“Play Ball”: The Swerve Pitch

When I was a rookie media-relations practitioner, I learned from my then-boss the secrets to avoiding the swerve pitch, which is sending a story idea or a media release with incorrect information. She had me double check every detail before I contacted a reporter....

“The Bartel Years(TM)” Back Story: The Marriage

The marriage of necessity and ingenuity for Bartel Communications, Inc., resulted in the birth of “The Bartel Years(TM),” the roster of business anniversary symbols for a century of business anniversary promotional campaigns. To help companies use...

“The Bartel Years(TM)” Back Story: The Engagement

Every marriage begins with the engagement. The engagement for “The Bartel Years(TM)” began in 2006 at a Bartel Communications’ staff meeting. One agenda item was how to celebrate the firm’s 10th business anniversary the following year. We...

“Play Ball”: The Thumbs-Down Pitch

In baseball, a changeup is thrown so it looks like a fastball but takes its time arriving at the plate. The media relations’ version is called the thumbs-down. The thumbs-down pitch involves sending an event-announcement media release less than two weeks before...