Customer Reviews

Full Frontal PR: Building Buzz About Your Business, Your Product, or You

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this book to be packed with practical ideas and information. After reading it I felt that I had a sound basic knowledge of how the news media works, and was confident about how to prepare materials for them to use. Of course every layman thinks they know how the media works, but after reading this you realise how intricate it can be.

Strengths of the book:
- Covers the whole industry - print, TV, internet
- Fairly up to date (2003), with a better Internet chapter than a 2005 PR book I just finished
- Dense with tips and practical information
- Written in a fun, up-beat style
- You will walk away from this book and actually use many of the suggestions. I've had a top-name PR agency on retainer for a year and I now realise how uninspiring and lazy they have been.

Weaknesses:
- Information isn't logically laid out. The first third is set out as an encylopedia in alphabetical order, rather than a logical narrative, which I find is a poor way of "teaching". Overall it is a collection of tips rather than the step-by-step guide it claims to be
- Assumes you are in US and only deal with US media
- A little bit too up-beat at times for my taste (no shortage of exclamation marks)
- Assumes quite an advanced understanding of the media to begin with - reads like he's talking to a fellow PR buddy over a coffee
- I think case studies are especially useful, but there aren't many in here.

Overall: Highly recommended, it really gave me a "quantum leap" in terms of my understanding of the media, inspiration, and practical ideas for how to get my material out.

Incidentally: Much, much better than "Media Relations" by David Henderson which I finished last week.

Full Frontal PR is a great book for any novice business-owner or budding PR professional to get a baseline on how the successful PR execs perform their job. I don't quite buy the argument that the book is the only resource one would need because there is a ton of information thrown at you and it's difficult to absorb all at once - a human element seems to still be essential. That being said, it does provide excellent insights into public relations and the resource information is invaluable. It's also a bit daunting to realize how much is actually involved, but that's the whole point of the book. You can't just send out a press release and wait for people to come beating down your door. It just won't happen that way.

This book should take up permanent residence in your briefcase/backpack/duffel bag/etc. for a handy reference when needed. I only deduct a star because I thought the chapters could have been organized and laid out a little better.

Richard Laermer, PR pro of a New York City Public Relations firm, spills the beans on the secrets of the buzz-building industry in this concise and easy to read book. "Full Frontal PR: Building Buzz About Your Business, Your Product, or You," is a perfect little concise guide, one that is very readable by the way, for those medium to small businesses that may not have it in their budget yet to hire a marketing or advertisement firm.

I have been in the Public Relations field for three short months now and picked up Laermer's book from Amazon to delve into some professional reading on my new-found profession and I must say, it didn't disappoint. I found myself learning a lot and tried to hone in on the chapters discussing on-line ways to build buzz as its very much an interest of mine as well as directly related to my professional job. If your marketing and communications budget is tight, you could easily pick up Laermer's book and take a few suggestions (in your spare time right?) and run with them to get your business more exposure in the press and the public eye. After all, you've got to find some way to get your product, service, mission in life out there. I used to do non-profit management and I have to say, I wished I ran across Laermer's book upon starting that job. I think it would have given our non-profit better tools to court the media than those we were using.

One of the best features I liked about the book is the invaluable web site recommendations collected at the back and scattered throughout the book. I haven't had time to peruse them yet at length but plan on book marking them and using them at work. Some of his advice was covering known ground so the book might not appeal to the PR pros who have been in the industry for 3 or more years I'd say. But I'm sure for the open-minded among you, there are things you can pick through from "Full Frontal PR," that might jog some thoughts and ideas. I think for some folks who have been practicing PR for awhile, there is a reluctance to embrace new media formats for getting the message out there in the papers, on the web, and on the streets and in the homes...this book may just open some of those windows for you.

Good book. Catch a buzz in your local bar while reading this book and then follow-through with some of Laermer's advice. You never know what just might pop up? ...mmw

From someone in the biz...I found this book full of helpful hints and reminders. Laermer's years of experience come through in a book that is useful for the pro as well as the business owner who looks at a great product and wonders why no one knows about it.

Despite being packed with practical tips, this book is actually a quick read...full of interesting stories and personal anecdotes from the CEO of RLM Public Relations. My copy is dog-eared and underlined. It's one of the few books that has earned valuable space on my desk.

I just started a new business and missed the class in school for PR and Marketing. Not a problem after reading this book. The fluid and clever writing made the information easily digestible if not right out tasty. My product appeals to a specific age group that I thought I knew how to get to. Not the case. I spent $15,000 before reading Full Frontal and got nothing. Then I tried the various tactics in the book out and Bamm - sales are taking off. I received local and national press and now am thinking international. Also, I am having my employees read it since they are on the front lines of my company. Thank you Richard Laermer.

This has to be one of the best books on Public Relations available. I have bought and read tens of PR books and this one was as much informative and full of juicy help as it was fun to read. Plus I bought it using a coupon from UnderTag.com, so it was a real bargain for me.

I first learned of "Full Frontal PR" in I think it was February 04 at a Fast Company "Circle of Friends" meeting where Richard Laermer was the guest speaker sharing his recently released book "FULL FRONTAL PR".

Well I was so impressed with the book that I've read it 10+ times [turbo-highlighted and marked up front to back], it's my PR bible and I attribute the unbelievable global publicity I've gotten [sans a PR firm] from reading+ re-reading and using "Full Frontal PR" in all of my efforts.

I can't express enough how much insight, wisdom and potential wealth people will get from his words".

A friend of mine who is a PR professional recommended this book to me. As someone with next to no background in PR before I read this book, I am amazed how much I gained from the philosophy and approach it describes. On several occassions applying what I learned from Full Frontal PR has translated into successful projects in both work settings and professional organizations in which I am involved.

Gives great insight to how PR and press people think. One of the best books I've read on the topic.

Here is a tip I share with the professionals and small service businesses that I teach how to find new clients, culled from this great book on public relations. Thou shall not bribe journalists. If your story isn't good enough for the media, or if your pitch isn't hitting home, regroup, fix the problem, and patch all the holes. Bribing a journalist is buying your way into the publication, and if that's what you want, make life easier for both of you and buy an advertisement. The best way to get a journalist to take your story is to prepare and hone the pitch so it delivers your message and addresses the media's real needs. The book is filled with rich advice like this.