"Full Frontal" Doesn't Necessarily Mean What You Think It Means

"So 'Full Frontal PR' is now a sort of verb. 'Full Frontal' is not reacting but creating. When you are 'Full Frontal' you aren't waiting for news to happen, you are the news. 'Full Frontal PR' is reinventing what you have in order to make it relevant to a newsy, cultural, or consumer need that is out there at that second. This is the path by which people begin to understand what's behind the curtain of image."

Packed full of examples and an enthusiastic writing style, "Full Frontal PR: Building Buzz About Your Business, Your Product, or You" by Richard Laermer has emerged as one of the true bibles of the public relations world.

It starts out by citing "Blair Witch Project" as perhaps the greatest modern story of the power of PR, then proceeds to offer pertinent advice on how to navigate obstacles in the public relations landscape. "Five Ways to a Reporter's Heart" (“Journalists aren’t as jaded as you’ve told or led to imagine … Faced with shrinking newsroom staffs and resources, plus far heavier workloads, journalists today can’t afford that brand of cynicism. No, they want help from good sources.”), "Do or Die Commandments for PR" and an examination of "E-tequitte" are just some of the interesting and necessary sections that can be applied to the PR expert or just a novice.

Not that this tome is an ideal resource. At times, "Full Frontal PR" feels a little dated, and it can often read as if it's suggesting that public relations is as easy as 1-2-3, not giving the PR world enough credit for its true cutthroat nature. The Web links are basically obsolete, and there is a feeling of an overreliance on examples rather than the helpful tips needed to jump into the PR fray. "Full Frontal PR" had been described to me as a little overly optimistic, and that perspective does permeate the book at times, to slight frustration.

At the end, however, "Full Frontal PR" also comes to a self-realization in describing the difficulty inherent in selling your company to a world that doesn’t take kindly to unsolicited opinions and information:

“There’s simply no just add water solution. Great PR takes time, patience, and a lot of talent, time, and effort. Anyone can land a story with enough phone calls, but remember, that’s not the goal. What you’re ultimately trying to achieve is to communicate through the media how your products or services promote exciting cultural developments, shifts, or trends.”

Overall, I found Laermer's book to be an easy read and highly quotable. Like "Guerrilla PR 2.0," the can-do spirit can feel a little too invasive, but there are sound, rock-solid, logical tips, tricks and strategies offered to get you on the road to good PR. It was an essential resource in my reintroduction to PR, allowing it to carve out an easy-to-reach spot in my cubicle.

“A smart PR guy once told us that the best way to approach PR was to try to figure out how to get your logo on the next orbit-bound space shuttle and work it from there.”