Career Development

Five Visual Tools for Artistically Challenged PR Pros

Lauren Gray 1 Comment

We’re all well aware that visuals are an absolute must for social media right now – and they should be. Visuals help PR pros tell stories and engage with audiences in an entirely new way.

But, if you’re like some PR pros, graphic design is not your forte. Trust me, my art skills stop at stick figures so I’m right there with you.

That’s why I’ve added some of the latest online design platforms to my PR toolkit. Here are five free design tools you should consider adopting, too.

Image via TechCrunch.

Image via TechCrunch.

1. Canva is an online design platform that lets you create visuals to fit specific social media specs (Facebook cover photo, Pinterest image, etc.) or customized sizes. It has free and inexpensive visual assets, including text and graphics, and you can upload your own images.

  • Tip: If your brand has a blog, consider creating a visual with the headline and company logo set on top of a photo. This makes social sharing easier and entices more click-throughs.

2. Piktochart lets you create infographics using templates and visual resources, similar to Canva. It has a free and paid option. You can also embed videos within the infographic – perfect for brands on YouTube.

  • Tip: Turn company jargon into a visual story with an infographic. For example, if you’re launching a new technology, use an infographic to show what it does, how it’s unique and why people should care.

3. Unsplash provides free stock photography to help you enhance your brand’s digital presence. The service sends you 10 free stock photos every 10 days (a great deal!), and you can use the photos to create visuals for social media, blogs, websites and more.

  • Tip: Using Canva, add a question related to your brand to the stock photo and share on social media; this increases the opportunity for engagement. For example, if you’re a travel brand, add a question about “favorite travel destinations” to a city skyline photo.

4. Pixlr is an online photo editor, available for desktop and mobile, that lets you fine-tune your photos. If you’d prefer to use your own photography instead of stock photos, use Pixlr to crop, rotate, add filters, balance colors and adjust lighting.

  • Tip: Use Pixlr’s photo collage tool when announcing a new product. Let’s say you’re introducing a statement necklace. Use the collage feature to illustrate three different colors or tops that match with the necklace.

5. Hyperlapse from Instagram was just released in August, but it’s already taking the social media world by storm. The mobile app helps you take time lapse videos that sync with your brand’s Instagram account, and it offers built-in stabilization to help you steady shots on the go.

  • Tip: Take time lapse videos at a company event to capture the big moment(s) for social sharing. For example, if your company sponsors a 5K, consider using Hyperlapse to capture the start and finish lines.

Now, these free tools are great, but we all know nothing beats having a talented graphic designer on staff. Unfortunately that’s not always an option. But PR pros are a resourceful breed, and with free graphic tools we can surpass stick figures and become visually adept at telling an engaging, enticing brand story.

How do you incorporate visuals into your PR strategies?

 

Vermillion small 1Stephanie Vermillion is a senior account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati. She is on the PRSA Cincinnati Leadership Team and is part of the PRSA Cincinnati New Pros Committee. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@SMVermillion).

How to Network as an Introvert

Lauren Gray 2 Comments

If you’re an introvert reading this, you probably have read many blogposts and articles on the said subject. You may even groan each time you read another post written by another author talking about how to overcome shyness and networking.

One of the most important things to remember is as an introvert or an extrovert is that everyone works and does things differently. One size never fits all. As an introvert, you need to figure out what works best for you when it comes to networking. Why? Only you know yourself.

The dominant characteristic which makes you introverted is your need to recharge alone or with a small manageable crowd after a long period of being “on” and socially active all day. How and when you recharge depends on you.

A few ways that may help you feel more comfortable with networking:

  • Schedule time before and after a networking event to work alone and to prepare for the on period and to recharge.
  • Take solitary walks after events, and even before events to help you feel calmer.
  • Listen more than you talk, which you’re already good at. Find the right time to talk and never interrupt, which are already some of your strengths you can show.
  • If you notice you fidget a lot, hold something in your hands. This will allow you to stay focused on the conversation, instead of you playing with your hands.
  • Take breaks! It’s perfectly okay to take a five minute break every once and a while to reenergize yourself and give yourself a small break. This will do wonders for you.

It does not matter where you fit in the introverted-extroverted scale, everyone needs to work on networking tips such as practicing, having a networking plan, buddying up, connecting instead of sales pitching, following up, etc. These exercises and tips will help you maximize your networking efforts.

Practice may not make perfect, but it will make you more comfortable. Make networking and socializing a habit in your everyday activities and opportunities. For example, you can take small breaks at your office to walk around and introduce yourself to someone new at least once a week.

Read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. My former boss recommended it to me. I devoured it while travelling to the PRSSA 2012 National Conference.  It accurately captures what it means to be an introvert. Understanding yourself goes a long way and will help in the long run with your career.

You would be surprised to find how many communicators identify as introverts. So, if you identify as an introverted in public relations, marketing or integrated communications, you are not the only one. The person next to you just might be.

 

0a8e016Murewa Olubela is the Founder of The Single Story Foundation and was a past PRSSA Chapter President at the University of South Florida. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Notes from the Road: 3 Things I Learned on Path to a Career in PR

Jess Noonan 1 Comment

Beginning a career in public relations can be quite a daunting prospect. There is no point-by-point roadmap to direct you on the way to professional success, and you will encounter plenty of obstacles along the way. I found myself in the hectic world of the “entry-level” after graduating college in May 2013; and now as I prepare for the next step in my career, I can think of a few pieces of advice that I have picked up along the way:

1) Be open to whatever comes your way, and be ready for some hard work.

When I graduated with a BA in history and started exploring public relations as a potential career path I was totally overwhelmed. I had done one PR internship in college, but I quickly found out, that I was not ready to become a high-powered account executive on day one. The difficult reality for me was that I needed to get more experience, and that meant internships, and unpaid internships at that.

I realized I knew a lot of people in health care, and I managed to find an internship with my alma mater’s children’s hospital. To support myself financially, I worked nights as a technician in the hospital’s pharmacy while I interned during the day. Those long days and nights at the hospital were not exactly what I would call fun, but I managed to learn a ton from my bosses, who held me to a very high standard and dramatically improved my writing.

2) Join your professional community.

One of the best things my boss at the children’s hospital did for me was encouraged me to join PRSA and be active in the profession. At a PRSA sponsored lunch, I sat at the same table as the social media department one of my town’s leading PR agencies, and after an interesting conversation about social media I asked for an informational interview. That interview eventually led to another internship, this time focused on social media. I was given an entire account to manage, and I discovered a real passion for the work. By the time my agency internship had finished I was able to once again turn to my local chapter of the PRSA to find my current internship with Carestream Health, which will allow me to keeping building my skills while I study for my MBA.

3) Use This Time to Find Your Passion.

Finding your passion may sound like corny advice, but it really is what the early stages of your career are for. Take on any challenge or opportunity you can find. Public Relations is an unbelievably diverse profession and you will find plenty of things you love to do, and plenty of things you don’t. In my case I found a real passion for all things social media, and I found some great mentors who fostered that passion. You may very well have some false starts, some things you just can’t get excited about, but don’t let those experiences derail your future career.

If you are really serious about a career in public relations, if you are willing to put in the hard work up front, and you can find the right team of people to support you then you have a great shot at becoming a real success in one of the most dynamic and engaging career fields there is. Public Relations is all about telling a story, so get out there and share yours with the world.

Sean Delehanty headshotSean Delehanty is currently an MBA candidate at the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, Class of 2016; as well as a digital marketing intern with Carestream Health. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 2013, and has worked as a public relations intern at the Golisano Children’s Hospital and Dixon Schwabl Advertising. Sean is a Rochester, NY native and a proud member of the Rochester chapter of the PRSA.  

August Twitter Chat Highlights: Preparing for Your Next Career Move

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the August #NPPRSA Twitter chat focused on how PR professionals can prepare for the next shift in their career. We discussed how to lay the ground work for career growth, considering both internal promotions and jobs at new companies.

PRSA Twitter ChatSpecifically, we’d like to thank our special guest for the evening, Ron Culp, Instructor and Professional Director of the Graduate Public Relations & Advertising Program at DePaul University. Ron also manages the industry leading blog Culpwrit for new professionals establishing a career in PR.

Join us again on September 4 for our next #NPPRSA chat.

Stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Review highlights of the chat below. What did you learn from the August chat? How can you prepare for your next career move? What can you do to broaden your experiences in your current position to be considered for a promotion? What should a PR pro do if they don’t see a future for career growth within their company? 

 


 

Amy BishopAmy Bishop works in digital PR and marketing for DigitalRelevance, a content promotion agency. She is also Social Media Co-Chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Read her insights on customer experience and social business on her Marketing Strategy blog. Connect with Amy through Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.

 

So You Want to Start a PR Career in Government…

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

There are many perceptions about government in Washington D.C. – political campaigns or press conferences with a mayor or congressman. Yes, there is some of that, but there is much more. Let’s explore how government public relations works and some things I’ve learned over the years.

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What is it like?

There are many opportunities in government. Think of the city you live in and the news. Every day you see stories about police, fire, public meetings, road closures, housing, rezoning and much more. In fact, government seems to make up a lot of the news and media relations is a part of the job. There are other tasks like websites, graphic designs, safety campaigns, community engagement, social media, employee communications and many more = similar to working in-house for a business. Depending on where you live you might work in a communications department that represents the whole city or you may work strictly for a department such as transit, fire, utilities or police. There are also county systems, state departments and federal departments.

What I’ve learned…

Everything is public information. Any time you send an email, write a news release or post on Twitter for your job, it’s public information. In fact when you look for a job, the public relations positions are usually classified as public information officers. In government, anyone can request information and you will have to provide information if it is available. So you need to save a lot of things and be proactive in pushing out information that is useful to the public.

Good writing skills and strategic thinking are essential. Like other PR jobs, good writing skills will go a long way. You still need to be able to write a press release and other content. Likewise, you will be involved in big projects that require research, identifying stakeholders and target audiences, creating goals and objectives, selecting tactics and measuring your success.

Try to be as proactive as you can, but sometimes you have to be reactive. A lot of times things beyond your control will happen fast and the media may come to you before you know about it such as a sinkhole forming on a heavily traveled road during evening rush hour. It may take some time to get your information together, but you learn to give what information you have at that time.  Remember that government is often a resource of information and a lot of times media will come to you first. It might seem like it is reactive, but you might already have a plan of what to say for different issues

When it comes to budget, think nonprofit. There is some money allotted to communications, but it is usually limited. Government works for the public and needs to be selective in where money goes. This goes back to why strategic planning is important. You can still be creative and create campaigns when needed, but it is usually on a tight budget.

Be patient. Sometimes priorities change or the budget is cut and your project is put on hold. Also, some pieces of information may need to be reviewed by many people before you can finalize it. Things will get done, but it may take longer than you expected.

You can really be proud of your work and make a difference. At our organization, we say “Public service is our business.” You will be involved in a lot of large projects. You’ll get to be engaged with your community and help bring projects together. I’ve worked behind the scenes during snow storms and realize how important it is to get the right information to the right people at the right time. I can walk down the street and see something I was a part of and it gives me a sense of pride. I’ve also met some of the hardest working people in government.

Government public relations is a great place to start your career. It’s similar to other fields and you’ll be able to use a lot of your skills. It’s challenging and rewarding. There are many options of where to work; you just have to find them.

 

Screen Shot 2014-06-30 at 2.33.03 PMNicole Ramsey works as a Strategic Communications Manager for the City of Charlotte’s Corporate Communications and Marketing department in Charlotte, NC. She also is a member of the PRSA Charlotte’s New Professionals board. Nicole graduated with a M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Louisville.