June Twitter Chat Highlights: Personal Branding: Beyond the Resume

June 9, 2014Lauren Gray 3 Comments

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the June 2014 Twitter chat as we discussed strategies for personal branding in a digital world and ways to succeed in developing an authentic, professional and personal brand.

Specifically, we’d like to thank Matt Prince, Social Media Manager for The Walt Disney Company. Matt is the president of the PRSA Orange County Chapter and Professional Adviser to the Robert E. Rayfield Chapter of the PRSSA at California State University, Fullerton.

Join us again on July 3 for our next #NPPRSA chat and 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 June chat? How can you encompass a professional and personable brand?

Lauren Rosenbaum is the PRSA New Professionals Social Media Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Soversity, a public relations and digital marketing company. You can connect with her on Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Three Ways to Stay Informed in a Busy PR World

June 5, 2014January 2, 2015Jess Noonan 1 Comment

Pitch targeted media. Handle company crises. Prepare media materials. Tweet, post, pin – then do it all again. Side note: You’re on deadline. Side, side note: The company’s reputation is in your (probably trembling) hands.

Ahh, a day in the life of a PR pro. And, on top of those responsibilities – and many more – you must find time to keep up with the latest trends and news about, well, everything.

Yeah, I guess that whole “PR executive is a top five most stressful job” is true after all. But it doesn’t have to be.

With the right mix of media – and some high-quality multitasking – you’ll be consistently on top of your game. It took me upwards of two years to perfect my “mix,” but I think I’m finally getting somewhere in the busy world of PR. Here’s how:

Email newsletters: If it’s in your inbox, it’s more likely to be read. That’s why I love my email newsletters. One note of caution, though: Don’t sign up for too many newsletters. You’ll end up overwhelmed, deleting them all before reading. (As someone who loves a clean inbox, I initially drove myself crazy).

But now I’ve narrowed it down to three newsletters. And yes – I read them all:

The New York Times features a comprehensive news-of-the-day overview with top headlines from all sections and short excerpts.
Social Media Examiner sends social updates as they happen along with tips for using the latest tools.
PRSA Issues & Trends compiles all the PR industry news you need in one place.

Aggregated news sites: With all the news sources around us, we could spend eight or more hours a day just reading. But with a full-time (ahem, top five most stressful) PR job, who has time for that?

No one. That’s why I love these aggregated news sites.

Alltop Social Media displays top headlines from hundreds of social and PR news sites.
Circa is an app that combines popular news headlines for on-the-go reading. I especially like to scroll through this in the morning before I start my day.
Facebook Trends turned out to be more helpful than I initially expected. It’s quick, comprehensive and features the most talked about news – from pop culture to politics – in one place.

Podcasts: If you’re like most new pros, you have several mundane – yet still important – tasks on your to-do list. Why not get some additional education during those tasks with a good podcast in the background? Here are my recommendations.

Inside PR features notable PR pros discussing the latest industry trends.
Brave Ad World gives a quick look at the changing social and digital media world.
NPR is probably a given – it has hundreds of podcasts to choose from based on your interest areas. If you can’t decide, try the Shuffle podcast. It randomly chooses the content for you.

Since our digital world is constantly evolving, this resource list is nowhere near complete. As new PR pros, we should always be on the lookout for the latest time-saving tools. But remember: These resources can only get you so far. It’s your job to use them for information gathering regularly.

How do you stay updated on breaking news and industry trends? Share your tips and tricks for new pros below.

Stephanie Vermillion is an 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).

Diversity and New Pros: Asian-Pacific Americans in Public Relations

June 2, 2014Lauren Gray Leave a comment

The following post is part of the ongoing series on The Edge, dealing with diversity and new professionals. This post is in honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month from May.

In my experience, I haven’t seen many Asian-Americans in the public relations field.

In the past four jobs I’ve had, there has only been one other Asian-American (other than myself) in two of the four companies. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 7.3 percent of Asian-Pacific Americans held roles in the combined fields of marketing / advertising / PR in 2011. It is slowly on the rise, but we definitely still have a long way to go.

It can be difficult working in a field dominated by other races, but it is all about how you make the most of your experience. You may feel isolated at times, but my advice is to be proactive.

PRSA is a great resource. Last year, they established an initiative aimed at attracting ethnically-diverse young people to the PR profession. This program will include a video series, student guide, mentoring program and an Ask an Expert series. It is important to reach out to college students to start the recruitment process early, but it is equally important to see an increase of diversity at the top. This program sounds like it will touch individuals on both ends.

Other groups like the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) are great if you’re looking for an Asian-specific professional group. NAAAP also has local chapters where you can attend events and network with people in your area. This organization is dedicated to developing and advancing the careers of Asian leaders.

A lot of Asians immigrate to the United States in pursuit of the “American Dream” and I believe that’s what my parents did. To give me the opportunity that I otherwise would never have. I’m grateful for that every day. When I see an increase of Asians in mainstream media (Fresh Off The Boat – I’m really excited for this!, Korean Food Made Simple – I’m hoping to try some of Judy’s recipes and let’s not forget #LINSANITY!), I am hopeful. One day, we will no longer be the minority.

Leah Moon is a 2008 graduate of Ohio University. She served as the National Chair of the New Professionals Section in 2012 and on the Board of the Dayton Chapter for the past two years. She is the Social Media Coordinator at Ashley Furniture in Florida. Follow Leah on Twitter @starmoon or email her at moon.leah@gmail.com.

Book Review: What’s the Future of Business: Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences

May 29, 2014January 2, 2015Jess Noonan Leave a comment

This post is part of The Edge monthly series of book reviews on books relevant to new PR professionals.

I first heard from Brian Solis at the Social Business Summit in New York City last year and received a copy of his book [What’s The Future] Of Business from the summit. Solis is a digital analyst, anthropologist and futurist studying and influencing the effects of emerging technology on business, marketing and our culture today.

Not just another social media or customer service book, this is a detailed and insightful book on our changing customer experience and social commerce that revolves around a new generation of connected consumers (Generation C as Solis calls them) on the opportunities we are missing or underestimating. The book outlines actual recommendations on how to align your new business objectives and marketing plans based on the new world of engagement and the upcoming Generation C.

Solis focuses on how we can create and invest in meaningful and shareable experiences; this is the future of business. It provides great visual with well-designed graphics, sketches and examples of actual tweets. Personally, I appreciated the research and case studies Solis put in this book to make it even more authentic. From the design and layout of the book, it is one you will want a tangible copy of, not a Kindle version.

“In the circle of life, connected consumerism is the new reality. Those businesses that don’t disrupt their own markets will find their markets disrupted for them.”

Solis says now is the time to innovate as Generation C is taking place and innovation starts from within. The most dangerous words in a meeting can be “this is the way we’ve always done things,” but Solis says change starts with a vision. “To change takes two things: the aspiration and determination to change.”

The book provides inspiration around rethinking your business model, helping your company equip itself to change with your customers and learning how experience design helps businesses.

Lauren Gray works within public relations and marketing from Stamford, Connecticut. She serves as a PRSA New Professionals Section blog co-chair and as a PRSA New York new professionals co-chair. Connect with Lauren on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Five Tips to Start Pitching Holiday Gift Guides Now

May 27, 2014January 2, 2015Lauren Gray Leave a comment

1) SIMPLE SUBJECT: The first challenge when sending any pitch is to get the editor to open your email! Simple and upfront subject lines are most effective when pitching holiday season gift guides.

Example: “Patterned stationary under $20 for gift guide consideration”

Holiday Gift Guide Photo

2) KEEP IT EVEN SHORTER: We all know the rules of keeping product pitches short, clear and concise. For holiday gift guides, the pitch can be even shorter than traditional pitches. Let your contact know what the product is, why it is a great gift idea, give them pricing info and a link to the website or specific page for easy viewing.

3) KNOW THE RULES: It is important to know the criteria for being considered in the gift guides you are pitching. Most importantly, be sure that your product falls within the price range of the gifts being featured in the guide.

4) TIMING IS EVERYTHING: Though you’ll want to pitch gift guides of national magazines and outlets throughout the summer, your work is not done. You will want to pitch regional magazines and large online publications in September. In October through mid-November, you’ll be pitching the online versions of those national magazines!

5) EXPAND YOUR REACH: If your product does not make it into holiday gift guides of the winter season, get an early start on pitching annual gift guides for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Magan Felitto is a public relations professional, working in the New York office of Jack Morton Worldwide.She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s, Advertising & Marketing Communications program in Summer 2013 with four years of experience as Vice President of Chapter Development of her former PRSSA chapter and a plethora of internships. She is a proud member of PRSA, PRSA-New York, and PRSA New Professionals Section. Ms. Felitto can be reached at MaganFelitto@gmail.com