Tag: top pr agencies

Why Smaller Media is Important to Building Brands

Posted on by Mark Macias

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.

Continue reading “Why Smaller Media is Important to Building Brands” →

Why Empathy Will Lead Every PR Campaign to Better Results

Posted on by Mark Macias

Empathy is a powerful word that leads to change. When you’ve experienced a setback first-hand, you will be more caring, kind and compassionate to others going through the same situation. This approach also works with PR.

If your PR team genuinely believes you care about them, they will work harder when you are not in the room. Your publicist might be getting a paycheck for his or her work, but money doesn’t motivate everyone when the doors are closed.

Click here to read an article that details how empathy helps your PR campaign. Or if you’re on the go, you can listen to the story as a podcast.

Our agency has more insightful episodes on PR, strategy and advice on your favorite podcast channel. Click here to subscribe to us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music or Stitcher.

ABOUT MACIAS PR

Marketing peers named MACIAS PR the 2017-2021 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. City & State Magazine named him a PR Political Power Player in 2021.

Media Insider Reveals Biggest Mistakes Publicists Make

Posted on by Mark Macias

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.

The Cat and Mouse Strategy – It applies to PR

Posted on by Mark Macias

by Mark Macias.

Why does the cat always catch the mouse? When you think of how agile and quick a mouse can be, he should be able outmaneuver the cat. Yet, nearly 100 percent 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 have never owned a cat 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.”

Continue reading “The Cat and Mouse Strategy – It applies to PR” →

Helping a Local Story Go National Leveraging Affiliate Feeds

Posted on by Mark Macias

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.

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Communications Crisis: Release Flood of Bad News or Drip, Drip, Drip?

Posted on by Mark Macias

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.

Future of PR – Revolves around Reputations and Search Engines

Posted on by Mark Macias

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?

Posted on by Mark Macias

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.

Continue reading “Can you sell a story in 30 Seconds?” →

What is Public Relations? FAQ on how PR Works

Posted on by Mark Macias

What is public relations? It’s one of the most popular questions we continually hear from business owners when we talk shop.

Public relations is one of the most efficient and strategic ways to get your story in front of customers. It introduces your story, product and service directly to potential clients via the media. It’s also more affordable than advertising.

How is PR different from Advertising?

Public relations is not advertising. You can’t buy a news story with the media. Yes, you can buy “sponsored” posts with the media, but that’s really just a commercial put in words. More important, when your advertising budget is over, say goodbye to your “sponsored” post. However, with PR, your story stays on the media website long after your PR budget is over.

PR can also help improve your brand in the media. PR specialists are frequently the front line of defense against crises linked to legal problems, technical difficulties and perhaps even natural disasters. Public relations involves a wide selection of tactics and strategies. So how is MACIAS PR better than other PR firms?

Continue reading “What is Public Relations? FAQ on how PR Works” →

MACIAS PR Celebrates 10 Years of Business

Posted on by Mark Macias

                

NEW YORK, June 3, 2019 (Newswire.com) – MACIAS PR is celebrating 10 years of business in June, growing from a boot-strapped agency into an award-winning full-service public relations firm.

Over the last ten years, MACIAS PR has led media and branding campaigns for clients in technology, healthcare/digital health, finance, politics and the nonprofit sectors. Their clients have ranged from boot-strapped startups with no messaging in place to established companies with international brand recognition.

MACIAS PR won its first industry award when Finance Monthly named it the PR Consultant Firm of the Year in 2015. The following year, Finance Monthly named MACIAS PR the Financial PR Firm of the Year. In 2017 and 2018, marketing peers named MACIAS PR the Strategic PR Firm of the Year.

The founder, Mark Macias, started the firm after an extensive career with NBC, CBS, American Journal, KTVK and The Arizona Republic. He was Executive Producer with NBC, Senior Producer with CBS in New York, and Investigative Producer with the nationally syndicated TV program, American Journal. Macias started his journalism career with the Arizona Republic and KTVK-TV 3 in Phoenix. He’s also the author of the business book, Beat the Press: Your Guide to Managing the Media, and a contributor with CNBC.

“Potential clients and competitors always try to figure out how we succeed on such a large scale,” said Macias. “Journalism is at the root of our strategy. Our firm continues to dig deeper, searching for the best angles to position our clients in the news. We won’t promote fluff or engage in hyperbole. Instead, we look at the timely news cycle and find ways to position our clients in it.”

Macias credits that editorial approach with helping his firm secure prominent media placements with the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, New York Times, Bloomberg and others.

Continue reading “MACIAS PR Celebrates 10 Years of Business” →