tip sheet

intro to series…Higher Education PR, by Brian Camen

awilmes Leave a comment

Prior to joining Weber Shandwick this month, I worked in higher education PR for two years. I would often get questions from outsiders about what I did. Since some people don’t understand, I thought I would provide an overview of what a higher Ed PR practitioner does. Please remember, this is a general overview and everyone’s position is different. So here’s a run down:

  • Media Relations: Higher education institutions often provide faculty expert sources for the media. Students have newsworthy initiatives going on. How does your institution compare with the latest enrollment trends? Whether it’s fulfilling a request or pitching, Media relations can be a large part of a pros job. Developing relationships with higher Ed reporters is key.
  • Monitoring: Monitor articles that were published and monitor breaking news. Monitoring breaking news falls under media relations, one thing leads to another. As a PR pro, you need to be in front of the news so you can leverage your professor or school’s expertise and provide sources for the media. Have multiple experts available that can talk about different angles on the same topic, why not create a media tip sheet?
  • Crisis Communication: Swine Flu? Death on campus? Shooting? The PR pro should play a large part in your institutions emergency response management team. You hope none of the above ever happens, but you must be prepared.
  • Media Training: Sure your professor can speak academic, but can they (or you) translate their work and apply it to current events?
  • Internal and external writing: Writing is a part of a PR pros job. Press releases, internal newsletters, magazines, editorials, HR communications, web articles, rankings communications and byline articles are samples of the type of writing. You may also have to write fundraising letters and grants depending on your position.
  • Social Media: You may be asked to create and maintain a strategic social media plan for your institution.

Depending on the institution and budget, you may have marketing or event responsibilities as well. Every day brings on a new task. Higher Ed PR is rewarding. Higher Ed pros don’t put out fluff or spam (most don’t). They help promote thought leadership. And that is one of my favorite things about higher Ed PR.

pr stratgey… Tip Sheets as a Successful PR Tactic by Brian Camen

New Professionals PR Blog Leave a comment

The media calls my team because of the relationships we have built, the reputation of my employer, and the sources we can offer. I work for a top-ranked graduate school. Our “clients” are faculty members (around fifty Ph.D.’s), each experts in their field.

Last summer, my team created a media tip sheet for the Olympics. With the help of my director, I took the lead on it, and this tip sheet set off three months during which our team was trying to fulfill multiple inquires per day.

Media tip sheets are under utilized, but really simple to create. If there is a major local, national, or international event occurring and you have multiple experts that can take different angles on the event, why not let the media know that you’re there for them?

Here’s what I recommend if you’d like to create a source-based media tip sheet:

1. Introduction–What news story/event & why is your company qualified to discuss.
2. Multiple Experts-–Be sure to include multiple experts that can comment on different perspectives of the news story/event.
3. Credibility–What makes each expert credible to discuss the topic? No credibility means no media attention.
4. What your expert is prepared to say–-A brief description about what your expert is prepared to say.
5. Contact information–Do you like it when things are made easy for you? Well so does the media. Don’t forget to put direct contact information for your experts.

The tip sheets I prepared featured nine different professors and senior officials who were experts on different business angles of the Olympics. We had representatives who could talk about topics such as China’s government, their environment, the branding of the Olympics, disaster and emergency planning, and more. The tip sheet also featured recent stories in school publications about students who played a role in the Olympics.

As you can guess, the tip sheet paid off. Our expert sources were featured in many local, national, and international print and broadcast outlets. The inquiries came pouring in but didn’t end when the Olympics completed. The media tip sheet created a domino effect. Journalists knew our sources were efficient, reliable, and could be trusted.

All you need to do is create a one-sheet featuring a paragraph about each expert stating why they’re qualified to comment, what they’re prepared to say, and direct contact info. This campaign was so successful because we made it easy for the media.

BRIAN CAMEN is a Public Relations Coordinator at a top-ranked international b-school in Glendale, AZ. Read his blog The PR Practitioner (http://www.theprpractitioner.com). He can be reached at brian.camen@gmail.com or @BrianCamen