A Wall Street Journal front-page headline recently grabbed my attention. It read, "Is All Publicity Good Publicity?"

The answer to that in my mind is emphatically "No." This is especially the case for All Points Public Relations' clients. Our clients are businesses and entrepreneurs that are putting an incredible amount of energy, resources, time and emotions into their businesses. An erroneous or damaging story could have a significantly negative impact on their business.

How do companies that want good press ensure positive publicity locally and nationally? And, what happens when the unexpected occurs? How does a company mitigate or avoid damaging coverage?

Let's start with the first point made. When working with a PR firm such as All Points PR, a Chicago PR Agency] working primarily in the franchise industry, it is important that you make the team working on your account a full-fledged member of your inner circle, entrusting them with information and insights about your company. The good and the bad, the pretty and the ugly, all the information that the team needs to accurately develop media strategies that drive positive results. Good **PR firms** can weave your good news into compelling media pitches, and can develop messaging needed to overcome any damaging information that may come to light through the press. Likewise, PR representatives worth their weight in gold can control the direction of coverage, managing the conversation about your brand so that only the news you want in the press gets to the press, whether through direct media pitches, press releases, social media, etc.

This leads us nicely into the second point discussed above unexpected occurrences that could lead to negative press. Here, your PR team moves into crisis communications mode. But, prior to that, a seasoned PR team will have already set down a foundation to make this work of managing a crisis as easy as possible. They should be able to call on media contacts to dispel any rumors, to squelch negativity brewing and to issue a media statement if needed. Secondly, a plan will be in place to overcome negative online fodder and to re-direct the overall discussion about the brand towards something more positive.

So, is any publicity good publicity? NO. Can you avoid damaging press by making sure your PR agency is "in the know" and is equipped to share accurate information? YES.

This is a 50,000 foot overview of a much more in-depth topic that we can discuss for hours, or for just a few minutes if you prefer. Give us a buzz and we can talk about designing a public relations strategy that fits your goals and gets you the good publicity you want for your business.

The other day I came across an article about why press releases are effective communication tools. I was particularly struck by the story because in this day and age of brevity everything the guest author wrote I agreed with regarding press releases.

Fact is: reporters, bloggers and producers use press releases to craft their stories. When written properly, press releases contain the who, what, where, when and how of the story. For instance, leading up to the grand opening of a new store, a press release can and should be written to convey the excitement the business has about welcoming the community in along with details about the owners/management team. The press release should be written in a way that conveys timeliness and proximity with a news hook that reinforces an emotional appeal that could convince a reporter to do a story.

Press releases are an important part in the publicity process. They are a support tool, but are not the answer to getting press coverage. Simply sending out a press release will not get you the result you want.

Your best results come from pitching the press with persistence and an emotional draw a hook that convinces the media to cover the story you are pitching. There is a whole art to pitching the press, but that's not what this blog post is about.

The proliferation of social media has shortened many of our attention spans to write and read press releases. Reporters aren't excluded from this. Very rarely will they read press releases sent to them out of the blue. They don't have the time to read press releases amid all the other research, interviewing and writing they are doing.

However, once you've convinced them to do the story the press release becomes their best friend and a crucial part of their information gathering.

Additionally, in some cases news organizations can use press releases as straight content for their papers and websites. Typically it is smaller market press that from time to time choose to run press releases as submitted to them.

Press releases become most effective for significant news announcements such as the launch of new divisions, new locations, new hires, grand openings, partnerships, franchise development, and charitable contributions. They can also be used in unfortunate times of business crises as a critical communication tool. Crisis communications plans always should have a press release component to keep the press accurately informed.

Keep in mind there are other communication tools that work, but when called for, press releases serve an important purpose. Encourage your PR firm to write press releases. If you should need help in this effort, All Points Public Relations welcomes the opportunity to show you how we can achieve your publicity goals.

I recently had a conversation with the head of a nationwide IT staffing firm. We talked about why companies continue to hire talented IT professionals and what is driving the need for their services.

The conversation got me thinking about the magnitude of how bleak the job market is at this point. Truth is, there are only a few industries that haven't been overpowered by the prevailing recession in terms of hiring. Technology is one of them and there are a few others, home health care and consulting have been noted in reports as strong sectors.

A study came out this week that highlights the limited number of jobs available to today's professionals. Check out the Wall Street Journal's coverage of the report.

I think this study is something for us entrepreneurs to take note of given the sectors in which many of us operate. When reading, take into consideration your customers and your current and future employees. This certainly sheds light on where your business may fit into the overall economic landscape right now.

It's the people. The people of franchising that I can connect with on so many levels. They are the reason why I have completely fallen for the industry.

The bonds that I've formed as a pr consultant within franchising over the years have opened my eyes to countless new personal and professional discoveries. I know millions worldwide feel the same way about franchising's impact on their lives. That shared respect for the industry is what keeps franchising moving forward. Whether at the local level or at company headquarters, franchising feeds the fire in all of us.

It truly brings out the best in us. We share a common passion for perfection, a belief that we must always go beyond expectations. I think this need to succeed comes from a vibe that emanates out of all of us. The energy I feel, which I think many of us can relate to, stems from our entrepreneurial instincts. We in franchising are optimists by nature but pragmatic in what we do. We have hard time wasting time and setting daily goals isn't about punching in or pounding the keyboard. it's about progress that pushes our visions forward. For us, the future is now; tomorrow is just as important as today.

We're franchisors, franchisees and suppliers. Our organizations may serve different purposes but the drive deep inside of us is the same. And, it serves all of us well because we relish the opportunity to inspire each other to reach our potential.

Most importantly, the people of franchising harness their talents to support others. It is this element that is unique to franchising. Innovation occurs at all levels and is then shared throughout franchise systems. Franchisors develop new products, franchisees share best practices and suppliers turn visions into reality. Our businesses become better because of each other. We're independent but gladly reap the benefits of working collaboratively. No other industry I've come across offers this much independence with as much networking and sharing.

It feels good to be a piece of a larger whole that is working together.