Tag: healthcare pr firms

Cat and Mouse Strategy – How it applies to PR

Posted on by Mark Macias

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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Communications Crisis: How to Release Bad News

Posted on by Mark Macias

It’s the perennial crisis communications question: how do you control negative news once it’s out? And when you know more bad news is coming, how do you release it?

The end-game strategy of crisis communications is to get your business out of the news as quickly as possible. You don’t want a story to linger, or new developments to unfold because it keeps your story in the news cycle.

News is always about advancing a story. During my time as Executive Producer with NBC, we would frequently see a story in the morning’s New York Post or Daily News – and try to figure out how to advance it. No one wants to read old news. It’s why the phrase is a cliche.

Every day new information unfolds about your scandal, the more heavily favored your story is to remain in the news.

How do you Release Bad News?

If your business is in the headlines with negative news – and more bad news is still buried away – make sure you get it out as quickly as possible. All of it.

You don’t want a drip, drip, drip because it gives reporters new elements to advance their story. Every new release of more negative information gives your story another element to gain traction.

The challenge with managing negative news is you must provide a solution that demonstrates why the problem won’t happen again. Without that element, the story is still unresolved. The public also wants to know why this bad incident won’t happen again.

And it’s more than just issuing an apology. Many politicians wrongly believe an apology will lead to forgiveness with voters. Yes – Americans are very forgiving, but they don’t won’t support a hypocrite. Yet, another reason to reinforce why this pattern for negative behavior won’t return.

MACIAS PR has run crisis campaigns for politicians, nonprofits and financial organizations. If you’re facing a difficult situation and need private consultation, feel free to email us and we’ll coordinate a time to speak.

Marketing peers named MACIAS PR the 2017 and 2018 Strategic PR Firm of the Year. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Finance Monthly named MACIAS PR the Financial PR Firm of the Year. The founder – Mark Macias – is a former Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. He’s also a frequent contributor with CNBC and author of the books, Beat the Press: Your Guide to Managing the Media and the Tao of PR.

MACIAS PR – Why We Deliver Better Results

Posted on by Mark Macias

                      

MACIAS PR was founded in 2009 by a former Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. Journalists and marketing peers consistently rank MACIAS PR as one of the best PR Agencies based on our results.

Over the years, MACIAS PR has launched publicity, media and branding campaigns for companies from all industries. We’ve worked with boot-strapped startups as well as established international brands, securing publicity with the most influential news publications. We have client case studies in several industries, detailing these campaigns.

Our clients always work with an experienced media strategist. We don’t pawn you off to a junior account executive. And as a boutique PR firm, our communications process is streamlined, while our execution is hyper-focused.

PR Awards – Earned by MACIAS PR

Marketing peers named MACIAS PR the Strategic PR Firm of the Year from 2017-2021. As part of the selection process, marketing and PR professionals reviewed media campaigns promoted by our agency.

Finance Monthly also named MACIAS PR the 2015-2017 Financial PR Firm of the Year. And in 2022, City & State Magazine named our founder, Mark Macias, a Top 50 Political PR Power player in New York.

MACIAS PR has run B2B and B2C media and branding campaigns in healthcare, tech startups, financial services, asset management, nonprofits and service sector industries. We’ve secured big stories in the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, People Magazine, CNN and others. (Here’s a closer look at our Annual Report ). We have case studies for all of these industries, backing up our consistent track record.

Message Mark at the bottom of this screen (green button on the right) if you would like to schedule a call. You can also get a free PR estimate by clicking here.

What to Look for When Hiring a Publicist – Forbes Advice

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias

I recently wrote a thought leadership editorial for Forbes on what you should look for when hiring a publicist. The advice was based from my time as an Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS when publicists pitched me stories all the time. I got to see up close how most publicists don’t understand how the the media works.

You can the read that thought leadership in Forbes by clicking here. If you’re short on time, here’s an excerpt from that editorial.

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How to Measure an Effective PR Campaign

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias

How do you measure the performance of an effective PR firm? It’s a question I hear a lot from potential clients. There are several traditional ways to evaluate the performance of your PR agency, and you can read more on that with this blog on How to Measure the ROI of PR. If you’re short on time, the CliffsNotes are below:

  • Number of Media Placements
  • Demographics and Reader base for those Media Outlets
  • Increased Credibility, which Helps Close Sales;
  • Actual Sales, which can be measured through links published in news stories or through Analytics.
  • Improved SEO – since search engines use news stories and blogger stories to measure the value of a website.

But there is another way to measure the ROI of PR that is frequently overlooked. It’s more difficult to quantify than any Google Analytics Report but according to researchers out of Motista – a consumer intelligence analytics firm – it’s actually more persuasive and leads to higher revenue for brands. This is where the art of PR contrasts with the science of data.

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Why Strategy is more Important in PR than Media Contacts

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias

Potential clients always assume that our media contacts lead to media placements. Just today, I met with a potential client who commented, “you must know a lot of people in the media.”

Yes, we do know a lot of people in the media. In fact, our PR firm is communicating, talking to, pitching and in general discussion with literally hundreds of reporters and producers a week. But guess what – our contacts didn’t lead to the media placements. Our strategy did.

Just like the above photo demonstrates, PR is a game that is won by strategy. You don’t win the game of chess by force or seduction. You win the game of chess through out-thinking, out-maneuvering and out-strategizing your opponent. It’s a critical factor behind the success of MACIAS PR.

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Why Perspective Matters when it comes to PR and Media

Posted on by Mark Macias

The way you frame a story will always influence whether the media covers it. This is where perspective plays a role in how – or if – your story gets told.

Different stories need to be told through a different lense. For example, a CEO editorial must convey thought leadership from a perspective based on experience and insight. Likewise, a consumer brand trying to reach Millennials or women must connect with a perspective that their targeted customer understands. On the surface, it might sound simplistic, but execution and nuance run deeper than the the surface.

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PR Question – Who are the best Media Contacts for PR

Posted on by Mark Macias

                                    

By Mark Macias

There is a general belief among publicists that a solid media Rolodex will get your client in the news. Even business owners are buying into this theory. Potential clients frequently ask me which reporters I know in “tech” or “political” or “fashion” — you name it.

They seem to believe that a friend or “contact” at the right paper or TV station will get their business in the news, but is it true?

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Getting Media Traction – Adapting the PR Strategy

Posted on by Mark Macias

By Mark Macias

What happens when you can’t get traction for a story, no matter how hard you pitch it? Or worse, when journalists tell you, “that’s not a story.”

When this happens, it is time to redefine the narrative. In journalism and PR, the story narrative is crucial to success. Without a strong narrative, there will never be a media placement.

During my years as a news producer with NBC and CBS, there were many times when I pursued a story only to discover that the story I thought I was pursuing was actually a different story. When this happened, we had two options – kill the story or salvage it.

As Executive Producer with WNBC, I oversaw a very large production budget that funded the Special Projects unit. At the time, GE owned NBC, so as every shareholder knows, GE was very big that you come under budget or you get fired.

There were many times when I approved a story idea and we invested money into the story, only to discover half-way through the story that it wasn’t there. This was when we had to put on our creative hats and think of a way to salvage the story.

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MACIAS PR – Media Report Q1 2019

Posted on by Mark Macias

NEW YORK, April 4, 2019 (Newswire.com) – The top tech and healthcare PR firm — MACIAS PR — has released its first quarter publicity report, detailing the media coverage it secured for clients from January to March 2019.

In January, MACIAS PR secured a TV segment with the top-rated morning show, the NBC Today Show, the showcased the world’s first smart belt, reaching more than 1.4 million viewers across the country. Over the course of the media campaign, MACIAS PR also secured publicity for the health tech client on Entrepreneur, USA Today, Forbes and others.

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