10 to 1 Blog

Spotlight on Success: 15 of our Favorite PR Campaigns of 2025

by Erica

10to1PR Team Maps Out Bold 2026 Goals

From groundbreaking headquarters openings to heartwarming veteran support initiatives, our team delivered exceptional results across diverse industries in 2025. These campaigns showcase our ability to generate meaningful media coverage, position clients as industry leaders, and create lasting community impact. Each success story represents our commitment to strategic communication that drives real-world results for our clients while making a difference in the communities they serve.

Here are 15 of our favorite PR campaigns from 2025:

1. Master’s Transportation: $72 Million Headquarters Grand Opening

Campaign Focus: Generate awareness and media attention for Master’s Transportation’s new $72 million headquarters in Kansas City, MO
Objectives: Secure local and national media coverage highlighting the headquarters’ significance to the community, regional economy, and transportation industry
Results: 40+ media placements across television, local news outlets, business publications, and industry trade media, featuring in-depth interviews with the CEO and key executives. Coverage included KMBC, KCTV, and KSHB, providing comprehensive visibility across multiple platforms.
Why We Loved It: Celebrating this milestone onsite with our clients and witnessing their long-anticipated vision come to life. The grand opening represented years of planning and investment in the Kansas City community.
Read More: https://www.kmbc.com/article/kc-bus-company-expansion-world-cup-2026/68122003

2. ITS World Congress: Global Transportation Innovation Showcase

Campaign Focus: Elevate international and local awareness of the Intelligent Transportation Society’s World Congress in Atlanta, Georgia, highlighting innovations shaping the future of intelligent transportation
Objectives: Strategically engage international, national, and local media outlets to drive attendance, coverage, and visibility for cutting-edge transportation technologies and industry advancements
Results: Generated 200+ media features worldwide across print, digital, television, radio, and podcasts, successfully amplifying the event’s global impact and showcasing next-generation transportation solutions
Why We Loved It: Collaborating with international journalists, coordinating dynamic television interviews and live demonstrations of transformative transportation technologies. Atlanta News First coverage of technology to protect first responders was particularly impactful.
Read More: https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/08/26/new-technology-protect-first-responders-display-world-congress-center/

3. Milhaus: Opportunity Zone Thought Leadership

Campaign Focus: Position Milhaus executive Brad Vogelsmeier as a thought leader and expert in Opportunity Zones
Objectives: Establish expertise in Opportunity Zones among industry peers and highlight Milhaus’s successful multifamily development strategy
Results: Featured 1600+ word byline article in highly respected Urban Land Magazine, including photos of five beautiful Milhaus properties including Northbend, Arrello, and Ora developments
Why We Loved It: The article not only positioned Brad and Milhaus as experts in Multifamily Development and Opportunity Zones but also showcased their portfolio through high-quality property photography that demonstrated their design excellence
Read More: https://urbanland.uli.org/capital-markets-and-finance/whats-next-for-opportunity-zones-a-brighter-future-for-u-s-multifamily-development

4. JobElephant: Human Touch in AI Recruiting

Campaign Focus: Highlight the critical role of emotional intelligence in modern recruitment despite AI advancements in the hiring landscape
Objectives: Position JobElephant as a strategic voice in the future of recruiting that recognizes both AI’s power and limitations while enhancing credibility with HR and talent acquisition professionals
Results: Byline article in Staffing Hub featuring their Talent Acquisition team, differentiating the brand from competitors focused solely on automation and reinforcing their commitment to a balanced approach
Why We Loved It: Successfully amplifying the message that human relationships and judgment remain essential to hiring success, helping JobElephant stand out in a crowded recruiting-software market dominated by AI promises
Read More: https://staffinghub.com/guest-posts/ai-moves-fast-but-emotional-intelligence-wins-the-recruiting-game/

5. Action Roofing Services: Veterans Day Giveaway

Campaign Focus: Highlight Florida’s strong veteran community through roof giveaways in Tampa and Gainesville
Objectives: Secure local media coverage emphasizing community support for veterans during Veterans Day celebrations
Results: For Tampa, surprised a retired Navy SEAL with WFLA Tampa Channel 8 and WFTS Tampa Bay 28 attending, generating 10 TV segments and 5 online features. For Gainesville, surprised an active duty servicemember with WCJB-TV, WUFT-TV, and Mainstreet Daily News attending, resulting in 3 TV segments and 6 online features.
Why We Loved It: The whole process of identifying and partnering with a passionate nonprofit dedicated to veterans, capturing genuine surprise reactions on video, and contributing to the veteran community through months of planning and hard work
Read More: https://www.tampabay28.com/news/region-pinellas/navy-veteran-gets-free-roof-repair-ahead-of-veterans-day

6. FirstBank: Acts of Goodness Stadium Tour

Campaign Focus: Connect young fan Everett with the Arizona Cardinals and highlight FirstBank’s community giving initiatives
Objectives: Secure a Cardinals stadium tour opportunity and local media coverage to support Everett’s story and FirstBank’s community involvement
Results: Arranged a State Farm Stadium tour complete with a signed AZ Cardinals football and new football gear. Media coverage included an exclusive with AZ Family that aired 4 times plus 5 additional stories in local digital publications.
Why We Loved It: Seeing how our PR efforts made a direct impact on Everett’s life and helping share his story with local publications to support his GoFundMe campaign for a new prosthetic foot
Read More: https://www.azfamily.com/2025/05/19/teen-athlete-shooting-survivor-gets-vip-tour-state-farm-stadium/

7. Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity: Workforce Summit 2025

Campaign Focus: Secure media coverage for Arizona’s Workforce Summit while creating online dialogues about workforce development
Objectives: Generate media coverage, create online dialogue, and ensure cohesive messaging throughout all external communications and Summit programming
Results: Secured media partnerships with AZFamily and Phoenix Business Journal, boosting credibility and exposure while engaging local media in dialogues about workforce development’s importance to families and businesses. Live social media updates extended the conversation months beyond the event.
Why We Loved It: Reading positive attendee feedback and bringing the Summit to a broader audience through television appearances, including OEO’s director explaining the Summit’s impact for families on Good Morning Arizona.

8. Partnership for Economic Innovation: Innovation Summit 2025

Photo by Jaron Quach

Campaign Focus: Promote PEI’s Celebrating Innovation Summit as a gathering of public and private sector leaders across diverse industries
Objectives: Highlight Arizona’s innovation ecosystem through pre and post-event coverage and amplify enthusiasm through social media
Results: Secured strong pre and post-event coverage highlighting key Summit themes while driving a remarkable 748.1% increase in social media impressions through strategic content
Why We Loved It: Working directly with PEI board members as spokespeople for championing innovation, particularly securing the impactful interview on PBS Horizon, a respected local public affairs program
Read More: https://azpbs.org/horizon/2025/11/arizona-innovation-summit-high-tech-future/

9. ASM: From Sand to Stars Exhibition

Campaign Focus: Amplify ASM’s “From Sand to Stars” exhibition at Arizona Science Center and field trip sponsorship program
Objectives: Build awareness for semiconductor careers among Arizona students using SEMICON West 2025 as a launching pad for securing local and industry news coverage
Results: Secured on-site interviews with all 4 local Phoenix market TV stations, built relationships with top technology industry reporters, and ensured ASM’s voice was included in an Arizona Republic article about semiconductor workforce development
Why We Loved It: This marked the first time ASM was featured in a local television station live shot in the company’s nearly 50-year history in Arizona, using the exhibition as an effective platform to introduce ASM to a broader audience
Read More: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/video/1720521

10. AVANA Companies: India Market Expansion

Campaign Focus: Announce AVANA Companies’ expansion of lending services to India as part of their global private debt commercial lending and investment ecosystem
Objectives: Secure coverage while explaining to US commercial real estate and hospitality investors why India’s small business market presents valuable investment opportunities
Results: Over 36 features across Indian media and US commercial real estate, hospitality, investment, and business trade publications, demonstrating our ability to translate the story’s importance across different audiences in the context of globalization, private credit growth, and hospitality industry resilience
Why We Loved It: Securing our first-ever feature in the Indian market with The Economic Times, one of the region’s most respected business news outlets and the world’s second-most widely read English-language business newspaper
Read more: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/avana-promises-25-million-india-investment-after-nbfc-licence-from-rbi/articleshow/123167029.cms

11. AADB: IDDHL Compact Success

Campaign Focus: Position the Interstate Dental & Dental Hygiene Licensure Compact as the superior solution for dental professional mobility
Objectives: Generate awareness among state legislators, build support for adoption in target states, and educate key stakeholders about the IDDHL Compact’s benefits over the competing CSG compact
Results: Secured positive media coverage in 9 target states with 14 total media placements including op-eds, news articles, and industry features. Louisiana became the first state to adopt the IDDHL Compact, Mississippi passed it through both chambers, Oklahoma passed it through the House, and Pennsylvania and Massachusetts actively considered it. The campaign successfully stalled the competing CSG compact, which despite being introduced in 18 states, only passed in two.
Why We Loved It: Turning compelling data into persuasive messaging that resonated with multiple stakeholders, particularly the finding that 82% of Americans want dentists to demonstrate practical skills before receiving a license, which proved decisive in legislative discussions
Read More: https://www.rdhmag.com/career-profession/news/55307965/the-interstate-dental-dental-hygiene-licensure-compact-gains-momentum

12. Jack Rabbit Air and Plumbing: Brown Friday Campaign

Campaign Focus: Demonstrate expertise with home plumbing issues that many people experience following Thanksgiving holiday
Objectives: Position Jack Rabbit as an expert resource for common post-Thanksgiving plumbing problems
Results: Secured and completed an interview with FOX LIVE Now, the national streaming channel for FOX News on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The interview aired on local stations nationwide and on the national streaming channel 4 times on Thanksgiving Day.
Why We Loved It: The Jack Rabbit team was extremely busy that day with all their plumbers on service calls, but they remained relentless until they found the perfect spokesperson for the interview
Watch the Clip

13. Family Promise of Greater Phoenix: A/C Donation Drive

Campaign Focus: Raise awareness for an air conditioning outage at Family Promise facilities and secure donations
Objectives: Generate community support to address an urgent cooling need during Arizona’s summer heat
Results: Secured $20,000 in monetary donations and prompted multiple air conditioning companies to reach out offering free replacement services
Why We Loved It: What began as an unexpected crisis transformed into an incredible victory. An A/C outage in the Arizona summer presented a serious challenge, but the community’s quick and heartfelt response demonstrated remarkable generosity
Watch the clip

14. Helix Electric: 40th Anniversary Truck Donation

Campaign Focus: Amplify Helix’s corporate responsibility initiatives and awareness within the San Diego community
Objectives: Generate media coverage for Helix’s donation event as part of their 40th anniversary celebration
Results: Secured 3 industry articles and 6 features from local publications, including the San Diego Business Journal and the Times of San Diego
Why We Loved It: This marked Helix’s first media stunt event. The Helix team worked tirelessly to ensure the event went as planned, creating a genuine surprise moment for the nonprofit recipients
Read More: https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2025/12/06/sd-nonprofits-and-community-groups-spread-holiday-cheer-across-the-region/

15. Otonomus Hotel: CES 2025 Exhibition

Campaign Focus: Secure interview opportunities for the leadership team at Otonomus Hotel as the only hotel exhibiting at CES 2025
Objectives: Generate media coverage highlighting Otonomus as an innovative AI-powered hospitality concept
Results: Secured 15 interview opportunities, resulting in over 50 features from industry, local, and national publications, including the Associated Press, BBC, Forbes, Fast Company, and more
Why We Loved It: Taking on the challenge of being the only hotel at a consumer technology show allowed us to get creative by offering exclusive tours to top-tier media attending the show, giving them a glimpse of the first AI-powered hotel before it opened to the public
Read More: https://www.fastcompany.com/91259781/an-ai-powered-hotel-is-coming-to-las-vegas

…and so much more! That’s a wrap on 2025, and we’re already planning for hitting the ground running in 2026.

Why More PR Efforts Should be Coordinated Around Veterans Day

by Josh

Why More PR Efforts Should be Coordinated Around Veterans Day

My PR team is always looking for opportunities to draw some media attention to our clients for doing something positive.  As part of this effort, we often coordinate media efforts around various holidays and shared cultural events. Out of all the dates on the calendar, I never expected Veterans Day to become my favorite. Both because of what it represents, and the media opportunities it has provided our clients.

Veterans Day has long been one of those specialty holidays recognized mostly by those who have a personal connection to the military.  It’s not part of a three-day weekend, and people often mix it up with Memorial Day which honors the fallen vs Veterans Day which recognizes the living who have served.

My team took Veterans Day efforts to an entirely new gear this year, and I want to share what we did. Not to brag, but in hopes of sparking your imagination or participation for Veterans Day next year.

The Veterans Day Giveaway Idea

We have several HVAC and plumbing clients. One of those companies was founded by a Veteran after WWII, and the company is now lead by his granddaughter (3rd generation).  Five years ago, we launched a now annual Veterans AC Giveaway Contest where the public could nominate a Veteran or their family member in need of a new AC unit or furnace. After verifying nominations and choosing finalists, the public was given the opportunity to vote for the recipient, with the prize awarded on (or around) Veterans Day.

That single contest has expanded.  In 2020 we held the contest in five different cities spanning the U.S. from Miami, Florida to Spokane, Washington. Yes, the contest is a nice thing to do and it’s generated publicity and stories in each City we’ve done it. But it’s much more than a contest.

Our goal is to share personal stories of local Veterans and active duty members that most people never hear about. These are the men and women who left their homes, their families, and their friends to dutifully serve our country across the nation and around the world. Their stories are incredible. Like an Arizona man who joined the Army after the attack on 9/11 to protect our nation and came back with a life-changing injury from a rocket propelled grenade. Or the Florida man who joined the Navy at age 17 and got to take a newly commissioned ship through the Panama Canal. Or the woman who was the first female in her family to join, and now copes with the debilitating effects of PTSD.

In our eyes, they are all heroes. They all deserve notoriety.  So we share their stories using videos, blogs, social media, and often the news media will help us reach a wider audience. These stories have helped old friends reconnect providing them with a sense of hope and some comfort during an increasingly stressful time.

It amazes me how grateful these Veterans are to be recognized. I am also impressed by their shared bond. They understand what it’s like to be too far from home, and why it’s so hard to talk about what they experienced. We are saddened by how many suffer from mental trauma and inspired by how many of them volunteer to help other Veterans heal.

The other major effort we launched was the #VetDayPledge.

The idea started in 2018, when one of our large construction related clients was looking for ways to recognize their employees that were Veterans. We suggested that the company gather employees on Veterans Day a job site or in their warehouse and simply invite all the Veterans to the front of the group to lead their co-workers in the Pledge of Allegiance.  We used smartphone video to then share it with media and post it on social media.  The response from employees who participated was so positive that the construction company expanded it to multiple cities and job sites the following year.

This year, with permission from the client we decided to expand the idea to include any company willing to participate.  Our only request was that anyone who participated include the hashtag #VetDayPledge to unify the message and make it easier for others to see and hopefully participate on their own. In addition to sharing the idea with other companies (clients and non-clients), we invited other PR firms to share the idea and created a website www.VetDayPledge.com with free resources and tips for companies to do it on their own.

I’m so proud that during this campaign’s first year going national and mainstream that we had participants from 10 states!  While some videos came from our clients, the majority of the participants were not!  In addition to several businesses, an elementary school participated, as did a senior living community!

A Wisconsin TV station even did a news story about one of the participants. You can watch the story by clicking here!

We’re excited to grow the #VetDayPledge further next year and believe that without the election (and COVID) related distractions, even more businesses and organizations will participate.  This idea has become a passion project.  We love that it’s a simple, no cost idea that anyone can do to thank our Veterans and their families.

Ultimately, the most important thing for companies to remember when doing a PR campaign around Veterans Day or Memorial Day is to do it for the right reason. We believe that the VetDayPledge and the Veteran AC Giveaway Contest fit that purpose.  Sure, it might generate some positive publicity for our clients, but most importantly, it generates recognition for those who’ve served and sacrificed- the individual veteran, and their families alongside them.

There are lots of great ideas that companies are doing to recognize Veterans. Share them below and help us inspire others!

Video Series: Public Relations Tips To Get Through COVID-19

by Josh

As the novel coronavirus has spread across the globe, business as we have known it has been upended. While we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, there are things companies can be doing to position themselves to withstand the pandemic, help the community, and ultimately come out of this crisis stronger.

Public relations can play a role in delivering on these goals. 10 to 1 President Josh Weiss has created a video series of brief videos to give you ideas on how you can best position your company utilizing basic public relations and crisis communications tactics.

You can check out our video series below or on our YouTube page.

PR & COVID-19: Share Your Expertise

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4rCj5Sf89oY%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Find Opportunity for Every Story

https://youtube.com/watch?v=atS6Rv0KRDs%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Walk Through Your Warehouse

https://youtube.com/watch?v=emdFN9dWdA0%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Pivoting The Right Way

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pnpAuAJ82Dg%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Follow The Leader

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3eroAMKpMNM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

PR & COVID-19: Be Honest With Your Customers

https://youtube.com/watch?v=E0drKp1XgoM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

More videos will be added on a regular basis – stay tuned!

The First 24 Hours of a Crisis: Offer Questions, NOT Answers

by Josh

Boom.  Out of nowhere, a crisis hits your company or community. As the leader, everyone’s turning to you.  In part to see how you react, but mostly for instruction confirming how they’re supposed to respond. 

Everyone’s turning to you for answers- but that’s the last thing you should be doing during the first 24 hours of a crisis.  Your job the first 24 hours is to ask questions, and to avoid giving answers.

The first questions you ask should be directed to your employees.  What do they need to deal with the immediate problem? How can you help get them the help they need, quickly? These questions not only demonstrate your support to your team but instructs them to take action.

The next set of questions are to gather information.  How many people were initially, directly affected by the crisis issue?  Follow that with questions about how to prevent new victims from being negatively affected by the same crisis in the coming hours.

These questions upfront are necessary to gather the information you need to make strategic decisions and ultimately later, proclamations for the future.

Even when talking to reporters, customers or the public, you should still focus on asking questions during the first 24 hours, not giving answers.

During the first 24 hours avoid making declarative statements or accusations against others that commit you or your company to certain actions. Avoid giving definitive answers or suggesting long-term solutions that could be considered controversial as your statement will come across as opportunistic instead of as a genuine solution.

The only initial statements you should make are holding statements (see our earlier blog entitled Part 1 of what to do in a PR crisis). Otherwise, you essentially should be rephrasing and sharing the questions you asked your staff and the answers you were given.  Basically you’re going to say that your team is still investigating details of the incident to make sure it never happens again, but your immediate priority is to better understand the full impact to those effected and how best, and most quickly to help them.

It’s only on day two, after more facts are known and cooler heads prevail, that you can start delivering answers and rallying support for specific actions. 

If there’s a general uproar over the crisis, you can also ask rhetorical questions.  For example, if the crisis is a criminal act made against your company, ask aloud who would do such a heinous thing effecting so many. Share in the public outcry and frustration, but be careful in pointing blame outwards if you suspect a member of your team might be involved.

As the leader, your job when a crisis hits is to ask questions and support your teams in resolving the immediate threat.  After the immediate pressure of the crisis subsides, your job refocuses into identifying what caused the problem and initiating a long-term fix to avoid a repeat of the crisis and regain the confidence of your customers and the public.

A fantastic example and story of how to deploy the 24 hours of questions before providing answers strategy can be heard in a podcast called Without Fail where in an episode featuring Dayton, Ohio Mayor Nan Whaley talks about the immediate aftermath of the mass shooting outside a Dayton entertainment area called the Oregon District. Here’s a link to the episode https://gimletmedia.com/shows/without-fail/v4h8ow including a transcript of the discussion.

Why PR Campaigns Should Be Run Like Political Election Campaigns

by Josh

A lot of people are rejoicing that the elections have ended.  Their elation isn’t necessarily about who won, but simply that they’re thrilled that the campaign ads are finally over!  For me, campaign season never ends, because I believe that the best public relations campaigns should be run like a political campaign- and that’s how we set our strategies for our clients. Let me explain.

Some of you may know that in the late 90s I used to work in politics— hardcore Illinois “machine” politics at that– before moving to Arizona and formally starting my career in public relations.   Working on multiple campaigns across the State, I learned several lessons which I still use today.

Plan backwards. What does a politician want when they start running for office? To win!  In order to do that, the candidate needs 50 percent of the votes plus 1 on election day.  Not today, but on election day.  So if election day is 15 months from now, circle election day on the calendar and start planning backwards to reach your goal.  For example, if the vote were held today and you were only at 35% and the vote was 15 months away, if you increase your percentage 1% each month you’ll be at 50% on election day.

When we first engage with a client, we want to know their end goal, and when they want to achieve that goal. We then plan backwards to get them there on time. It won’t happen the first month, but if we do our job right, we’ll get closer to their end goal every month and ultimately achieve our client’s desired result.

Make your negative your positive. Every candidate has a flaw that will be attacked or something which might turn off some voters.  The best politicians can acknowledge the negative and the best campaign managers will prepare a response to an attack in advance and will even work to turn that perceived negative in to a positive.   We view our role as a PR pro as the company’s campaign manager- identifying flaws and dealing with them head-on before they become fatal.  Sharing with media and the public how a flaw was fixed is often a great way to build confidence, gain support and grow a company.

Know what you want people to remember before you start talking. A good politician walks in to any speech knowing what they want to tell their audience before they say a single word.  A company needs to know what take-away they want their customers, prospects and employees to remember and feel before any action they take.  The public relations strategy and wording used needs to mirror the intended take-away.

Be consistent. It’s hard to trust a flip-flopper, so repeat the same message as often as possible.  Only then will people hear it and remember it.

Own it. In the rare cases where you must do a flip-flop, own it.  Explain why the change was the right thing to do.  People are more than willing to forgive a mistake, but only if you own it and don’t hide it.

There’s a lot more I learned working in politics which I credit to how we create strong, effective PR campaigns for our clients.  But, for the rest of this month, let’s all take a deep breath and just enjoy the end of the non-stop political attack ads.  Please?!?!?

Written by Josh Weiss, President, 10 to 1 Public Relations, josh@10to1pr.com

Are Reporters a Pain in the Ass?

by Josh

This recent exchange between a reporter and Senator Lindsey Graham applies to business too, not just politics.

Reporter: Do you believe the news media is the enemy of the people?

Sen. Lindsey Graham: “No, I think the press in America is a check and balance on power. … Sometimes you can be a pain in the ass, but you’re not the enemy of the people.”

I often am asked by clients if they can have a reporter’s questions in advance or if they can review a story before it runs.  I do understand this from their perspective. They want their story told in a certain way and want to look as good as possible.

But reporters aren’t writing advertisements for your company.  If you want an ad, go pay for it.

Reporters are supposed to give their readers information that they believe is timely and important for them to know. It’s not their job to care if you like the final story or not.  Their job is facts and accuracy, and making sure the reader sees value in what they learned from the story.

The truth is, not every story is worth telling. I hate being a buzz kill, but pretty often I have to pop a client’s balloon and tell them their story idea won’t get the coverage they desire.  Yes, a good PR strategy can put “lipstick on the pig” to make an otherwise tired story more interesting, timely and worthy of a reporter’s consideration. We do that all the time with excellent results- but that’s a different blog for a different time.

The point is, reporters are the main gatekeeper to what’s ultimately a story and what’s not. Respect that and use it to your advantage, don’t fight it, because you’ll lose.

And yes, I can agree, sometimes reporters ARE as Lindsey Graham put it, a pain in the ass. Why?  Because it’s their job to dig in and find the real story, to share new information that hasn’t already been told that they can give to their readers.  After all, it’s called NEWS not OLDS.

  • If your business wants a story about a major purchase or contract win, the first thing the reporter is going to ask is for detailed numbers. It’s a legitimate, important detail of their story.  Don’t be surprised if they push you for an answer.
  • If you make a claim in an announcement that something is new, you better be able to easily explain how it really is new and not the same story you tried to share six months earlier.
  • If you want coverage on your company doing a food drive or participating in a 5k during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Figure out what makes your effort unique and different from all the other companies doing similar things. Why should a reporter choose you for the story over someone else, or even worse, why should they do the story at all when it’s already been told several times?

The reporter isn’t being an pain for asking hard questions or questions you don’t want to answer.  They’re doing their job. If you want good stories, give good answers. When we are pitching stories, we always look for a unique visual way to describe the story. We offer stats and details. We give them different story angles to choose from.  The easier you make it for them (and us) to tell the story you want—the full story—the more likely you’ll get the story you want.

The vast majority of reporters are good, honest reporters.  They genuinely try to tell the story minus any personal or political bias. When you read a normal news story, you don’t read it thinking about who wrote it or that their personal opinion was included in the story.

That’s not to say that a reporter’s past personal experiences or implicit bias doesn’t influence what they write, but there’s a big difference of a reporter trying to be anonymous and simply provide facts within a story and a Columnist or reviewer writing in the first person whose job it is to try and “be” the story or create conversation and disagreement.

Let me leave one last thought. Sometimes, even when you get the story, you might find it’s not as robust or glowing as we expected.  The story might leave out information we consider important, but the reporter didn’t include. Complaining doesn’t help.  At worse, it could even result in the client becoming the pain in the butt not the reporter (at least in the eyes of a PR firm!!).

The truth is, we just need to accept it and be happy we got the story at all.  I still rather get an okay story than no story for a client.  Every collected drip of coverage combines to create a pool of long-term goodwill (if you’re unfamiliar with this concept, watch the video at www.10to1pr.com).

by Josh Weiss