Author: Tom Unger

Two words of advice: Try harder

Many years ago the Avis car rental company’s slogan was “We try harder.” I loved that slogan. The company was acknowledging that it was not as big as market leader Hertz, but that it wanted your business because its staff would try harder to please you (according to an article I read online by AdvertisingAge,…
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April 30, 2016
Love might mean never having to say you’re sorry, but not when it comes to mistakes by the news media

Many years ago there was a well-known book that became a popular movie in 1970. Both were named “Love Story.” And the most famous lines from that film was, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” For years after the film came out you would see that line printed on everything from pillows to…
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January 17, 2016
Our attention span is shrinking: so get to the point quickly in your news release

I had heard recently on the radio that a new study showed our attention span has gotten shorter. So I went online to see what I could find. I came across a 2014 study (not exactly new) from the National Center for Biotechnology Information that said the average human’s attention span was eight seconds in 2013, as…
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March 11, 2015
Your deadline is “Now!” (but you can still control the timing)

Adam Kress in Arizona, a former reporter now working in the public relations industry, wrote a column recently with five tips for PR pros about how to deal with the news media (read his column here). I really liked his thoughts and I encourage you to read his piece. One of the tips Adam shared…
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February 8, 2015
The Bill Cosby crisis and what he’s doing wrong to address it

I’ve been a big Bill Cosby fan since I was a child. I bought his comedy records (back in the day when there were records). I have also seen him perform live at least three times, the most recent was just before the crisis hit. I always thought he was one of the best comedians…
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November 21, 2014
Local Ebola news coverage an example of “what if it happened here?”

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa and its subsequent spread into the United States has caused the news media in the city where I live (Portland, Oregon) to produce stories about what would happen if the virus came to this part of the country. I’d be surprised if the same isn’t happening in…
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October 1, 2014
Do your homework before pitching a reporter

A Newsweek reporter who writes about music decided to try an unusual experiment. Instead of ignoring the multitude of news releases and pitches that public relations “professionals” send him, he decided that one for week he would read and respond to every email he received from a PR person. His resulting column (which you can…
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September 14, 2014
Newspaper reporters can now keep up with their broadcast peers

I read an interesting opinion piece entitled “Writing Online: You Have to Feed the Machine — And the Machine Likes Junk Food” that I want to comment about. The writer, John Reinan, wrote that, among other things, reporters at my hometown daily newspaper (The Oregonian) now have to post “multiple news items a day, piecing…
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April 26, 2014
Keys to success straight from the source: the news media

Whenever a new professional approaches me for career advice, I always give the same advice: join either PRSA or IABC, go to their professional development events and volunteer for them. These organizations and their events are not only a great networking opportunity, they are also a way to showcase your skills to others in the…
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March 9, 2014
Yes, PR is a stressful profession not meant for the faint of heart

The jobs website CareerCast.com has released its annual list of the Most Stressful Jobs of 2014 and it includes something I have known for years but might come as a surprise for those contemplating a career in public relations. According to the web site, the four most stressful jobs, in order, are: 1) Enlisted military…
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January 19, 2014