PRSA New Pros

Career Transitions Twitter Chat Highlights: Preparing for a Full-Time PR Career

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We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the Transition Month #NPPRSA Twitter chat as we discussed ways new grads can plan and prepare for a full-time career in public relations.

May Twitter Chat Highlights PR Career

Specifically, we’d like to thank PRSA and Joe Cohen, APR. Joe is Chair of PRSA & senior vice president at MWW, a leading global independent public relations firm.

Join us again on June 5 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.

How can you enhance your current role by building upon previous experiences? What are ways PRSA can serve you as a new professional? 

Learn more about PRSA and the PRSA New Pros Section at www.newpros.prsa.org. PRSSA members can receive free PRSA New Pros Section membership with promo code AM14 when you join PRSA as an associate member.

Lauren Rosenbaum soversity prsa new pros prssa

 

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.

PRSA New Pros Teleseminar on May 22 on Integrated Marketing

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From Whiteboard to Customer: A Journey Through Integrated Marketing

Thursday, May 22, 12-1 p.m. EDT

Lately, the conversation seems to be predominately held around real time marketing. It’s time to change the conversation and get into logistics. Megan Severs, Associate Vice President at Fahlgren Mortine will host our second PRSA New Professionals Section Brown Bag Discussion of the year on the hidden topic of integrated marketing. Megan hopes to address the following points in her teleseminar:

  • The importance of integrated marketing and what it means to consumers
  • The anatomy of an integrated team – who comes to the table, and the blurring of the traditional PR roles
  • The important role of research to guide an integrated strategy
  • Step by Step Case Study: McDonald’s Nocturnivore

Register today for the May 22nd teleseminar!

Transitions Month Twitter Chat May 15

Lauren Gray Leave a comment
This month, we’re celebrating Transitions Month as we will mainly focus on the important transition from PRSSA to PRSA.  We will also be discussing professional transitions too.

May Twitter Chat Square - PR CareerOne event is our Twitter Chat on May 15 at 9 p.m. EST with @PRSA and special guest Joe Cohen, the PRSA National Chair.  During the chat, we will be asking questions that address several facets of the transition process including tips for starting your first full-time job, ways to continue learning & evolving your skills/knowledge and questions around PRSA.

#NPPRSA Chat Topic: 
Preparing for a Full-Time PR Career


The Top 8 Reasons Why New Professionals Need Their APR

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APR-il is accreditation month for PR professionals. (APR-il – see what we did there?) This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the certification!

50AnnivLogoAPRAlthough the APR has existed since the Lyndon B. Johnson administration in the 1960’s, many professionals don’t know what it is, how to obtain it or the value it can add to their career. You’re eligible to apply after you’ve worked in the field for five years (suggested), but here are our top eight reasons why you should think about getting your APR as soon as you cross that stage at graduation.

1.     People know right off the bat that you’re legit. The profession is getting crowded – and not always by the best and brightest. For every credible, knowledgeable and ethical PR pro, there’s a “flack” out there giving us all a bad name. Investing in the credential shows that you know your stuff and that you aren’t a spin artist.

2.     You won’t be an “everyman” PR professional. According to the US Department of Labor, the PR Specialist position is expected to grow 12% by 2022. That means more competition in job interviews. Those three little letters behind your name can help move your resume up to the top of the “yes” pile.

3.     It signifies you’re a lifelong learner. In a field that is constantly changing, even drastically in the last five years, employers appreciate employees who are always learning.

4.     It’ll prep you for any job interview. The APR process is two-fold. The first is a readiness review in front of a panel of three accredited professionals, and the second is a computerized examination. At the readiness review, described by our local APR chair as the “most intense job interview of your life,” you’ll showcase your portfolio and a specific campaign you worked on. You thoroughly present the campaign’s objective, strategy, tactics, measurement and evaluation process and results. If you can get through that, you’ll breeze through any job interview.

5.     Bragging rights. Going through the process internally validates what you know about PR and boosts your confidence, while externally it sets you apart from your colleagues and shows your commitment and wide knowledge of the field.

6.     Once you earn your APR, it’s yours to maintain. Once you earn your accreditation, you won’t have to redo the readiness review or retake the test. You can maintain your APR status by participating in professional development activities like serving with your local or national PRSA Chapter, speaking at conferences or mentoring young professionals. Activities are due to the Universal Accreditation Board every three years.

7.     It doesn’t have to be pricy… The application fee is $25, and the examination fee is $385. However, scholarships are available specifically for the APR through many local PRSA Chapters and regional district Chapters. PRSA also offers a rebate. Many employers will also fund your certification fees because it adds value to you, which will help the company in the long run.

8.     …and you don’t have to go through it alone. There is a plethora of help available to ensure you successfully obtain your APR. PRSA has several webinars to help you with the process, and many are FREE with your membership to PRSA! Also, tap into your resources locally – more likely than not, APRs in your PRSA Chapter are willing to mentor you and give insight, tips and help with the process.

As we mentioned before, the profession is constantly changing. One thing remains the same: The APR is the only recognized certification for public relations professionals. Those three little letters behind your name can make a huge impact on your career!

 

Screen Shot 2014-04-24 at 1.12.26 PMBrianna Jackson is the Communications Coordinator at The Concilio, a Dallas-area nonprofit. She leads the nonprofit’s media relations, internal and external communications and social media management. She serves as the co-chair of Dallas NuPros, a section of PRSA Dallas for new professionals within the first five years of their career. Tweet her at @briannasjackson. 

 

Screen Shot 2014-04-24 at 1.12.31 PMBrooke Traister is an account supervisor at Tucker & Associates, a Dallas-based national public relations firm specializing in travel and tourism. With five years of experience working with consumer, B2B and nonprofit clients, Brooke leads several of the agency’s account teams, spearheads social media initiatives and manages Tucker’s intern program. She also serves on the NuPros committee for PRSA Dallas. Tweet her at @brookereport.

A Guide to A Successful International PR Campaign

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Businesses communicate to a wider and more international audience these days.  Defining an international PR strategy is a very important step as perceptions in one part of the world can have an immediate impact across the globe.

map-of-the-world-9-colorful-abstract-art-sharon-cummings

Before you start writing, emailing and tweeting, take the time to ask yourself: “why am I doing this?” and “what am I trying to achieve?” “What is the aim of this challenging international PR campaign?” Most of the time, the ultimate goal is to make an international brand shine across countries, engage in new conversations and attract new clients across cultures.

Today, I invite you to take a ride into a new PR mindset and adapt a glocal perspective!

Glocal: a connection between global and local. In business, being glocal is having a worldwide strategy while adapting it to local cultures.

  1. Differentiate global and local: First identify and differentiate your global strategy from your local initiatives in each country. Global is your brand’s overall personality while local is your cultural characteristics.
  2. Divide responsibilities: The head of global reputation shouldn’t execute any local initiatives as it might affect his vision. Beware of conflicts of interest in communication. One or two heads maximum should lead the campaign in one central city and define responsibilities in each country.
  3. Execute locally: If the brand is targeting the European market, you will need to define mini campaigns for each country. You might be aware of the diversity of food in Europe? Well, for media, it’s quite similar. Media landscapes and cultures in Europe are as varied as national food specialities! Pitching a journalist in Germany, France, the UK or Switzerland is totally different. The best way forward is to coordinate with local PR professionals with strong media relationships.

So what’s next? Now that you are involved in an international campaign, ask yourself the following questions before pushing the green light:

  • Does this local initiative respect the global corporate messages?
  • How will the product/service adapt to the local market?
  • Can we push the product through the same channels in each country?
  • What social media outlets should we use?
  • How and when will we translate content to impact local markets?

A few answers and tips:

  1. Work with locals: As you can’t be everywhere, liaising with local experts will help you understand habits and attitudes of your audience. In addition to this, even if English is a leading business language, speaking other languages can be beneficial in communication. Your impact with be much bigger if you speak a fluent German to German journalists.
  2. Build conversations: Shaping a reputation is less about what companies say about themselves but more about what people say about them. In this context, it’s vital to initiate conversations globally. Create a consistent brand internationally through traditional tools (website, blogs, press releases, by-line articles) while engaging with local audiences on traditional and social media. Let your market influencers become your brand ambassadors!
  3. Communicate among teams: As information travels fast, give priority to transparency and dialogue between your teams. It’s better to over communicate. Even if meetings can be laborious sometime, daily updates guarantee that nothing is missed.

Think cross-cultural, think glocal.

 

corpDiane Gaillard is an International PR Consultant with experience in the financial, real estate, hospitality and B2B sectors after having worked in London and Paris. She develops cross-cultural communication campaigns and raises the profile of international companies and startups in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S. To learn more about Diane, visit her website at www.dianegaillard.com.