Phil Elwood

If the media is the lion in this analogy, you want to be the second slowest gazelle because the slowest gets eaten by the media. The lead one gets mentioned in the story. But if you're right there in the middle of the pack, no one notices you. So say you're a company involved in an oil spill.

If the media is the lion in this analogy, you want to be the second slowest gazelle because the slowest gets eaten by the media. The lead one gets mentioned in the story. But if you're right there in the middle of the pack, no one notices you. So say you're a company involved in an oil spill.

and you make a part that malfunctions, you wanna point to the owner of the oil company rather than your part that malfunction. This is a hypothetical example. You wanna point to the bigger bad guy and say, write the story about them, not us, and just push the media towards a bigger villain. Every industry has multiple competitors. So if your company is being targeted by a reporter,

and you make a part that malfunctions, you wanna point to the owner of the oil company rather than your part that malfunction. This is a hypothetical example. You wanna point to the bigger bad guy and say, write the story about them, not us, and just push the media towards a bigger villain. Every industry has multiple competitors. So if your company is being targeted by a reporter,

and there's a bigger villain, point the reporter out to the bigger villain. Or if your company, say, makes a product that's defective, say it's a lack of government oversight. Blame the government. They're generally a good villain.

and there's a bigger villain, point the reporter out to the bigger villain. Or if your company, say, makes a product that's defective, say it's a lack of government oversight. Blame the government. They're generally a good villain.

Yes, it happens sometimes where you provide someone with a fee for writing an op-ed that supports your client. That happens from time to time. Other firms have done this to great success. There are a lot of former government officials who say used to work at the SEC or used to work at the FCC even.

Yes, it happens sometimes where you provide someone with a fee for writing an op-ed that supports your client. That happens from time to time. Other firms have done this to great success. There are a lot of former government officials who say used to work at the SEC or used to work at the FCC even.

And if your client is in trouble with that agency, you can often go to them, engage them as a consultant to your client and get them to sign an op-ed that supports what your client is doing or trying to do or why somebody else is a bigger villain. So yes, they're often referred to as coin-operated advocates. It's a really terrible practice that I don't engage in anymore.

And if your client is in trouble with that agency, you can often go to them, engage them as a consultant to your client and get them to sign an op-ed that supports what your client is doing or trying to do or why somebody else is a bigger villain. So yes, they're often referred to as coin-operated advocates. It's a really terrible practice that I don't engage in anymore.

incredibly common it's used far too often there is absolutely no regulation of it it's not good it's very devious it's another one that i don't engage in one strategy that is used is called detonate the bomb in a safe location so what this is this is a very dangerous strategy by the way if a negative story is going to come out about your client in a major publication

incredibly common it's used far too often there is absolutely no regulation of it it's not good it's very devious it's another one that i don't engage in one strategy that is used is called detonate the bomb in a safe location so what this is this is a very dangerous strategy by the way if a negative story is going to come out about your client in a major publication

One thing you can do is take that negative information, give it to a reporter from a less well-known publication or a tier two publication, And let them write the story. So the New York Times say they were pursuing your client. If they see it in another publication, their editor will spike the story.

One thing you can do is take that negative information, give it to a reporter from a less well-known publication or a tier two publication, And let them write the story. So the New York Times say they were pursuing your client. If they see it in another publication, their editor will spike the story.

Would you rather get hit by Mike Tyson being the tier one media, or would you rather get hit by somebody named Mike from accounting? I take my odds with the guy who's good with spreadsheets.

Would you rather get hit by Mike Tyson being the tier one media, or would you rather get hit by somebody named Mike from accounting? I take my odds with the guy who's good with spreadsheets.

Well, one of the key strategies that I tell people in media training that we all tell people in media training is don't repeat the negative. Can you give me a quote from Richard Nixon? Like the one thing anybody remembers Richard Nixon said? I'm not a crook. You got it. Now, why do you remember that? Because he repeated the negative.

Well, one of the key strategies that I tell people in media training that we all tell people in media training is don't repeat the negative. Can you give me a quote from Richard Nixon? Like the one thing anybody remembers Richard Nixon said? I'm not a crook. You got it. Now, why do you remember that? Because he repeated the negative.

If he had just said, I am an honest man, no one would have remembered it. But instead, he repeated the negative. So that is a main strategy that we teach people in public relations media training is don't repeat the negative. If somebody asks you if you're a thief, Don't say I'm not a thief. Say I'm an honest man or an honest person.

If he had just said, I am an honest man, no one would have remembered it. But instead, he repeated the negative. So that is a main strategy that we teach people in public relations media training is don't repeat the negative. If somebody asks you if you're a thief, Don't say I'm not a thief. Say I'm an honest man or an honest person.