Prenova's CEO Michael Nark to Guest Host CNBC's "Worldwide Exchange"

Wake up early tomorrow to see Michael Nark, CEO of Atlanta-based Prenova, an energy management company, guest host one of CNBC's most popular shows and the cable stations only global show, Worldwide Exchange.  Had a lot of fun working with Michael and the great producers at CNBC on this opportunity. Tune in at 5 a.m.  or set your DVR.

OrgPR Client, The Intersect Group, in an AJC Photoshoot

Wade Hughes, managing partner of The Intersect Group, and Catherine Dixon, director of The Intersect Group, in a photoshoot for the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Left).  Wade was interviewed for an article about the business lending environment.  On the right is another shot of just Wade.  Which shot will the AJC photo editors choose?  Be sure to read the paper on Friday and Saturday to find out.

A Career Highlight

This past Saturday I had the extreme honor and privilege to meet one of the most interesting entrepreneurs, businessmen, and philanthropist of the 20th century, Dick Jenrette, co-founder of the  investment banking firm DLJ.  The New York Times once said that Mr. Jenrette was the last true gentleman on Wall Street.  We met at Millford Plantation one of the seven homes that he has saved and restored.  You can learn more about his efforts to save classical American architecture by visiting the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust's web site. Several years ago, I was able to tour the Roper House in Charleston...Two down, five to go.

Why You Shouldn't Pay a Retainer for PR

I'll go out on a limb and say that 97% of the people reading this blog currently have a public relations agency working for their company. PR, after all, is one of the most powerful tools to build a brand. I keep hearing from CEOs of entrepreneurial companies, though, that it's the retainer and the lack of resulting work that continues to be a problem.

I had breakfast about two weeks ago with the CEO of an entrepreneurial company who confirmed that. He told me that he had paid a monthly retainer to a PR firm for six months and had few results to show for the money that he'd shelled out. He felt hoodwinked.

The media landscape has changed. I read in a recent blog that more than 50,000 journalists have lost their jobs. Labor statistics show that the media industry's unemployment rate of ~13% outpaces the national average of ~10%. In the media world it is supply and demand. More companies realize the value of PR and want PR, while there are fewer journalists to write about these companies.

As the media landscape has changed so must PR. Consider pay-for-results PR. Pay-for-results PR is when a company pays ONLY when the resulting article, broadcast, or online article appears in print or on the air or in the ether. For a PR firm to be commission-based says a great deal about its confidence in getting results that matter to your company.

It is time to shift the financial risk of PR away from the client.