Cat and Mouse Strategy – How it applies to PR

Why does the cat always catch the mouse? When you think of how agile and quick a mouse can be, it should easily outmaneuver the cat. Yet, most of the time, the cat will catch the mouse.

That’s not just a fun question. It’s actually a way of thinking that applies to PR and business.

First off, I’m not an expert on mice or cats. I’m allergic to cats and I hate mice. But as a person who lives in Brooklyn, and every New Yorker will tell you – “if you have mice, get a cat and the problem will go away.”

I got to thinking about that concept when watching of all things – Tom and Jerry – with my son. It got me thinking of the relationship between cat and mice, and the reporter and publicist. Here’s a closer look at what the classic cat and mouse game can teach us about media strategy.

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The Future of Brands – Forbes Analysis

In the future, brands will not look anything like they do today. Yes, we will have names like Coke, Netflix and Starbucks but their upstart competitors will have a huge advantage when it comes to the world of digital competition.

In the 1990s and earlier, it took years to build a brand. But today, you can build a brand in days with strategic help from search engines.

Think about it: when you’re looking for a restaurant near you, you probably go right to your phone. We don’t need to remember brands anymore. Instead, we search for “best restaurants near me” — and Google provides the list.

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PR Lessons for When Your Lose Your Temper

By Mark Macias

A US Congressman made national news back in 2014 after he was caught on camera threatening to throw a reporter over a balcony inside the US Capitol. 

There’s a great lesson on crisis communications and branding that you can take from this exchange. Always assume the camera is live.

I had first-hand experience with this Congressman before this situation was captured on TV. In 2010, I was his Communications Director and helped guide his campaign to victory. My time working closely with this politician gave me raw insight into his personality when the camera wasn’t rolling.

He didn’t have much experience dealing with reporters and it frequently showed during interviews. He made classic mistakes that many novice politicians and business owners make.

Here are some of the biggest mistakes many people make, and how you can avoid falling into their traps.

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MACIAS PR Releases Annual Media Report, Detailing 2022 Coverage for Clients

MACIAS PR has released its annual media report, detailing the news coverage secured for their clients in 2022. Their list of media placements is long and influential.

The New York Times, Daily Mail, CNBC, Forbes, BBC, Fox News, The Sun, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Sky News and Reuters are just a few of the national and international news organizations that published features and news stories on their clients.

In 2022, MACIAS PR led the media campaigns for Kilo Health, Meru Health, Klinio, Groq Health, And Health, Keto Cycle, as well as the former United Nations Executive Director on Climate.

The founder of the PR agency, Mark Macias, said even as the economy began to slow in 2022, their clients remained on top of the news cycle.

“Consumer brands and startups will see more economic headwinds in 2023, but the best PR campaigns will position your brand into the conversation regardless of the economy,” said Macias. “When strategy and execution are aligned, consumers and clients will see your brand from a different perspective. Advertisements and commercials don’t work in this economy.”

Want to read more? Click here to read the story on AP.

Why Smaller Media is Important to Building Brands

Building a brand from scratch is never easy, but there are tactics and approaches you can take that will help scale your brand faster.

On the surface, most entrepreneurs naturally gravitate to large media outlets. They rightfully assume that getting coverage in a national publication will get their mission, services and products out there faster.

And while that is true, I’ve found there is often another overlooked group that many entrepreneurs purposely avoid.

I recently wrote an article for Entrepreneur, elaborating on why smaller media shouldn’t be overlooked. You can read that article by clicking here, but if you’re short on time, here’s an abridged version of the key points from my thought leadership.

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Media Insider Reveals Biggest Mistakes Publicists Make

Back when I was a Senior Producer with CBS, a global PR agency asked me to write an article on the biggest mistakes I see publicists make. I was going through an old email a few months ago and came across the article. It’s solid advice that I published with our podcast.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick summary of the podcast.

  • Don’t cram everything into the press release. Identify the relevant information and focus on that.
  • Try to find the timely angle.
  • Don’t make it longer than 2 pages.

You can also read an article I wrote on our blog with more on why these publicist mistakes are so glaring. Click here to read that.

Our podcast #Alwaysfreshpr gives a lot of media insider advice to help you grow your brand. Please follow us on your favorite channel and if you like what you hear, give us a review. Here’s the link to find your favorite channel.

Helping a Local Story Go National Leveraging Affiliate Feeds

By Mark Macias

There are advantages to working with a media insider. Or in the case with MACIAS PR, it’s like having an Executive Producer in your corner.

During my time with NBC and CBS, I approved ideas from publicists, reporters and producers – where I believe we had a special formula for approving stories. I always pushed our reporters and producers to sell creative, timely, enterprise angles. We didn’t want to just communicate information to viewers but produced stories that would inspire viewers and readers to interact.

Today, MACIAS PR takes the same approach with our campaigns. We don’t push information, but look for strong, enterprise story angles. I’m always pushing our team to identify elements that will get consumers talking about our story at the dinner table or cocktail party. It’s rooted in our DNA.

But there’s another little-known tactic that MACIAS PR takes with our campaigns. It’s an approach that only those inside the TV medium would know. We leverage affiliate feeds.

Future of PR – Revolves around Reputations and Search Engines

By Mark Macias

One of our nonprofit clients went to a Google marketing conference and shared with me some of the best takeaways he heard. One of the boldest statements came from a Google executive who told the crowd that in the future, there will be no brands.

It seems hard to believe that brands won’t matter in the future, but it makes sense. Yes, household names, like McDonalds, Starbucks and Netflix will continue to be in our subconscious. However, among smaller brands – especially in the B2B sector – will become more susceptible to branding from Google. Let me break it down further. Continue reading “Future of PR – Revolves around Reputations and Search Engines”

Can you sell a story in 30 Seconds?

By Mark Macias

Before I launched this PR firm in 2009, I lived inside morning news meetings at both the local and national level. It’s the place where stories are killed or made – in a matter of minutes.

At the Arizona Republic and the local TV station, Channel 3, we had to pitch story ideas in front of editors, producers and other reporters. In New York, I pitched stories for a nationally syndicated TV program, American Journal. I also approved story ideas as the Executive Producer for Special Projects with NBC.

I don’t want to bore you with my journalism background. (You can read more of my background on LinkedIn).

Here’s why that experience inside the newsroom matters: you only have seconds to pitch a story and that background is the center-point of MACIAS PR.

As the above video demonstrates, if you can’t identify the narrative, communicate the story and angle within 30 seconds, your PR firms in tech and healthcare won’t succeed.

Before anyone on our team pitches a reporter, we practice and perfect our pitch. To outsiders, that might seem a bit childish or even less productive. It’s not.

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What is PR and How can it Help Your Business?

                       

What is PR? It’s a common question that many business owners might secretly wonder but few ask publicly. MACIAS PR learned this at a recent Tech Startup Trade Show that involved hundreds of tech entrepreneurs. Many of these budding entrepreneurs approached our booth, and asked us point-blank: What is PR and how does it work?

First off – a successful PR campaign will get your story on the news. It will tell your story in a way that motivates people to action. And, it will be memorable story. This is infinitely more valuable than any paid advertisement.

Many successful entrepreneurs, from Bill Gates to Richard Branson, have discussed the value of PR. Gates said “if I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” Branson has repeatedly said “a good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad.”

Why is that? Because consumers remembers stories. We forgot advertisements. Your customers watch the news to become educated on current events and to learn. We walk out of the room when the commercials come on TV.

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