The PR Masterclass: How to develop a public relations strategy that works!

I bought The PR Masterclass because I was attracted by the Author's background as a journalist. But I read it in a sitting because it's well written.I've given the book a 5 star rating for:- Ease of reading- Practical advice- New ideasTo my great relief I think I have been doing PR (more-or-less) right. Actually I had always felt a bit weird about the common advice to hassle journos about 'did you get my email' - so I never did it but secretly I always wondered if I was being sensitive, or just lazy!One point Singleton makes about why pay for performance is an ethical dilemma actually changed my mind on this topic.But the chapter I loved best was on the art of writing to the letters page. Brilliant. I had never really thought of using the letters page as a PR option before; but it is one of the most read pages in the paper, isn't it. I'll definitely be giving this a try.That single chapter would get me a strong rating.I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who is new to in-house PR and also as a frank perspective on the industry for marketers who have (the misfortune) to deal with professional PR firms.

I've been a PR Director for nearly a decade. This book is not the end-all, be-all of public relations, and there is nothing particularly groundbreaking in it.That being said, it is a good entry-level foray in the world of publicity and promotion, and would be a thoughtful addition to the reading list of any young and aspiring professional.

An easy read on PR with many examples, tips and insights. Would have liked to read about how to structure a successful PR campaign from beginning to end using traditional PR and social media. Overall a good and interesting read.

Great read! Gives a lot of good resources and tips.

Really good book. I made all my communications assistants read it.

It was a good review for those in the PR field and has tips for those who are not in the PR field.

I loved the conversational tone of this book and way that it told a story with clear subtitles so I knew what was coming in each chapter and section. As a marketing practitioner I found it very easy to read and loved the footnotes to go and find out more if we wanted to. It definitely broke down any myths about PR and focused on the real essentials of successful rapport building with the media..Many of the top tips were about tailoring of the approach to the style of each editor and publication and listening more closely to their needs which as the author says is common sense but so often forgotten. I also (like the other reviewers) liked the section about writing letters and the solid advice and pros and cons of pay by results.Quality matters and the advice given in this book is well researched based on real experience and shared with some good humour.I would recommend this book for anyone who works in marketing and has always seen PR as a dark art or for those who wish to hire a PR agency and want to better understand how to hire a good one.

Outstanding. Alex Singleton's experience as an effective press release writer shows through in the way he quickly gets to the meat of the PR process, delivering critical information that any beginning (or seasoned) PR professional needs to know. I very much enjoyed his take on the new media, and his no-nonsense approach to old standards (such as the by-line) versus the needs of the new media professional. This book is a must. I have already ordered another as a gift for a friend who is starting out in the public relations field. Wonderful work!

As a young PR professional, who had entered the industry following a career change, I struggled to find any practical advice that my colleagues had gleaned from university courses and hard-earned work experience. I read mountains of academia on public relations, but none of this helped further than understanding the industry.I ordered Alex Singleton's book as part of my endeavour to be better at the job I desperately wanted to do well, and I half expected it to be the usual slightly out-of-date industry data and historical theory that I had previously read.What I gained instead was an incredibly valuable series of tips and tricks that have come from somebody who understands both the journalists' plight of the overflowing inbox and the PR's struggle to break through to create relationships with the media.The PR Masterclass helped me to understand what I was selling and how to make it work for the media I was targeting. It gave me the dos and dont's that proved unsurprisingly effective in generating results. It also gave me new ideas of things to integrate into a campaign.All aspiring PR professionals should read this book - the most accurate review that I can give is this: it gives you common-sense strategies that you don't seem to have thought of already.

A must read for any self respecting PR practitioner. Provides authoritative how-to-do guidance on media relations - a key area of public relations practice. The author's easy-going style belies a deep insight of a polymath, who draws widely on his references with many current day case studies and examples, as well as inspiration from some of the all-time greats of communications.Perhaps it should be called 'PR Media Relations Masterclass' with its focus on media relations, rather than a broad survey of al branches of PR practice. Any future edition would also benefit from checklists at the end of each chapter to guide the reader into how best implement the wealth of intelligent, sensible guidance.

Depending on where you are in your career, this book can be viewed as either a revelation or an affirmation, and in either instance, should be owned by every communications professional that regularly interacts with the press.This book is equally applicable to both the PR junior looking for a solid and meaningful start in the industry, and the communications veteran taking stock of their skill set.It gives a nod to the world of academia, but also details a wealth of experience garnered in the real world that is invaluable to the modern professional communicator.It is written with a genuine wish to improve the relations between PR people and journalists, with a humour and frankness that is refreshing.Bottom line; buy, beg, borrow or steal a copy for yourself (preferably buy, obviously), you'll thank me later.

I haven’t finished the book yet, I’m about half way through. So you’re probably thinking that I should have finished it before recommending it.But that’s how good it is, I’m only half way through and I’m already singing its praises.Despite being having a highly successful career, Alex Singleton comes across as a down to earth guy, with genuine advice. His book is both interesting and an easy read. This is what you want out of a career advice book, there’s nothing worse than having to stop every couple of lines to google the definition of some jargon or other.The book is divided into chapters and useful sub-sections, so (although I don’t recommend it) you could in theory just skip to the bits you need to learn most about. The book does not waste a word, with every page full of tips and suggestions. Alex Singleton also intersperses the book with his own personal experiences and antidotes, which gives the book a human feel and in some cases even acts as motivation.One of the nice things about the book is that it gives you a real PR pro’s views on a lot of the theories and myths you’re sure to come across online. Alex Singleton’s uses the book to share personal experiences and research to suggest and warn against certain tools that a quick Google search will tell you are a must. He also answers the age old question everyone starting out, or wanting to start out in PR has probably asked at some point - how long should a press release be?There is one other thing I would recommend buying if you invest in this book; a writing pad and highlighter, or just a highlighter if you don’t have my innate horror of writing in books. Because you are sure to find snippets that you’ll want to be able to quickly refer back to, such as useful websites. There are points in it where the advice is common sense, however it is nice to be reminded of it, because when your chasing the next lesson or tip it can be easy to lay aside the things you already know, and should be doing but aren’t.Now this is admittedly a bit superficial, and I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But it does have a great cover. The bright colours and clean design are inviting, you can pick up this book with a cup of tea and not feel like cup of tea and not feel like you’re about to start school revision all over again.So basically, if you want a career in PR, or want to improve skills you already kind of have, get this on your Amazon wish-list.I

I'm an in-house Marketing Director currently managing a PR firm on retainer. Before that I was an agency PR, so I have experience from both sides. Soon I'll be joining a new commercial organisation in a dedicated PR and comms role so needed to refresh my thinking and approaches. This book is the perfect read, affirming what I already know but also providing some real nuggets of information. About to order further books from Alex's recommended reading list too. Highly recommend!