Welcome to Headlines, a free newsletter published by Polaris Public Relations with practical information about the PR industry.

Be Prepared--Volume I, Number 1: PR and Crisis Communication

A crisis can happen at any time and without warning. The best defense is to prepare in advance. While no one can thoroughly plan for every conceivable risk, Polaris Public Relations can help your organization with some likely scenarios.

Can PR boost your bottom line?--Volume I, Number 2: Public Relations Programs and Positive Business Results

Want to kick-start your business? A powerful public relations program can help attract customers while stretching your marketing dollars and building credible exposure for your company.

What is news?--Volume I, Number 3: Developing Your Media Relations Plan

Positive media coverage can help your company achieve many business objectives. It can generate awareness, establish credibility and build profile, to name a few.

Visualize your news--Volume II, Number 1: Media, PR and Strong Visuals

While making sure you have the right wording and messaging in written materials is a critical first step, many practitioners tend to underestimate the contribution that a good visual can bring to securing media coverage.

Selecting the right PR firm--Volume II, Number 2: Public Relations Companies Aren't All the Same

Looking for a PR firm? While the process sounds simple, it’s not uncommon for companies to leap into a relationship only to be dissatisfied once the honeymoon is over. The key to developing a mutually beneficial partnership is to do the groundwork before making a commitment.

Knock, knock: Media calling…now what?--Volume II, Number 3: PR Planning for Media Interviews

When media come calling, it’s essential to buy yourself a bit of time to properly prepare for an interview (no matter how tight the deadline). One mishandled media interview will have a lasting impact on the journalist and they may never come back for seconds.

The Fine Art of Key Messages--Volume II, Number 4: PR and Developing Consistent Messages for the Media

In most cases, media interviews are brief and provide limited opportunities to get your message across. Plus, the editing process means that many of your answers end up on the cutting room floor. Any interview, regardless of length, may result in as little as one single quote in the final article. The key is making that phrase count.

Communicating your messages--Volume II, Number 5: Making a Media Interview Work For You

How to make sure your key messages are communicated during an interview. Remember you can’t control what media are going to ask you, but you can make sure you don’t get too far "off message" while still providing an informative – and useful – interview.

Some Cookies for Your Thoughts--Volume II, Number 6: PR Language Quiz

For a change of pace, Headlines has put together a few simple multiple choice questions to test your knowledge of PR lingo.

Getting the best mileage from your PR planning--Volume III, Number 1: Evaluating Your Public Relations Plan

With a full year of PR potential ahead of you, it’s important to gain a clear understanding of your business and communications objectives. In other words, if you don’t know where you’re going, it’s hard to get there.

The Online Newsroom How Does Yours Score?--Volume III, Number 2: PR and Designing a Media Friendly Website

Remember, your web site is not just a sales tool. It is an important resource for journalists to check out your latest news, get background information on your company, confirm facts and find the contacts they need. The last thing they want to do is spend extra time wading through flash intros, complicated links or file downloads, so create a media friendly web site

Manulife Financial and Portus – a PR coup--Volume III, Number 3: A Public Relations Management Case Study

Find out what steps Manulife Financial took to preserve its image as a company of integrity after what could have turned out to be a public relations nightmare.

The power of the press--Volume III, Number 4: PR and Getting Media Attention

If you’re trying to gain traction for an issue or cause, getting a foothold with a high profile media outlet is a compelling force that can often lead to swift and definitive action.

Sometimes a low profile is the best profile--Volume III, Number 5: PR and Avoiding the Media Spotlight

When faced with an emerging issue or crisis, damage control is often a tricky business. This scenario is especially true when it comes to "no win" situations when there is nothing to gain and plenty to lose in the media spotlight.

Back to basics--Volume IV, Number 1: Common Sense PR

Effective communication can typically be achieved by following some basic principles. It never ceases to surprise us, however, how even experienced spokespeople lose sight of these basics and stumble—often badly.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future newsletter, or have a comment on this one, email us at info@polarisprinc.com.