. If a reporter sees a pattern of irrelevant pitches coming from your company, they will be quick to ignore outreach from your PR team, and potentially your company, in the future. 
  • Do They Know How to Tell a Story that Matters to Your Audience? Every pitch entering a journalist’s inbox needs to be concise, clear, compelling, nonpromotional and ideally speak to an industry trend or hot topic. Context is important, but the goal is to offer proof points about meeting the needs and interest of the audience not promoting the company or brand.  Working with an agency staffed with former journalists can help. 
  • Do They Work with Urgency? No one likes having their time wasted, especially a journalist on a deadline. You need a PR firm to position you as a ready resource for a reporter, not as unreliable or unprepared.  
  • Can They Build Relationships? If a pitch is compelling enough to break through the static and engage an editor or reporter, a good media relations pro should use it as an opportunity for relationship-building. If a journalist recognizes your company’s subject matter experts as reliable and relevant to their audience, it can open the door to future opportunities. After all, it’s about what you know in today’s media environment, not who you know. That said, rapport is still important. Your PR rep should be proactively identifying reporters relevant to your industry, talking to them with regularity to understand what they are working on, as well as offering introductory meetings to ensure your subject matter experts are on their radar for future stories.  

Public relations pros cannot change the media landscape, but the good ones are adapting by taking the time to understand the current state of journalism and recalibrating where needed. Business owners and leaders will want to make sure they are working with PR partners who get it. 

It’s called earned media for a reason, and while there is never a guarantee for coverage, these tips could help you find the agency that can make your company’s engagement with journalists stand out among a sea of mundane, irrelevant, promotional or just plain old uninteresting pitches.  

Houston, We Have a Problem: A Female First Campaign Lost in Space

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Pop star Katy Perry, news anchor Gayle King and four other high-profile women launched into space this week with high hopes of inspiring a swell of female empowerment. But, the Blue Origin 11-minute flight—carrying six glamorous women in full make up, donning matching blue, fitted spacesuits —did not resonate with the public as intended. Instead, it launched a chorus of criticism by celebrities and others who bashed the event as tone deaf and an empty show of feminism.

So, what went wrong? How did this “one giant stunt for womankind,” as a critic from The New York Times called it, go wrong and how might a different comms approach have produced a more positive outcome?

Exploring the Issue

The flight was part of the New Shepard program at Blue Origin, founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. In announcing the flight, the women described the trip as an endeavor to encourage STEM careers and female empowerment, according to interviews with Elle.

The rocket, which pilots itself, carried Perry and King, as well as aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, film producer Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sanchez, a journalist and Bezos’s fiancée. Even though the women were not space professionals, the Blue Origin team labeled the group as the rocket’s “astronaut crew.”  Blue Origin described them as storytellers who inspire others —as advocates for students in STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), civil rights, philanthropy, overcoming adversity and more.

While the trip may have been designed to encourage girls to consider STEM careers, the women aboard were seen as space tourists. They were not operating the rocket or fulfilling any astronaut responsibilities and left audiences reaching to connect them with STEM.

Upping Their Game

Could the right communications approach have changed the outcome here? Maybe. However, we do see a few areas where Blue Origin could have better executed this mission.

  • Authenticity in messaging: Blue Origin thought they were planning a mission to inspire young girls and women to explore new careers, but the wealthy, well-connected women selected to participate did not relate well to audiences. Brands need to ensure their messaging is authentic, compelling and connects to their audiences. The public watching and reading about the launch are not millionaires or billionaires who can afford the undisclosed ticket price. Audiences might have better received a passenger manifesto made up of successful women in STEM, rather than celebrities and journalists.
  • The brand’s reputation: Amazon, also founded by Bezos, has a reputation for disregarding the environment with its packaging and fleet of delivery vehicles in constant motion across the globe. While Blue Origin claims to be sustainably minded using reusable rockets and researching ways to encourage sustainability through space exploration, many viewed the rocket launch as damaging to the environment, as well as a waste of resources when many are experiencing financial hardship. Blue Origin may have been better served by hosting more female scientists like Bowe on the mission, conducting research to further sustainability, and creating messaging to show how those initiatives might connect to the brand.
  • Optics: Full-makeup, perfect blow-outs and designer matching spacesuits set a new tone for space exploration. Blue Origin’s comms team should have considered the optics of the women posing in slinky suits with professional makeup and hair. The comms team should have considered suggesting attire that looked less Hollywood and more professional rather than monied glamour.
  • Leveraging post-event energy: After the women returned to Earth and interviews were conducted, audiences were left feeling flat. Perhaps a post-event press conference with the women talking about the next steps for advancements in STEM for females, for which this mission has opened doors, would have conveyed a real commitment, garnered more attention and furthered a goal of female empowerment.

While the launch gained plenty of media attention, the resulting backlash has not benefited Blue Origin or the six women who chose to board the rocket. When considering a media stunt or event, be sure to think strategically. Not doing so could leave your brand identity lost in space.

Get to Know Senior Advisor John Forberger

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Public relations is all about relationships—the people behind the stories. That’s why we’re offering this blog series all about our team members. This isn’t about our professional accomplishments but who we are as people. We hope you have as much fun reading along as we do interviewing each other.

What got you interested in public relations?

    In the early 2000s, I led marketing teams for multiple Miami real estate developers. One role involved maintaining a steady media presence in targeted local and national outlets, highlighting our projects and CEO to attract buyers and landowners. I recognized that getting media attention on topics I was passionate about, for equally passionate people, never felt like work. Throughout my career, my favorite part of public relations has been identifying and shaping the messaging that brings companies, product lines or projects to life.

    Tell us about your favorite movie and what appeals most to you about it?

    During film school, in a galaxy far, far away, I saw Citizen Kane. Every frame and angle mesmerized me, maybe because they were still so atypical. It doesn’t look like anything else. I wonder if the care for filmmaking at that level of detail can still be possible? I like to think there is someone out there who can and is trying to do better right now. The determination to make a strong statement in cinematic history really moves me.

    Tell us about a meaningful hobby or “outside of work” commitment that is important to you?

    Maintaining the plants on the property my wife and I share is a healthy, busy hobby I look forward to. I see myself as being loyal to the plants and animals around us. In total silence, I learn something each time I go outside whether on my own or through Google Lens. The simple experience of watching pineapples change colors from green to blue to purple to gold to brown, for example, is incredible. Feeling useful to our mini ecosystem by doing things like removing invasive vines and plants is rewarding, and the bonus of all the positive health benefits that come with gardening is great!

    Share a fun fact about you.

    My wife and I have driven across nearly every Canadian province with our 17.5-year-old “super senior” beagle mix Abby. She even joined us on the ferry to Vancouver Island when we lived in downtown Victoria for a month.

    April Fools: Messaging Blunders That Should Be a Joke But Aren’t

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    I wish I was joking. What follows really ought to be an exercise in April Fool’s frivolity and humor. Unfortunately, the only thing foolish about what follows is these brand communications efforts were undertaken with some level of intent or ineptitude that resulted in public embarrassment for some or all involved.

    With that, I offer the top five most April Fool’s-worthy communications that really should have been overseen by a competent public relations professional:

    1. Mixed Signals: On March 24, some of the Trump Administration’s most senior leadership commiserated over an imminent, and then later completed, attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen who are accused of carrying out missile and drone attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea. They did so via an app called Signal, a free open-source and encrypted messaging app, the use of which by government employees has, to date, been discouraged by the federal government. That group chat included a well-known U.S. journalist, leading to an embarrassment of sometimes competing explanations, excuses and denials that anything sensitive was shared. They tried to chalk it up to something like a fat-thumbs-texting-moment where you didn’t mean to text your ex, but you did and now you very deeply regret it.
    2. Oh Boya, a Press Release from Goya: In a what-medication-was-he-on-moment, Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue issued an ill-considered, rambling and seemingly pointless self-published press release in February announcing his new, but extremely unclear chapter after the Goya board allegedly voted him out. The release included a stream-of-consciousness quote from Unanue about child trafficking. File this one under friends don’t let CEOs self-publish press releases.
    3. Dude, Where’s My Car?: Jaguar went full SNL/Calvin Klein commercial crazy late last year when it rolled out its new branding in a techno-beat, multiracial, gender-bending, psychedelic-color driven ad campaign that seemed to offer a little bit of everything … except its iconic automobiles. While trying to defend the company’s rebrand as “bold” and “imaginative,” the public seemed to respond with a collective eye-roll and complete dismissal of one of the most confusing rebrands/commercials of the modern era.
    4. Finger-licking Eh: In 2024, McDonald’s—the bastion of Big Macs and Dollar Menus—took a bold step in introducing its first beauty product line. In partnership with beauty brand Nails.INC, Mickey D’s created a line of nail products that mirrored its brand colors in polishes, along with stickers and a French-fry-inspired French manicure. Ironically, the fast-food giant has a standing policy that does not allow employees to wear nail polish. The campaign ended almost as quickly as it was announced as the public did not seem to be lovin’ it.
    5. Ain’t Mis-Bee-haven: Spring was in the air, but a 2024 campaign proved to be a buzzkill for dating app Bumble after it introduced a series of advertisements advocating against celibacy. It was an ill-considered attempt to humorously address dating frustrations related to dating apps. Backlash was swift, with women’s organizations and others noting women choose celibacy for a range of reasons, including safety, reproductive rights and more. With its wings clipped, Bumble quickly reversed course and ended the campaign with a commitment to help support domestic violence organizations.

    If there is a takeaway or lesson across all these situations it is this: Avoid becoming a fool, in April or any other month, by ensuring your internal or external comms teams have a say in all brand communications. Public relations pros know how to manage the message as well as alert senior leaders of potential, unforced errors that can place a dunce cap high-atop the brand’s reputation.

    Play Ball! Grand Opening Tips Inspired by Major League Baseball’s Opening Day

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    Coined by many as the “official start of spring,” millions of people around the U.S. look forward to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Opening Day every year. Whether fans are attending games in person, watching live on television or from their mobile devices, the start of MLB continues to draw national attention year after year.

    While local businesses do not have the MLB’s platform or budget, business owners can draw inspiration from Opening Day to maximize their grand opening events. When done correctly, a grand opening can serve as a homerun for your business growth strategy. When approached as just another to-do among many, owners can miss a key opportunity to introduce their businesses to the community and generate excitement among potential customers. Just like the MLB’s Opening Day, a new business needs to give the public something to root for.

    Hitting it out of the park

    MLB’s Opening Day stirs up excitement among fans and provides an opportunity to showcase new rosters and skills. Grand openings can give new businesses a chance to call on future fans to consider their goods or services while shining stadium-style bright lights on the business itself. To make the most of a grand opening, business leaders should plan effectively, tap into the local community and engage the media with a meaningful story.

    • Have an impactful plan: To draw in the community, business owners need to host an attention-worthy event. While they could simply open the doors and hope for the masses to come walking in, the results would likely be disappointing. When planning an event, business owners should consider their clientele, what might motivate them to visit and how they can engage them once they have arrived. Food and refreshments, partnering with local vendors, coordinating donations to local charities, selling raffles or providing activities for children are great places to start. Details should be highlighted in all marketing efforts. 
    • Tap into the community: Community involvement is a crucial asset in the process of opening a business. From collecting insights from fellow business owners, to building a repeat customer base, community support is irreplaceable. Business owners should consider inviting local dignitaries, business connections and key community members in the area to the grand opening. It is important to have enough lead time to send out invitations, secure a spot on community calendars and promote the event. Social media groups and community bulletins can also be effective tools in getting the word out.
    • Engage the media: When trying to promote a grand opening, there is no substitute for media coverage. Print and broadcast exposure can reach a much broader audience than a business owner might on their own. While advertising with local media is an option, earned media provides valuable visibility without added costs. The key, however, is to identify what makes a particular grand opening, or business in the area special or newsworthy. The opening alone may not rise to the level of newsworthiness in some communities.

    When we look to the MLB, we see they are selling more than the story of baseball on Opening Day; they are tapping into the emotional side of their fan bases. For example, after a disappointing 2022 season, the Texas Rangers made a triumphant return in 2023, winning their Opening Day series and later securing a World Series championship. Similarly, business owners should offer a story to the media about their business that connects with the community beyond simply telling the public there is a grand opening event happening.  

    A successful grand opening can position a new business for consistent growth, whereas a disappointing one can leave owners struggling to build momentum. A public relations agency or local freelance PR specialist could be a great resource to help effectively promote a grand opening, conduct media and community outreach and brainstorm ideas that might resonate with the public.

    Just as baseball fans look forward to MLB’s Opening Day each year, a business’s grand opening should be an event that speaks to the business’ potential fan base. MLB’s Opening Day is something that is carefully planned and considered by all involved. A business’ grand opening deserves no less attention.

    Brand Authenticity Requires Communicators to Play Lead Roles

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    While brands have a voice in shaping their narratives, it is their publics who play an outsized role in holding organizations to their brand promise and reputation.

    One of the best time-tested methods of ensuring adherence to brand authenticity is having a public relations or communications professional at the decision-making table from the start. Failing to do so runs the risk of self-inflicted reputational harm that is extremely difficult, and often expensive to dial back later.

    In brands we trust

    B2C as well as B2B consumers have vast resources to evaluate brands and a wealth of options from which to choose. Brands that consistently speak to the values and priorities of their consumers engender trust and an emotional connection. According to April 2024 data released from Shopify, 86% of American consumers say authenticity is a key reason they buy or engage with a brand.

    Whether it is Red Bull, GE or Salesforce, these companies and others are great examples of organizations that use engaging storytelling, emotionally targeted messaging and brand authenticity to reach and connect with their audiences. We know Red Bull gives you wings. We know GE is focused on imagination at work, and that Salesforce positions you to manage success, not software. Their messaging goes beyond taglines, and their stories resonate with their publics because they meet a need.

    What Ben Franklin said

    Ben Franklin famously quipped, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” There are countless brands that illustrate Franklin’s point.

    The example set by Target regarding its shifting DEI policies has put … well, a target on the Target brand with calls for boycotts and declining sales. Such inconsistent messaging causes brand audiences to reconsider the authenticity and trustworthiness of the organizations at issue. Consumers aren’t sure what, if anything, the brand stands for and repairing that damage will be a long and expensive undertaking.

    On the B2B side, there is no more powerful example of reputational damage due to a lack of authenticity—as well as transparency—as WeWork. The company promoted a utopia-style revolution in how workspaces would evolve while leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs to work collaboratively. In reality, the company infamously misled everyone regarding its spending, profitability and stability, leading to a loss of trust among investors and business clients that ultimately led to the founder being ousted and a Chapter 11 filing in 2023.

    The power of communications strategy

    A chief communications officer with a seat at the leadership table can help organizations adhere to brand authenticity. These professionals are trained to assess the communications risks of any given action by an organization that plays out in front of its publics—internal or external. They help brands avoid unforced errors and plan for a range of responses from their target audiences.

    Having that comms professional in the room from the start of major brand decisions can lead to important conversations and questions filtered through a public perception lens, such as:

    • How does this align with the public’s understanding of who we are and what we do?
    • What risks are we taking with this change, and what can we do to mitigate them?
    • Does this change align with our core values?
    • How should we communicate this change clearly to our audiences, and what are the best channels to do so?
    • What is the plan to measure the impact of this change on our brand reputation and perception?
    • What is the backup plan if this change is not well received, and what is the trigger to institute that plan?

    Brand leaders are best served when their PR teams challenge group think and work to consider the reaction to organizational change among various audiences. This approach can strengthen and even improve the proposed changes, better aligning them with the brand’s reputation and perception and lead to a smoother introduction to its publics. However, making change better and more sustainable only happens if the communicators are in the room where decisions are made from the beginning. That is how you maintain brand authenticity, and it matters.

    Get to Know PR Manager Alex Bacon

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    Public relations is all about relationships—the people behind the stories. That’s why we’re offering this blog series all about our team members. This isn’t about our professional accomplishments but who we are as people. We hope you have as much fun reading along as we do interviewing each other.

    What got you interested in public relations?

    I have always had a strong interest in writing and storytelling. I remember taking paper from my parents’ printer so I could write my own books. But it wasn’t until college when someone told me I should try pursuing a career in communications. I did, and didn’t look back. The idea of helping people and businesses tell their stories or showcase their expertise to the right audiences is one that appealed to me immediately. This career choice was the right one.

    Tell us about your favorite movie and what appeals most to you about it?

    I’m a big fan of space and sci-fi movies, and there are a lot of good ones, but Interstellar stands out as my favorite. It’s a masterpiece – from the stunning visuals to the narrative and storytelling about family and sacrifice. I also appreciate how the movie is grounded in scientific reality, exploring things like time dilation (i.e. Miller’s Planet) and black holes in a way that few movies do.

    It’s rare to watch a movie that captures the vast emptiness of space and the emotional weight of the choices we make, and Interstellar does it well.

    What was the last, best book you read and what about it spoke to you?

    The Girl Dad Code by William Harding. Being a first-time parent is tough, being a parent to a daughter is nerve-wracking – especially in today’s world. Harding’s book really stuck with me because it offers practical and heartfelt advice on raising a strong, confident daughter. He also focuses on leading by example – being present, building trust and showing up every day.

    I find myself referring back to it every now and again as my daughter grows up, gathering new insights along the way. It’s becoming a great reminder that I don’t need all the answers; I just need to be there, listen and support her as she becomes the person she wants to be.

    Tell us about a meaningful hobby or “outside of work” commitment that is important to you?

    Weightlifting and fitness have been a huge part of my life. Both have taught me about resilience and discipline. The process of setting goals and staying consistent to meet them has had a meaningful impact on how I approach my professional work and everyday problem-solving. My commitment to my physical health gives me more energy and mental clarity, which helps me stay focused and think more creatively.

    5. Share a fun fact about you.

    I love to cook. I taught myself after I finished undergraduate school as a way to stay healthy and save a bit of money while looking for full-time work. To this day, I cook almost every meal – breakfast, lunch and dinner – and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon.