It’s time for an advanced lesson in public relations.

What happens when you can’t get traction for a story, no matter how hard you pitch it? Or worse, when journalists tell you, “that’s not a story.”

When this happens, it is time to redefine the narrative.

In journalism and PR, the story narrative is crucial to success. Without a strong narrative, there will never be a media placement, regardless of how many contacts you have in the media.

During my years as a news producer with NBC and CBS, there were many times I pursued a story only to discover that the story I thought I was pursuing - changed. When this happened, we had two options – kill the story or salvage it.

I came across a letter that Mick Jagger wrote to Andy Warhol after he hired him to create his next album cover. Most people know Andy Warhol was eccentric and creative – and not exactly easy to work with. But he was an artist and created masterpieces. He was also a superstar publicist at the root, elevating the value of his artwork. (I wrote an article about this for Forbes, which you can read here).

Over the years, I’ve worked with many CEOs, CMOs, entrepreneurs and junior marketing managers. I’ve found the companies that got the most out of MACIAS PR let our creative energies run. And the clients who thought they knew more about the media than us and micromanaged our strategy typically didn’t see the same results as the clients who trusted our judgment.

There are great lessons on how to manage a creative team in this letter. You will put the pieces together if you read the letter.

There’s a popular question we frequently hear from business owners: How can PR grow my business, and how do I measure it?

I’ve written extensively on here and other outlets, like Forbes and Entrepreneur, on how to measure the ROI of PR. You can read those articles here.

A successful PR campaign must be targeted to the right audience for the best results. A PR campaign that is focused around business development should always target publications that your customers read.

This is one of the strategies that MACIAS PR takes with every campaign. We are driven by results that delivery metrics that your business needs.

One of the first questions we ask potential clients is – what is the purpose of this PR campaign? The answer will help us develop an effective strategy that gets your product or service in front of customers.

So how can PR help you close sales?

Want to get the most out of your PR firm or publicist? Try showing a little empathy with your team and see how it leads to better results.

Most experienced entrepreneurs and sales leaders understand the value of empathy, but unfortunately – when it comes to outside vendors – it’s frequently forgotten. I’ve observed and experienced this inside and outside of the PR business.

As a former Executive Producer with NBC, I always showed empathy with my producers and reporters because I genuinely felt their pain. I recognized when employees needed a break to recharge their mind and body, or when a family issue needed time outside of work. It might not have been financially aligned with the corporate spreadsheet but it always inspired more productivity and loyalty.

Plus, it was the right thing to do.

In this era of tight employment and waning worker loyalty, empathy needs to be on a higher level. You can’t fake it because workers will see through it in time.

Unfortunately, when it comes to hiring an outside PR firm or publicist, we don’t get to experience empathy until after the contract is signed. Over the last decade of running this agency, I’ve seen how clients who value our work with a spreadsheet are typically the most difficult. They ignite more stress. In the worst situations, they believe they know more about the media than me and undermine every decision.

Here’s a closer look at some of the warning signs that suggest you might need to do an empathy check. And if you have empathy, trust me, the best pr firms will always want to work with you and usually at a lower price.

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.

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.”

I found an old email today that details an article I wrote for a PR agency when I was at CBS. They asked me to write an article on the biggest mistakes I see publicists make. This podcast outlines the most common mistakes I saw publicists make while I was in the media.

There is no official “right” or “wrong” way to draft a press release but there are definitely “dos” and “don’ts” that will either increase or decrease your chances of getting a reporter’s attention. Here are a few of the biggest mistakes I see publicists make with their press releases time and time again.

I got an email on Linkedin last week from a professional connection, promoting a service. It was about publicity so naturally it got my attention.

He opened his email with a provocative statement that appealed to every entrepreneur’s core.

“Publicity is the most under used method to get attention, yet the media is starving for stories.”

Could it be possible that the media is starving for stories and getting publicity is the most under used method to get attention?

Sorry to burst your bubble but this soon-to-be-deleted Linkedin contact is shoveling perfume-scented manure to his professional contacts.