Intro to Agency PR

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

Upon graduation from college almost five years ago, I noticed a common trend among entry-level job descriptions for which I was applying: public relations agency experience was preferred and sometimes even required. I had held a number of jobs and internships in the industry throughout my college career, but none were with an agency. I didn’t understand why working at an agency was put on a pedestal, but I knew that getting that experience would be an important step in my career.

After working in marketing for a couple of years, I decided to make the switch to agency PR. I found that agency life posed its own unique challenges, and new professionals should learn to expect a few commonalities among agencies when attaining the gold standard of PR experience.

Learn to juggle

The ability to multitask is not only crucial, but it is at the crux of your job. While some larger agencies may have individuals working on just one client account, many agencies will have a team dedicated to a handful of clients. These clients may all be in the same industry, such as consumer products or health care, or they may run the gamut of industries. New professionals in agencies will have to quickly learn their clients’ businesses, products and services inside and out. You must become an expert in each of these industries so you can communicate effectively and in an educated way.

One of the biggest differences between agency and corporate communications is how you prioritize. At an agency, you can’t prioritize one client over another. They all need equal attention, and if your five clients each have a last-minute project at 5 p.m. on a Friday, the work needs to get done for all five clients. At a corporation, you may have the flexibility to prioritize one project over another—not so at an agency. Be prepared for long hours, but great client relationships and invaluable experience as a result.

Learn to accept every opportunity

I now realize why agency experience is preferred by many employers, having lived agency life. New professionals will gain experience in almost every PR task—building media lists, media monitoring, pitching reporters, drafting press releases, managing social media accounts and creating PR plans. Nothing is off limits for an entry-level PR professional.

Take advantage of this opportunity. While it might seem overwhelming at first to try to master everything an agency has to offer, doing is the best way of learning. When I first started, I would volunteer to tag along on a Saturday morning to a radio station to observe a client interview or come up with pitch ideas from breaking news. In a year and a half, there aren’t many skills I haven’t attempted to master. Not only do you build your skill set, but you become the go-to person on the team when questions arise—no longer just a worker bee, but an invaluable member of the team.

Learn to speak up

When I first started at my agency, I was apprehensive to speak up. Not only did I feel like the new kid in a room of PR experts, but I wasn’t sure how the hierarchy would play out in an agency. I learned that not only was sharing ideas encouraged, it was expected! Don’t expect to be making copies forever. Agencies want to see their staff grow into strategic thinkers and creative minds. Senior leaders like new professionals who take initiative and share their ideas, whether it’s for a client project or proposing a more efficient way to get the work done.

It’s also extremely important to keep your career goals in mind. Don’t keep it a secret if there is a specific project on which you want to work. Not only does asking for specific projects show passion, but it allows you to share your unique interests and skills. Just because you are a new professional doesn’t mean you have nothing to bring to the table. Since my prior position was in marketing, I had experience in redesigning websites. When one of our clients was looking to redesign their website, I jumped at the chance to not only use my past experience, but also lead a project I really enjoyed. I now have two company website redesigns under my belt and a happy client.

Maybe you are a passionate Pinner and can launch a client Pinterest page, or maybe you love to write and a press release needs to be prepared. Don’t be shy in asking for what you want!

 

While switching to an agency was overwhelming at first, the experience has had so much to offer. If you take advantage of the wealth of opportunities agencies offer, you can build an amazing foundation for the rest of your PR career. What other advice would you give new pros heading for agency life? What was the biggest lesson you learned?

 

Heather SliwinskiHeather Sliwinski is an account executive at KemperLesnik, a Chicago-based public relations agency, providing media relations and social media services to a variety of B2B clients. Previously, she held positions in marketing and event planning for corporations, nonprofits and higher education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications with an emphasis in strategic communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sliwinski is the blog co-chair and chair-elect for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

 

10 Twitter Accounts PR Professionals Should Follow

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We’re public relations professionals. That means we’re expected to be connected, accessible and consuming a steady stream of news and content. Yet, with information coming at us from every direction, it can be difficult to know which sources are the best ones to follow.

So let us point you in the right direction. If PR is your career of choice, you have plenty to glean from each Twitter account on this list – be it a brand, media member or industry expert.

  • The Associated Press (@AP) – As PR pros, we’re expected to have a pulse on what’s going on in the world, across industries, so we can identify trends and be well-rounded, knowledgeable professionals. Following The Associated Press on Twitter is one of the best places to start.
  • Jonah Peretti (@peretti) – Having co-founded The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed and Contagious Media, Jonah Peretti knows a thing or two about the media industry. His Twitter followers can expect plenty of entertainment via his BuzzFeed links, as well as a peek inside the world of a successful, millennial media tycoon with a “work smarter” attitude.
  • Laura Ries (@lauraries) – If you’ve ever read anything about PR, chances are you’ve been influenced by the work of Laura Ries (alongside her father, Al Ries). This witty researcher, author, speaker, brand strategist and media personality keeps her Twitter followers engaged with the perfect combination of style and substance.
  • Mark Ragan (@MarkRaganCEO) – Want access to the mastermind behind PR Daily, Ragan.com and many of the resources we use every day? Following Ragan is like getting your own personal digest of top trends, best practices and industry-specific career advice.
  • Mickey Nall (@mickeynall) – Not only is Mickey Nall the fearless leader of PRSA National, but he also helps to keep Ogilvy PR running. On Twitter, Nall serves as a link to some of the most insightful thought leadership in PR.
  • Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) – When it comes to striking up a consistent chatter in the Twitter community, Oreo is best in class. The social team regularly tweets back at its followers, always using creative messaging that captures the classic, tongue-in-cheek tone of its ongoing marketing platform.
  • PRSA New Professionals (@PRSANewPros) – We may be a little biased, but we’re confident that the PRSA New Professionals Twitter account delivers the most relevant, targeted content available to you as an emerging professional in our field. Learn more about opportunities for you as a PRSA member, keep up with the latest industry trends and hear from peers who are experiencing similar challenges and scenarios as those you’re going through. If you have something to say, we’re listening – and we’ll get right back to you.
  • Scott Spirit (@shanghaispirit) – Recently named one of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40, Scott Spirit works as the chief strategy officer for communications holding company WPP and is based in (you guessed it) Shanghai. In other words, this guy has a unique take on the agency world, the business of media and the global consumer market.
  • Stuart Elliott (@stuartenyt) – Who doesn’t love the New York Times’ most renowned advertising reporter, Stuart Elliott? Rather than just pushing out his own content, Elliott’s Twitter feed provides a running commentary on top brands– with humorous blurbs about his day-to-day scattered throughout.
  • Whitney Johnson (@johnsonwhitney) – A regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Whitney Johnson’s Tweets are practical and career-oriented. Want to learn how to find your passion and leverage it for professional success? Follow this powerhouse.

Who would you add to this list? Let us know!

 

Keri Cook is an assistant account executive with Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ consumer marketing practice in New York. She graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and writes on topics ranging from media relations to marketing trends, to corporate strategy and crisis communications. While completing her undergrad, Cook was named PRWeek’s 2012 Student of the Year.

Why the New Professional is the Face of Diversity

Heather Sliwinski 5 Comments

Over the years, diversity has had an identity crisis. It has experienced its fair share of definitions and ups and downs among fragmented industries and advocacy groups. Many wanted to claim diversity as part of their entity yet didn’t fully comprehend what it even meant.

That’s all about to change, and here’s why: the new public relations professional defines everything that diversity is and is poised to set the tone for organic diversity for generations to come. The younger demographic of communications professionals has grown up in a culture of inclusivity almost unbeknownst to them. To this generation, diversity has come naturally.

We owe this in large part to those advocates before us who have laid the foundation for this innate receptiveness towards diversity. We also witnessed right before our eyes the transformation of America’s population – watched as its minority population became a majority and how large and small companies alike began recognizing them as consumers. Moreover, perhaps it was also our parents or our government who early on instilled in us that everyone is created equal.

For whatever reason, our generation is different, and new professionals are at the forefront of this change. So what does this mean for PR professionals? It means that we are charged with carrying on this diversity torch throughout the entire course of our careers. To do that, we must think of diversity in a different light than what we’ve been accustomed to thinking.

Diversity is defined as being of a different kind, form, character, etc. So, in a way, aren’t we all diverse? Our race, ethnicity, age and gender are only a small and superficial portion of what make us unique. The true value of diversity lies not in identifying, isolating or targeting the diverse, but in aiming towards total inclusivity of everyone’s ideas.

Diversity is a proven success factor across a wide range of industries. In a recent article on The Atlantic, an executive from Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade goods, said that their efforts to attract more women to the company resulted in overall more tight-knit and vocal team.

“The men who come into our organization who are excited about the fact that we have diversity as a goal are generally the people who are better at listening, they’re better at group learning, they’re better at collaboration, they’re better at communication,” said Kellan Elliott-McCrea, chief technology officer, Etsy.

Imagine what such a thing does for PR professionals – to not just boast diversity in our strategic outreach plans, but to embody it from within our organizations. This trend will ensure that all the publics with whom we communicate are heard. It’s up to new professionals to create the PR campaign that once and for all ends the identity crisis that has plagued diversity in the past.

 

Carolina MadridCarolina Madrid is vice president of diversity for PRSA and director of programs for PRSA San Francisco Chapter. She works in the Corporate/Financial Practice of Burson-Marsteller in San Francisco, where she advises clients on mainstream and Hispanic market media strategy.

Reverse Mentorship: How New Professionals Can Transform the PR Industry

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

As we close National Mentoring Month, we must remember mentoring is a year-round commitment by mentors and mentees. But we must also think about the concept of reverse mentoring.

Reverse mentoring is a concept that was first introduced by former General Electric Chairman Jack Welsh more than a decade ago. With the advent of rapidly increasing social technologies, the practice of reverse mentoring is becoming more popular at organizations. Just as new professionals in the industry have a lot to learn and should align themselves with a mentor, more seasoned practitioners can learn a lot from the socially savvy new professional.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article companies like HP and Cisco as well as PR agencies like Ogilvy have launched formal reverse mentoring programs. The beauty of a reverse mentoring relationship is that it shares nearly the same principles of a traditional mentoring relationship, such as building mutual trust, formalizing the relationship and being open to new ideas. However, the difference lies within the benefits of a reverse mentoring relationship or program and the sustained growth, retention and innovation it can have on the company and the industry.

Here are some tips for selecting a mentor or reverse mentor to help you on your professional path.

  • Finding the right match: Forging an effective mentoring relationship falls into the hands of the mentee. When looking for a mentor, take into consideration your goals and where you see your career path going before you make the ask of a seasoned professional.
  • Shorten the learning curve: For reverse mentoring, if you want to sharpen your social media skills or get basic education on a particular social channel (let’s not boil the ocean), ask someone who has a particular skill set around the social channel so they can share lessons learned. Or if you want to apply a social media plan to crisis communications, consider those in your organization or network who are very comfortable with leveraging multiple social networks.
  • One is never enough: Think you need just one mentor? Think again. Young professionals should consider two to three mentors who are at different stages of their career, including mid-level to a seasoned veteran in another field who can give you an outside perspective without bias.
  • Build morale and increase productivity: For reverse mentoring, people enjoy being asked for their opinion, especially new professionals. When new professionals are asked for their knowledge and input by a valued senior practitioner or management professional, they are motivated and inspired to do better work. Practitioners can help use their knowledge to drive the return on influence from social networks.
  • Driver’s seat: As a mentee, you are in charge. Mentors are kind enough to dedicate time and effort to helping you succeed. Take advantage of this and be mindful of their time, meaning scheduling convenient locations and times to talk, thanking them for their efforts and making the conversation as efficient as possible. Come prepared with questions, concerns and ideas to get the most out of your relationship.
  • Increasing retention: Reverse mentoring allows the seasoned practitioner to set their comfort level for the relationship, while also allowing the new professional to learn the long-term goals of the company, fostering collaboration between multi-generational employees in the workplace. This relationship also reveals to future leaders within the company to the seasoned professional.
  • Mentoring goes both ways: We all learn from each other. Just because someone might have more work experience does not mean they can’t listen to great perspective and advice from a young professional. If the sharing of knowledge goes both ways, the mentoring relationship will thrive.

Stay tuned for big news on the PRSA New Pros Mentoring Initiative! Feel free to share your ideas about mentoring below. Have you had a great mentor in your life? Have you ever participated in reverse mentoring? We would love to hear about it!

 

Brandi Boatner and Kate Enos are the PRSA New Professionals Section mentorship chairs.

Introducing Your 2013 Section Executive Committee

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

We’re excited to introduce your 2013 PRSA New Professionals Section Executive Committee! This team has committed to a year of helping you develop as a public relations professional. We’ll do this by connecting you to valuable industry resources, providing thought leadership across disciplines and offering opportunities for you to network with peers across the country.

To kick the year off and get to know them a little better, we’ve asked our Committee members to share the best career advice they’ve received. Check out their responses!

Always work and dress like you’re auditioning for your ideal position. You never know who’s watching, or what connections they have. – Elizabeth Greenaway, Section chair

I was told to distinguish your personal brand with a specialty. Choose something that provides ongoing value and it will help elevate your career. I specialize in social media strategy, measurement and reporting. I developed a social media reporting dashboard in a previous role. This led to a promotion and later helped me land my current position. I would advise everyone to find a specialty to enjoy, develop and continue to learn about. – Brendan Hughes, programming co-chair

The best career advice I’ve been given is “under promise, over deliver”. – Whitney Winn, programming co-chair

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to find a job with a company or organization that is mutually beneficial for everyone involved – not just for you, personally and professionally, but also for the organization. I think a lot of young professionals can get hung up on being the perfect candidate for a certain position and overlook how they fit into the larger company/organization from a cultural standpoint. – Janelle Huelsman, newsletter co-editor

I think I’ll share something that my boss told me back when I was only her intern (about four years ago): Don’t be afraid of learning new things or trying something different. Even if you think you know for sure what you want to do, you may find that you enjoy something else even more and the only way to do that is to know about it firsthand. – Michael Canty, newsletter co-editor

My top three: 1. Your best work will utilize your individual skills and experience. If what you are doing could be done by someone without your skills and experience you are working below your potential. 2. Always keep learning. If you’re the smartest person in the room you’re in the wrong place. 3. Don’t dream about success. Work for it. – Amy Bishop, social media chair

The best advice I ever got was to “be proactive, flag work and clients you are interested in. Many opportunities exist; you just need to ask for them.” – Jessica Noonan, membership co-chair

Saying “thank you” can go a long way. I’m a huge advocate of handwritten thank-you cards, but even the simplest appreciation for someone’s help is memorable. – Nicole Bersani, membership co-chair

Don’t be afraid to take a risk and try something new. It shows initiative, leadership, and a willingness to embrace constant learning. – Kate Enos, mentorship co-chair

The best piece of career advice I’ve been given has two parts- listen twice as much as you speak and never stop learning. In this industry, with our roles constantly changing with the advent of technology, a PR professional can never stop learning. There is so much information, data and knowledge to be attained for our clients, the communities we serve and for ourselves as professionals. – Brandi Boatner, mentorship co-chair

The best advice I’ve ever received is to build a network before you need it. It’s much easier to build solid connections and relationships with other professionals when you’re not looking for an immediate gain from that person. When you look for a new job or need new clients, your network will be much stronger and will be able to help you. – Nick Lucido, PRSSA liaison

My favorite—and most frustrating—intern supervisor once explained to me the difference between “classroom work” and working in the real world. In college, you finish an assignment, turn it in to your professor and get a grade—A, B or whatever. In the real world, you turn in an assignment, and it gets marked up by a proofreader/client and handed back to you. You correct any errors and turn it in again. This process continues until it’s considered “A+” work. It can be incredibly frustrating, but at least I have a clear conscience knowing that I’m producing only the best work for my clients. – Scott Thornburg, PRSSA liaison

The best career advice I’ve ever received was actually something I read in an article. Simple, but amazing advice: “Work like you own the company.” – Keri Cook, blog co-chair

The best advice I’ve ever received from a high school journalism teacher was to write what you know. To this day, whether I’m writing a personal blog, a newsletter article or a press release for a client, I always find my best writing comes from my own experiences and knowledge. When working with a new company or client, I voraciously research and seek to understand the topic so I can communicate effectively with experts in the industry. If I’m writing for my own enjoyment, I find that sharing personal experiences and being transparent makes for a much more engaging and relatable piece. – Heather Sliwinski, blog co-chair and Section chair-elect

 

We’d love to hear from you: What has been the best career advice you’ve received?