New Year’s resolutions for PR pros

Take a long and hard look at your public relations efforts during 2012. Did you get remarkable (and measurable) results for your organization/clients? Did you grow as a professional? Did you keep up with all of the latest trends and tactics? Did you come up with new and unique ways to get your key messages out?

If you can answer with an emphatic “yes” to all of the above, then congratulations, and stop wasting your time reading this post.

If, on the other hand, you know there are things you could be doing (or doing better) to serve your organization/clients, then the following list of New Year’s resolutions may be of help:

1. Learn how to be an online stalker. The best way to connect with a reporter/blogger is to know as much as possible about them. The more you know about the writer/broadcaster, the better prepared you’ll be when you pitch them. Fortunately, the Web provides you with endless opportunities to learn about journalists’ beats, their interests, what they’re currently focusing on, and even what they value. Virtually every reporter has a Twitter handle, a Facebook account, and/or a blog. Follow them closely to get inside their heads and their hearts. Use this knowledge to pitch them in ways that will be targeted and meaningful.