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Intro to Agency PR by Heather R. Huhman

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Think you’re interested in working in agency PR? Here are a few questions you might want to ask yourself first:

Why would I want to work for a public relations agency?

Unlike in-house public relations professionals, those who work for PR agencies get to work with a variety of clients on a daily basis. You can easily become an expert in a variety of niches by working with different organizations. Some agencies even specialize in a specific niche, focusing their efforts on a certain type of client in a particular field or industry.

What’s a typical day like in agency PR?

No two days are alike when it comes to public relations, particularly if you’re juggling several accounts. Depending on the agency and type of clients, a typical day might consist of any combination of the following:

  • Participating in client meetings
  • Creating content such as press releases, blog posts and media pitches
  • Recording press mentions
  • Speaking with members of the media
  • Arranging interviews between journalists and clients
  • Researching to develop content, media lists or other documents
  • Sharing content via social media channels
  • Monitoring local and national media
  • Brainstorming new strategies and tactics
  • Organizing events and press conferences

What types of skills or attributes should I have if I want to work in agency PR?

In order to work with different types of clients in a fast-paced environment, you should be a quick learner. You also need to have superior communication skills – both written and verbal – in order to successfully get your client’s message across. Deadlines are often tight in public relations, so you should be able to work well under pressure. Obviously, based on the variety of tasks, you should also be good at multitasking as well.

What challenges should I expect?

Working with different clients can be challenging. Some clients trust your ideas, while others are more reluctant to let go of control of their organization’s messages. Similarly, some clients micromanage their PR efforts, while others let you run with your ideas. It can also be stressful and challenging to meet tight deadlines.

What skills should I learn that might not be taught in the classroom?

  • Social media: PR pros are now expected to be proficient in the different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, among others. You should know how to use each platform and have a solid online presence on the platforms you participate in.
  • Content marketing: Blogging, e-newsletters, webinars, podcasts, whitepapers—these are all strategies that you might need to leverage on behalf of a client. You should understand what each is and have a basic understanding of the benefits of different content options.  
  • Writing for the Web: Blog posts, social releases and social media releases all have a different writing style than “traditional” content. Writing for the Web is much more to the point, and includes hyperlinks, images, video and other content along with it. Oh, and don’t forget about search engine optimization!

How can I break into a specific agency?

Intern at the organization. Internships are one of the top ways to land an entry-level job at a particular company. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers reported 39.1 percent of their entry-level hires came from their own internship programs. Not only does landing an intern position help you get a foot in the door, but it also helps you gain experience, skills and networking connections for the future.

Follow key employees on social media. Connect with folks who work at the company online. Engage in conversations and inquire about the organization. Express your interest in learning more about their role at the company. Once you’ve built a mutually beneficial relationship, you can set up an in-person meeting, informational interview or job shadow.

Network with your peers, colleagues and professors. Build your network before you start out your job search. You never know who your connections know—and how those connections could help you land a job in the future.

Heather HuhmanHeather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and/or employers. She is also the author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships: The Truth About Getting from Classroom to Cubicle (2011), #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

Summer Book Club–June: UnMarketing Discussion

Heather Sliwinski 4 Comments

“If you believe business is built on relationships, make building them your business.”  That, in a nutshell, is what defines “UnMarketing”. 

Why do marketers, in a world where consumers strive to fast forward through commercials and place their phone numbers on “do not call” lists, continue to use old ways of marketing that they themselves detest?  “Why do we market to people the way we hate to be marketed to?” asks author Scott Stratten.

Enter UnMarketing: a new way of marketing based on creating connections, building relationships and continually providing value to your contacts using traditional media and social media outlets.  Stratten urges us to “Stop marketing. Start engaging.”

One of the biggest ways Stratten suggests to build relationships with consumers is by positioning yourself, or your company, as an expert in your field.  “When you position yourself as an expert with useful information for people, your marketplace will always have a need for that information,” says Stratten.  Therefore, if a consumer does not currently have use for your product, they will still be interested in communicating with you based on the knowledge you have to share.

So, you have knowledge to share and a few contacts to share with.  Stratten recommends building a social media platform.  With social media tools expanding at what seem like an exponential rate, one cannot possibly use every service.  Stratten suggests starting small.  Pick one place, be it Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, and invest your time in it until you build a strong following.  Stratten outlines three steps to successfully build your platform:

1. Build traction: be consistent with your updates and spread them out over the week.  Share information and respond to others’ updates.  Create a presence.

2. Build momentum: focus on strengthening the connections you have instead of only increasing followers.  Take your conversation to another level, like meeting face-to-face at conferences or Tweetups.

3. Expand: in order to take your relationships to the next level, grow your platform to other social media sites to better engage with your connections. 

Once you have followers, it becomes important to keep your followers.  Every communication should focus on creating valuable content and keeping your followers’ trust.  Stratten emphasizes that one mediocre experience can lead a customer to shop around elsewhere:  “One of the things companies need to realize is that they are only as good as the weakest experience of their customer.  Many businesses are guilty of creating a great experience to get a first sale from you, but are really bad at keeping that level of service going.” 

Stratten describes this “Experience Gap” as the space between the best services and the worst experience a customer receives.  Every business should strive for the smallest Experience Gap because other companies can sneak in through the cracks.

Because no company can afford gaps in trust or experience, the most important rule to follow is to be authentic and transparent.  Being authentic means being yourself.  When you stop trying to be your competitor and start showing what makes you different, you play to your strengths and position yourself for success.  Being transparent means being honest.  Honesty is just a good business rule to follow anyway, and it helps keep the trust of your customers.

These concepts merely scratch the surface of UnMarketing, but they demonstrate that Stratten believes engagement and sincere relationships are the foundation for any business that can no longer be ignored.

Share your thoughts on UnMarketing below!

  1. What did you agree with and why? What did you disagree with?
  2. Stratten provided the advantages and disadvantages for each social media outlet like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  Have you found a favorite site to engage with your customers?  Are there any pros or cons you would add to any of the site?
  3. UnMarketing featured an entire section on viral marketing.  Have you found success with a viral video? How did you handle the loss of control? How did you connect beyond number of views?
  4. Stratten provides helpful tips to connect with consumers using more traditional means of marketing like tradeshows, newsletters and seminars.  What other ways are you creating conversation beyond social media?  Do you think our society still finds value in traditional media?
  5. Networking is either your biggest fear or your greatest ally as a new professional.  We’ve all seen the “Card Collector” and all strive to be the “Great One”.  Stratten suggests listening to others, being yourself and enjoying the conversation, not just seeing the event as a glorified business card exchange.  What suggestions do you have for other new pros learning how to network? 
  6. What is the most valuable lesson you will take away from this book? Any specific ideas you will adopt?

Stay tuned for the announcement of our July Summer Book Club read!

PRSA Jobcenter Adds Features Designed for New Professionals by Richard Spector

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

Recently I had the pleasure of managing PRSA’s Jobcenter redesign – with the help and guidance of some wonderful colleagues. We rebuilt the navigation and compiled information from all PRSA and PRSSA resources including advice based on PR Tactics articles, Forum blogs, comPRehension entries, HR consultants and resume guidance from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What is the result? We now have an information-rich career center to set job seekers on a successful path for all career levels. If you are new to public relations, the entry-level and tools and tactics pages can provide a needed edge in this ever-changing economy. We based the redesign on answering a series of questions for new professionals.

How can I write the best resume? A resume starts with making a personal pitch through your cover letter. This letter is your chance to make a great first impression. The first two sentences of your resume should summarize your background, to tell the HR person whether to read on. Once you have reviewed more resume and career articles, you can sign up for a customized 21-page resume guide or a resume critique. You will be able to access these portions once you post a resume to PRSA Jobcenter.

How do I prepare for a job interview? As the saying goes, you only have three seconds to make a good impression, and we can help. The first bit of advice is of course to keep calm even when asked tough questions. PRSSA has a great synopsis of the types of interview questions you may be asked. Next comes the question of following up after the first interview. The growing importance of social media has made the “give to get” rule a necessity. Stand out from the crowd by sending the company you interviewed for a relevant article or helpful observations on improving their website. When you get to the second interview, prepare a brief customized marketing or social media plan. Throughout the process, also take note of your personal brand. This will help you present yourself in the best way possible.

What are the best resources to search for a job? Nowadays, the answer really is “everything.” An HR consultant mentioned a conversation he had recently with a job applicant. The applicant waited a year before coming to him. Why? They were searching for jobs only via social media. Using only one resource decreases your chances of finding a job. You can stay competitive by searching for jobs on job boards, LinkedIn and Craig’s List. The PRSA Jobcenter has some time-saving elements when searching for a job, such as signing up for job alerts or a job feed.

How do I land that internship? PRSSA can help you get started with internship realities for graduating seniors. They also offer perspectives on working for an agency vs. a corporation. Once you have landed that much-coveted internship, you will want to make the most out of your internship experience. The ultimate goal is to be hired for a permanent position, and advice from both PRSA and PRSSA can help.

How can I network most effectively? The best outcome from networking effectively is to have an employer at the company you wish to work for hand-deliver your resume to the HR director. But how do you make this happen? PRSA Jobcenter has a page to help you network like a pro. Set up a plan to network with intention, make networking an art and follow the essential steps for networking success. Best-selling author Andrea Nierenberg offers tips on Ways to Say “Thank You” along with the “ABCs of Networking“.

Finally yet importantly, always stay positive, and remember PRSA Jobcenter will have strategic guidance for you every step of the way. Whether you are looking to ask our panel of mentors a question, wish to attend graduate school or find a helpful webinar, we will follow your career from entry-, mid- to senior-level.

Richard Spector is the manager of client services at Public Relations Society of America.

Intro to Travel and Tourism PR: Part Two by Kelly Ryan

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

This week, the PR New Pros blog is excited to delve deeper into the world of travel and tourism with the second part of our “Intro to Travel and Tourism PR” series.  We already discovered the day-to-day life of a seasoned PR professional in the travel industry with Diane Centeno, APR, the director of marketing for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment in part one. Now we continue with a specific look at the role of the Convention and Visitors Bureau with Kelly Ryan, communications and tourism coordinator at the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As young PR professionals, I think it is safe to say that a great majority of us enjoy talking, writing and traveling – though not necessarily in that order.  For me, it’s actually the reverse order. 

When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life (a big question, indeed), my parents advised me to think about the things that made me the most happy, and then build a career around those things.   Interspersed between family and friends, the Green Bay Packers, a well-executed cookout and hammock naps, I came to realize that the time that I was truly happiest was when I was traveling.  I came to find out there are jobs that combine travel with writing (and some talking).  Enter my role at the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB).

If you aren’t sure what a CVB is, you’re not alone.  The mission at my office is similar to many CVBs throughout the country—to stimulate economic growth by marketing a destination as a convention and visitor destination.  Essentially, my bureau promotes tourism from both the leisure side (you and I) and the convention side (PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference).  Today, many CVBs are becoming referred to as Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), a term that perhaps better describes our function.

While many CVBs/DMOs have a similar mission, all operate in a unique capacity.  Some are contracted by the city, some are supported by lodgers tax, some have members or partners (businesses that pay or trade membership to be promoted), some have gigantic budgets, some have a one-person staff, etc. As you can imagine, a CVB operating in a city like Las Vegas would have many more resources available to it than a smaller destination like Eau Claire, Wisconsin (hometown shout out – go Blugolds!).

From a PR capacity, depending on the type of bureau you are at, you will have a unique role.  In Albuquerque, I work on a seven-person communications and marketing team that essentially acts as an in-house agency supporting over 900 partner businesses.   This team handles everything from social media for the destination to PR, marketing, advertising, group tour relations, communications and design.  We serve as an extension of our partner businesses’ marketing arm, not a substitution for it. To simplify explaining how PR works in my office, I will highlight the three things that take up most of our time: 

General PR Efforts

In my role, I support our communications and tourism manager in day-to-day PR and media relations efforts.  I pitch stories, write press releases, keep current on local and national news, work with partner businesses and local conventions on PR efforts, monitor our clipping service, work with writers, update website content, etc.  One thing I don’t do?  Bill my hours.  Maybe you like doing that.  I appreciate not having to.

One thing I really like about working at a CVB is that most of the news that we deal with is positive.  A new restaurant opening, a baby seal born at the zoo or a convention coming to town.  Other than in disaster circumstances, most of the news that we deal with is not necessarily breaking news.  This is not to say that things are slow at the office.  We have 900 partners to keep in mind. 

Imagine trying to keep track of 900 clients.  Exactly. 

Press Tours

Our bureau contracts with a public relations firm that specializes in media marketing for travel and tourism industry clients.  While we host journalists and media outside of these press tours, a lot of time and effort goes into planning several major press tours each year.  Albuquerque is unique in that it really offers something for many different audiences.  We have great food, many outdoor recreation opportunities, wonderful weather, an infusion of Hispanic and Native American culture and many more offerings that attract travel and lifestyle media to the area.  There is still a lot left to be discovered by the mainstream media about New Mexico as a whole, so we feel lucky to be promoting this area.   

Social Media

Follow us! Fan us! Love us!  We will reciprocate.  Social media ends up taking a good portion of the day. 

Of course there are other responsibilities that we have from a PR standpoint, but just like everyone else, those responsibilities change on a day-to-day basis.  I feel it fitting to end this post with a quote by Caskie Stinnett that nicely ties tourism with public relations: “I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” 

Isn’t that the truth?

Kelly RyanKelly Ryan, communications and tourism coordinator at the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an avid Badger and Packer fan, serving as the president of the Wisconsin Alumni Association for New Mexico.  She is an active member of SouthWest Writers and is involved in her local PRSA chapter.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing sports and spending time with her Little Sister (Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program).  Kelly was recently recognized as one of Destination Marketing Association International’s “30 Under 30.”  Follow her on Twitter.

Summer Book Club–June: UnMarketing

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

Returning this year to the PRSA New Pros Blog is the Summer Book Club.  Thanks to all who tweeted and voted, the Summer Book Club has its first PR read for June—UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging. by Scott Stratten!  So visit your local bookstore, download it onto your Kindle or borrow it from a friend, but get your copy today and start reading.

Discussion surrounding UnMarketing starts the first week of July.  Check back with the PRSA New Pros blog, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to join in the conversation.

Here’s what amazon.com has to say about UnMarketing:

From one of the leading experts in viral and social marketing-market your business effectively to today’s customers

For generations, marketing has been hypocritical. We’ve been taught to market to others in ways we hate being marketed to (cold-calling, flyers, ads, etc.). So why do we still keep trying the same stale marketing moves?

UnMarketing shows you how to unlearn the old ways and consistently attract and engage the right customers. You’ll stop just pushing out your message and praying that it sticks somewhere. Potential and current customers want to be listened to, validated, and have a platform to be heard-especially online. With UnMarketing, you’ll create such a relationship with your customers, and make yourself the logical choice for their needs.

  • Shows how to create a mindset and systems to roll out a new, 21st century marketing approach
  • Marketing expert Scott Stratten focuses on a Pull & Stay method (pulling your market towards you and staying/engaging with them, leading them to naturally choose you for their needs) rather than Push & Pray
  • Redefines marketing as all points of engagement between a company and its customers, not just a single boxed-in activity

Traditional marketing methods are leading to diminishing returns and disaffected customers. The answer? Stop marketing, start UnMarketing!

New Pros: What are you hoping to learn from this book?  What specific topics would you like to see in our discussion?

Whether you are spending your summer laying on the beach or traveling for business, make sure you bring along your copy of UnMarketing!