Author: Alex Singleton
Publisher: Wiley
Reviewer: Charlie King, account executive at PRmyBusiness
Alex Singleton is a man who knows his industry. The research he undertook for The PR Masterclass certainly highlights his attention to detail and desire to offer his readers practical information. Alex explains each area of PR from article writing to television appearances.
PR is a word usually associated with just press releases and celebrity gossip. So to get an insight into what public relations involves, Singleton removes many myths associated with the industry.
The examples are well chosen – not only containing case studies of good PR, but taking time to explain why companies have failed to generate coverage through easy mistakes. There are plenty of simple errors made when building PR awareness and the book explains constructive methods of rectifying these.
However, the book is not suitable for a B2B marketing audience. The focus is too much on large businesses targeting the B2C market; not small businesses and entrepreneurs the book. Having examples from Specsavers, Kellogg’s and Travelodge does not provide insight for a B2B marketer looking to increase awareness within their sector.
The focus for this book is set around national press and television, and cuts short the discussions around industry press. This would be crucial information for me, a B2B marketer, wanting to improve my PR strategy. This subject in itself deserves a separate chapter, explaining the different approaches industry press takes compared to the mainstream media.
If you want a book to explain what PR is and how it can benefit a business then The PR Masterclass can certainly help. But, if you are looking for a guide that can help you improve your B2B marketing (including PR activities) then this book will not live up to expectation.
Star rating:
