The best news hook for generating massive news coverage is still the creation of a "big" news event that screams for attention. After 82 years, the Academy Awards still gets the job done. As a PR machine for the massive worldwide movie industry, no one does it better than Oscar.

This didn't happen in one year or even one decade—but with steady, tortoise-like advancement, the Oscars have become, well, the "Oscars" of the PR world. In addition to the benefits of creating an annual event with numerous PR hooks (fashion/jewelry/Hollywood politics/plastic surgery/who's hot/who's not), PR people across all industries can learn the following lessons from Oscar:

1. Winging it doesn't work. All of the major category winners had clearly prepared their presentations and it paid off for them. No one was caught saying stupid things like, "Oh my God, I didn't think I would win so I didn't prepare anything to say." You—and your clients—should also prepare for any event where you might win an award.

2. Stories with emotion work. Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges and Mo'Nique all had great acceptance speeches because they brought in stories, humor, emotion and passion. They were entertaining and the audience loved them.

3. Boring is always bad. I realize that best-supporting actor winner Christoph Waltz doesn't speak English as his first language—but when he thanked 15 people and organizations in the first 30 seconds it became boring.

4. You want to stand out and be memorable, but not look like a jerk. Even if Elinor Burkett cured cancer in the future, she would still be remembered as the woman who pulled a "Kanye West" moment at the Oscars by obnoxiously stealing a microphone from a rightful winner and saying rude things.

5. "Thank You Cams" work. In 2007, the Academy Awards set up a separate Thank You Cam to video record winners immediately after they received their statues. The recording is done behind the stage without the strict time limits of the on-stage acceptance speech. This way, winners can thank their agents, lawyers, massage therapists, herbalists, astrologers and everyone else in their entourage without boring tens of millions of TV audience members to death. Now an uber-agent can still show a video loop in his/her reception area of a superstar thanking him/her with an Oscar in hand. PR benefit is still there for the person mentioned without destroying the entertainment quality of the show. This technique can be done easily and cheaply by any trade organization trying to keep honorees on a tight time schedule.

6. Big events with big stars, big fashion and big jewels still work. The Oscars show still captures a huge worldwide audience because it packages its product with glitz and glamour, something PR practitioners need to do at a local or industry niche level whenever possible.