Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work–And Why Your Company Needs Them by Peter Shankman is an overview of some PR stunts and case studies.
Personally, I’m a total amateur when it comes to PR. I regularly issue press releases with nebulous returns.
I feel like I have to do it, but don’t have a grasp on the best methods. There is a sort of useless vanity to see my press releases in Google News and Yahoo News, but what else does that get me?
I don’t typically get press pickup, so Can We Do That?! was a helpful primer for ideas about who and how to reach out to in the media.
Peter Shankman writes in more of a personal tone than a textbook, and that works better for me. It’s almost like he’s just telling some stories one on one in his voice, rather than sanitized, technical matter.
In reading the book, I was able to reinforce some things I already knew, as well as dispel some myths regarding PR.
Can We Do That?! is a fast read. I just read it on a flight. While I was reading it, I noticed the guy next to me looking over the highlights of he book on the back cover.
As I finished, he asked the name of the book and wrote it down. I let him know I thought it was a really useful book, and he said he was going to buy it.
It was an ironic instance, because the book covers the strength of word of mouth, and that very method sold a copy during my flight.