5 PR Lessons Heard Inside MACIAS PR

Posted on October 2, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

The best journalists are always listening and learning. So are the best publicists. The framed photo above was a gift from an intern, highlighting some of the PR lessons she learned inside MACIAS PR. Some of those quotes require context. But five of them capture how our agency thinks about public relations – an approach that separates our PR firm from others.

“You Can’t Put a Today Story in Tomorrow’s Paper.”

Timing in PR matters more than many executives understand. A great story idea can become worthless if the timing is off. Newsrooms operate on deadlines that most businesses don’t experience. When I worked in TV news, we didn’t have the luxury of saying, “That’s a great story. Let’s get around to it next week.” If the story was happening today, we needed the interviews, characters, video and information today.

Print and online reporters operate on their own deadlines, but the principle is the same. News has a shelf life.

This is one reason PR can become frustrating for companies with too many approval layers. By the time legal reviews the quote, the CEO approves the language, marketing changes three words and everyone schedules another call, the reporter may already have filed the story.

You can’t control the news cycle but you can control how prepared you are to move when it creates an opening.

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Corporate Words Reporters Instantly Ignore

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias
Founder of MACIAS PR | Former NBC Executive Producer

Corporate messaging has a problem. Most companies are still communicating like it’s 2015 with their outdated corporate language.

Open a press release, executive bio, company website, investor presentation, or earnings announcement and you’ll find the same tired phrases repeated over and over again. Organizations describe themselves as innovative, industry-leading, best-in-class, customer-centric, and transformative.

They claim to leverage synergies, drive value, and deliver solutions. The language sounds polished and professional, but it has become so common that it no longer communicates anything meaningful.

The biggest irony is that many executives use these phrases because they believe they make their companies sound more credible. In reality, the opposite often happens. Journalists, investors, and customers have seen this language so many times that they instinctively tune it out. Instead of strengthening a story, corporate jargon buries it.

As a former TV Executive Producer who reviewed thousands of pitches from public relations firms, startups, public companies, and corporate executives, I can tell you that reporters aren’t looking for polished language. They’re looking for information. They want something new, surprising, useful, controversial, or relevant to their audience. Corporate buzzwords rarely accomplish any of those objectives.

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My Forbes Advice: How to Approach Journalists Based on their Experience

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias

Before I introduce my clients to a reporter, I always try to research the journalist’s background to get a better idea of their experience. It reveals more insight for my communication style with them.

I recently wrote an editorial for Forbes: How To Approach Reporters Based On Their Experience. It outlines how to approach these different reporters based on their experience. Here’s a condensed version of that thought leadership that was published by Forbes.

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