Our Take

Public relations and communications professionals have many skills in our toolboxes that we develop and refine over our careers. One of the most important—and one of the least discussed—is the power of empathy. It could be called a skill sharpener because it can make every other tool we deploy more effective. Seeing the world from […]

The eerie, high-pitched singing of billions of cicadas is once again permeating the Washington, D.C. area, and for me, their amazing return is a fitting symbol of rebirth─after the lifting of the COVID-19 shutdown, the blooming of new spring flowers, and the exhilarating feeling of finally being able to hug our friends and families again. […]

This article also appeared in PR News. When our clients ask our team to help them grow their membership or reach a new audience, we usually begin with message testing. It’s a critical part of the process for a solid communications strategy. Unfortunately, it is often skipped due to tight deadlines or limited budgets. But […]

This article also appeared in Bulldog Reporter. Everyone needs an editor. In our world of public relations, everyone is a writer and an editor at some point. Here are some tips for being a better editor, whether you are reviewing the work of a colleague or giving your own first draft one last look: Read […]

Even with less commute time, there still never seems to be quite enough hours in the workday. However, by incorporating some strategy, you can continue your professional development without too much trouble. After fully embracing the term “maximizing” to describe my life approach, I’ve come up with ways to make time for the important things, […]

Kindness. Recovery. Brightness. These are some of the words my colleagues used during a recent Zoom meeting to describe their hopes and expectations for 2021. Several shared news of a friend’s pregnancy, an engagement, a pleasant family milestone, or possible vacation. Their energy and optimism reminded me that despite the pain and chaos of the […]

This article previously appeared in Bulldog Reporter. Promoting the thought-leadership profile of our clients is a hallmark capability of The Reis Group and something that we do for our health care clients regularly. As the pandemic continues to threaten the health and economy of our nation, and social injustice issues still occupy center stage, it’s […]

Whether you’ve been working in health, public health, media, or public relations, or you’re just a human trying to survive, 2020 has been an unforgettable and bizarre experience. Endless depressing case counts and deaths. COVID-19 special reports. White House coronavirus briefings. CDC, WHO and Task Force updates and trending hashtags about PPE, testing, ventilators and […]

This article originally appeared in O’Dwyer’s October 2020 Healthcare Issue. Failure to stay relevant is a catastrophe for PR professionals. For 2020, relevancy is the primary determinant of success in the era of COVID-19. For all of us, not just those in health care communications, this has been a year of chaos. We were forced […]

A popular theory of evolution serves as a good analogy for approaches to media pitching, whether we are promoting scientific research or increasing awareness of a health issue. In biology, organisms are classified according to the evolutionary “strategies” they use for reproduction and long-term survival of the species. Humans and elephants are known as “K-selected” […]