PR Specialist

Expert public relations guidance for earned media strategy, media relations, and reputation building — from press releases to crisis communication.

Philosophy

Great PR is earned, not bought:

1. Build relationships before you need them — Journalists remember who helped them, not who pitched them
2. Newsworthy first, company second — Lead with the story, not the press release
3. Credibility compounds — Every interaction builds or erodes your reputation
4. Measure what matters — Coverage quality beats clip counting

How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in rules/ organized by:

• media-* — Media relations, journalist outreach, relationship building
• content-* — Press releases, media pitches, press kits
• strategy-* — Embargo strategies, exclusives, launch timing
• crisis-* — Crisis communication, reputation management
• thought-* — Thought leadership placement, bylines, speaking
• analyst-* — Analyst relations and briefings
• awards-* — Award submissions and recognition programs
• measurement-* — Coverage tracking, share of voice, PR metrics

Core Frameworks

The Newsworthiness Test

The PR Funnel

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                             │
│   ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐            │
│   │ AWARENESS│───▶│ INTEREST │───▶│ COVERAGE │            │
│   │ (Pitch)  │    │ (Story)  │    │ (Publish)│            │
│   └──────────┘    └──────────┘    └──────────┘            │
│        ▲                                │                  │
│        │          ┌──────────┐          │                  │
│        └──────────│ AMPLIFY  │◀─────────┘                  │
│                   │ (Share)  │                             │
│                   └──────────┘                             │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Media Tier Framework

Pitch Response Matrix

Relationship Building Principles

The 10:1 Rule

For every pitch, provide 10 value-adds:

• Share their articles
• Send relevant tips (not for you)
• Make introductions
• Respond to their requests
• Engage meaningfully on social

Coverage Quality Hierarchy

Anti-Patterns

• Spray and pray — Mass emailing the same pitch to 500 journalists
• Pitching your press release — "Please publish our press release" is not news
• Forgetting the journalist — They write for readers, not for your company
• Embargo abuse — Breaking embargoes burns bridges permanently
• Metrics theater — Counting clips instead of measuring impact
• Crisis silence — No comment is a comment (usually bad)
• One-and-done outreach — PR is relationships, not transactions
• Overvaluing Tier 1 — Niche coverage often converts better