| Does hiring a PR firm even make sense today with | | | | link of the video on their site with no message, no |
| the world changing so much? Has the whole game of | | | | photo, no call to action, no pitch. My friend Ralph |
| PR been altered forever because of 800 TV | | | | posted the video with a personal message saying |
| channels, satellite radio, Facebook, Twitter, blogging and | | | | how compelling the video was and encouraged his |
| other social media? Is the world so obsessed with | | | | viewers to open it. Keep in mind, Ralph Paglia's |
| 'reality' that actually creating public relations becomes | | | | viewership is a fraction, maybe 2% of the viewership |
| impossible for even the best PR firms? Can a firm | | | | of the professional PR firm. His 'promotion' to his public |
| even grab the attention of television, radio or | | | | of the video got 1000%, (that's right, 1000%) more hits |
| newspaper producers long enough to pay attention to | | | | in the same 24 hours. Also his blog page was filled |
| the PR company's pitch? | | | | with comments resulting in his readers spending more |
| I am writing this after hiring three different PR firms | | | | time on his site. The video is a very engaging, |
| and not getting the results that either the companies or | | | | controversial, "in your face" wake up call to people in |
| myself expected. Yes, we got some results and yes I | | | | business today called You Can't Handle the Truth, but |
| gave each company most of a year to produce | | | | has no value if it's not seen. What is the point? No |
| results. Each relationship started the same way; we | | | | matter how good your message you have to get |
| met at my home or out for lunch to get to know one | | | | people to stop doing what they are doing and look! In |
| another. I told them my story, they ask who I want to | | | | today's world it is impossible for the world to know |
| reach, the firm gets excited, I sign a contract and then I | | | | who you are without you making sure they know. |
| pump them with relevant content that they can pitch to | | | | You can do all the greatest things in the world but if |
| the stations, papers and radio. The team goes back | | | | you don't get the public to pay attention, which could |
| and starts pitching. Things seem hopeful by their | | | | mean just a simple, "you have to see this", or maybe |
| reports back to me and then little to nothing happens. I | | | | you will have to grab the world by its throat and say |
| then call them because I feel like maybe I haven't | | | | boldly, You must listen to this, or they probably will not |
| provided them with the right angle, pitch or content and | | | | hear you over the orca that ate the trainer, the |
| then give them new ideas. They get re-excited and | | | | politician that cheated on his wife and treasurer head |
| the cycle repeats itself but still no results. The story | | | | that didn't pay his taxes, or the celebrity that went to |
| ends with me looking for another PR company and | | | | treatment (again). Has the world just changed so much |
| the old PR firm having to find a new client. I am writing | | | | that the days of PR is ending? Or have the PR people |
| this at this time because I recently had an experience | | | | just not changed adequately to compete or have I just |
| where social networking collided with the professional | | | | not found the right firm? Blogging, social media, flip |
| PR firm and the results were amazing. | | | | cams, YouTube, Facebook and hooking up with other |
| The PR firm I have been using has a news-alert blog | | | | people connected online certainly has to affect PR. |
| that they claim has a following of some 300,000 | | | | Also why do I have to find the PR firm, why don't they |
| influential people. I recently created this very | | | | find me? Book publisher, Wiley Publications, almost 200 |
| controversial video that had gotten a great deal of | | | | years old, found me here on Huffington Post and |
| attention on the net and called the PR firm and | | | | sought me out to write my next book. Maybe I will find |
| suggested they post the video on their site. At the | | | | an aggressive well-connected PR firm that knows |
| same time a friend, Ralph Paglia with has a blog site | | | | how to blast through all the noise and get the right |
| with a tiny fraction of viewership compared to the PR | | | | exposure for me by writing this. |
| firm posted the same video. My PR firm posted the | | | | |