Do you have something to add to the conversation, or just calling attention?  I would address high school students in this manner who were temporarily 'off task' during class.  High school students are socially savvy; most got the point and understood the difference elucidated by my question; were they serving the good of the community or engaging in personal endeavors at the moment?

Does your brand have something to add to the 'conversation' or just desiring attention and exposure?  The latter sentiment is shared by all brands (what brand does not want attention?!), yet the former sentiment is really the most effective means to the latter's end.  I read a good post today on bootstrapping and brand awareness.  The author addresses ways to formulate an effective PR campaign.

Increasing PR is a lot like search engine optimization efforts.  It takes time, effort, and methodology.  While many of us know how a brand can get into trouble on the Web in its quest for better SE rankings, there are no direct 'PR Panda' updates;  however, calling attention without 'adding' is likely to leave your brand bewildered, inert, and possibly 'blackballed' by reporters, amongst other violations.

Update your in-house PR sentiments with these 'PR Panda' updates:

Update 1 - General PR Campaign – PR or Link Building?

In modern times, public relation work is a lot like link building.  In the past, what were the main goals of PR efforts?

-          Spread brand-related info

-          Gain consumer attention

-          Build brand authority

-          Attract future interest

Link building efforts, complemented by modern-day social media engagement does all of the above.  Many of the same 'do not' and 'best-practice' sentiments of link building apply to PR efforts.  Before making a PR move, think about your brand's intentions because ulterior motives are transparent and don't make much traction. 

Update 2 - Press Releases - Is.It.News.?

This is a bitter pill for many press-release hopefuls to swallow; is the release sharing 'worthy' news?  Of course, 'worthy' is a relative term, but think outside your brand when asking yourself this question; think like a consumer; would you be intrigued by the news?  Unfortunately, this 'PR Panda' update is not going to be applied by news sources; it's going to be applied by readers (consumers) and your release's traction (or lack thereof). 

There aren't many obstacles obstructing a brand from orchestrating and distributing a press release to the masses; however, dispersing a release, offering very little news of value, is deserved of 'PR Panda' penalty and may hurt your brand's reputation or future efforts to call attention to 'news.'

Update 3 - Reporters – What are you doing for them?

Do you want to contact a reporter about your brand?  Ask not what this reporter can do for you, but…  I know - the irony of it all!  That's right; if you're going to contact a reporter, you should be contacting them because you have something for them and not vice versa.  Sure, contributing to a story or adding insight is likely to get your brand mentioned; you'll get credit for your work. 

Are you just looking to arrive at the PR party with nothing in your brand's hands?  You're likely to put the kibosh on any future relations with the respective reporter (and likely their brand too).