professional development

Getting the Most Out of PRSA International Conference: 4 Tips for New Pros

Heather Sliwinski 1 Comment

So, you’ve registered for the PRSA 2011 International Conference. Now what? All you need to do is pack and relax, right? Well, maybe. This year’s conference is going to rock! Most likely, you’ll leave with a few business cards in hand and, most importantly, the tools and knowledge necessary to take your career to the next level. But, there is much work to be done.

Here are a few tips for new PR pros to help get the most out of conference:

  • Plan your schedule– the International Conference is jam packed with sessions, and it may be hard to choose which ones to attend. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to enjoy the conference more. Look for sessions that relate to your everyday job and ones that might challenge you. As a new PR pro, you may want to consider sessions like “How to Pitch to Overworked Journalists and Harried Bloggers and Come Out Unscathed” or “The Personal Branding Project – Crafting Your Identity.” Sessions like these will help hone your craft and position you to the right audiences, especially if you are looking for a job.
  • Network, network, network – so much of what we do is about creating and retaining relationships with key media and stakeholders. It’s only fitting that in order to excel in this field, we need to make connections with other professionals. You never know where your next job offer will come from, and you never know who might become your mentor. So, don’t be shy–introduce yourself to someone new at each session you attend! A must-attend networking event is the opening-night reception hosted by PRSA Orlando (shameless plug). The reception will be a great way to kick off the conference with other industry professionals from across the country. Other must-attend events include the PRSA Connections Networking Luncheon and the PRSA and Inside PR Tweetup by the lazy river. (Yes. You read that right. There is a lazy river at the hotel. Let’s do this!) 
  • Enjoy Orlando – conference isn’t all work and no play. There will be plenty of time to soak up some sun or venture off property to explore the other side to Orlando.
  • Follow up with your connections – be sure to send personal notes to all the connections you make at conference. You’ll want to keep in touch. In fact, when you get a business card from someone, write a note on the back of the card about what you talked about or where you met them to help jog your memory later.

So, pack your bags and trek on down to Orlando. The awesomeness that is the PRSA International Conference starts in a few short days. Who’s ready for some PR fun in the sun? 

Christina Morton is on the PRSA Orlando Regional Chapter Host Committee. She is an account executive specializing in social media for CBR Public Relations in Maitland, Fla.

Save the Date: New Professionals Week 2011

Diahnn Henderson 1 Comment

I love planning events for the New Pros especially when it’s a national weeklong event celebrating young professionals! You can never have enough young professionals in your Chapter; after all, they are the future.

This year, during November 14-18, we will host our very first New Professionals Week. This week was designed to celebrate young professionals, but also to help connect young PR pros with their local PRSA chapter.

Who’s invited? Everyone. We’re encouraging everyone who’s interested in this week to get involved! PRSA New Pros National will support your local event via guest blog posts and social media channels.

How can I get involved? If you interested in contributing to our blog, contact blog co-chairs, Heather Sliwinski and Diahnn Henderson. For events, visit our website and download a fact sheet and an event registration form. This website will be the hub for all events held during New Pros week. Once registration forms are submitted, you’ll be able to see a list of events on our website, promoting local events.

We understand that not everyone may have a budget to host an event this year. For those of you who have tight budgets, here are a few budget friendly ways to participate:

  1. Host a private showing of a PRSA New Pros webinar. During New Pros Week, we feature a webinar on a topic of interest for new pros. We anticipate the webinar will be held in the afternoon on Wednesday, Nov. 16 available for purchase (only $35 for New Pros Section members) to host a private showing – invite local new pros to an office, bring a bag lunch and have a discussion after the presentation. The playback will also be available for purchase and our guest speaker can be reached throughout the week for questions via Twitter.
  2.  Host a New Pros focused PRSA Chapter meeting. What topics are particularly interesting to young professionals? What issues are they concerned with during their first few years as a PR professional? Schedule a Chapter meeting during this week and cover one of these topic(s) and/or issue(s).
  3. Participate in New Pros week via our social networks and blog. Follow our hashtag #NPWeek to join the coast-to-coast virtual networking. We’re always looking for a fresh, new perspective on any aspect of PR for our blog; consider drafting a post about your Chapter’s local new pros group, or your personal experience as a new pro.Elizabeth Rhoads

It’s going to be great week of celebrating young professionals. If you have any questions about getting involved, please email me .

Elizabeth Rhoads
PRSA New Professionals Section Programming Chair

Professional Development Brown Bag: Exploring Post-Graduate Options in PR

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

Is graduate school something you’ve considered? If so, will you choose MBA or Masters? What about getting your APR? Where does it all fit in? Do you start right after you graduate from college or after you’ve been working a couple years? For some it’s obvious, if you’re more in line with a business field, you’ll go for the MBA, but what about the rest of us? Our next Brown Bag, “Exploring Post-Graduate Options in Public Relations”, should help answer some of your questions!

We have the opportunity to hear from a panel of three guests: Arthur Yann (APR), Meg Kane (Masters) and Heather Read (MBA). Each of them comes from a different industry and will shed some light on their career and education path.

The Brown Bag will be held on Friday, September 23 from 2-3 pm. Remember, it’s free for PRSSA and New Pros Section members! Register here.

Arthur Yann, APR is vice president, public relations, at PRSA. In his 20+ years of New York agency experience, Yann has launched and revitalized consumer and business products, developed national and local media relations strategies, managed corporate reputations and crises and built brands. Yann holds a journalism degree from Ohio University.

Meg Kane is currently an account supervisor for Brian Communications in Philadelphia, Penn. She holds a Masters degree in Strategic Public Relations and Political Rhetoric from the University of Maryland. Kane has worked on the agency side of public relations for more than five years, working with brands such as Tastykake and the Philadelphia Orchestra Association. Additionally, Kane served as the director of public relations for Mount Saint Joseph Academy as well an adjunct professor of communication at La Salle University.

Heather Read, MBA is an award-winning specialist in strategic communications and has 14 years of experience in business-to-business and technology PR and marketing. Read is currently public affairs program manager at DuPont, managing social media as it relates to issues and crisis communications. Previously, Read was the senior director of communications at Afilias. She holds a MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

PRSA’s Proposed 2012 Dues Increase By Sarah Siewert

Diahnn Henderson 4 Comments

By now you may have heard the news that, after 10 years without a dues increase, PRSA’s Board of Directors will be introducing a motion at this year’s Leadership Assembly at International Conference in Oct. to raise the cost of PRSA membership. As your chair, I would like to get your feedback so I can best represent our Section when voting on this important matter –please read the rationale and what this means for us below. I look forward to your feedback.

The rationale

This blog post, written by PRSA Treasurer Philip Tate, APR, announces the proposed increase and presents the rationale behind it. In his post, Philip explains why the increase is necessary; details the cost-control and revenue generation steps that were taken in an attempt to avoid an increase; and previews the type of Member benefits that the dues increase is intended to provide for you and for all PRSA members.

What this means for New Pros

First, it’s important to note that associate memberships will NOT be impacted by the dues increase motion. Associate memberships will remain in the same price structure:

    • PRSSA member who graduated within the past two years or a graduate student: $60
    • Graduate students: $60
    • Less than one year of experience in public relations (NOT a former PRSSA member): $115
    • With one to two years of experience in public relations (NOT a former PRSSA member): $155

If you are a Section member with two or more years of experience, you WILL be impacted by the dues increase. If the motion is passed, general memberships will change by $30 annually:

    • Current annual membership fee for general members: $225
    • Proposed annual membership fee for general members: $255

If APPROVED, PRSA National is considering offering all Webinars for FREE to PRSA member. This represents nearly $2,000 in annual savings for members who participate in one PRSA webinar per month. In addition, passage of the dues increase will allow PRSA to implement loyalty marketing programs based on member involvement. This means you will receive even more value for your PRSA membership, just by being an active member.

Input needed

Please take a moment to read the post and give us your feedback. I look forward to engaging with you through the comment section below, or through our Twitter ( @PRSANewPros) and Facebook (/PRSANewPros) accounts. You also may feel free to contact me directly at sarah.siewert@kemperlesnik.com.

Intro to Consumer PR by Mark McClennan, APR

Diahnn Henderson 1 Comment

Almost 20 years ago, Oscar Mayer crushed my dreams when it told me I didn’t quite cut the mustard to drive the 27-foot long Weinermobile. I was one of 36 finalists, but they chose only 12 to go hot-dogging around the country for a year.

I quickly recovered, joined a public relations agency and haven’t looked back since. For most of that time, I have been doing PR for consumer technology – everything from 3D game controllers and the first professional cyber-athletes, to online shopping, a free online dating service (you shouldn’t have to pay for love) and new forms of cash.

The realm of consumer PR is broad, and there are dozens of subspecialties within it. From beverage and restaurant PR, to music, technology, travel and consumer services, more than 70 percent of the U.S. economy deals with consumers. 

Consumer PR is a crowded field, and even with the social media explosion, you are fighting thousands of others for the same slice of attention. That, to me, is one thing that makes consumer PR so exciting. My day is one of non-stop motion. 

Every day is different, but it usually begins by checking my iPhone before I get out of bed to see the latest news and developments – spending time on Facebook, Radian6, Google+ and Twitter to see what I need to know. When I get into the office, I start juggling the demands of a number of clients and come up with creative ideas ranging from surveys and videos to analyzing Google Analytics and HootSuite metrics to see what is driving traffic to my clients’ websites.

The best part of my day is brainstorming with all the creative professionals at our agency. Just last week we came up with a city-by-city heatmap highlighting the worst cases of identity manipulation and a creative campaign for Comic-Con. What happens on a daily basis changes quite a bit. However, there are a few pieces of advice that I have found useful over the years. The following are four tips for new professionals looking to break into and develop their careers in consumer:

  • If you don’t love what you are doing, don’t do it: Find something else, both for your own personal satisfaction and because people that have a passion for their job will lap you and leave you in the dust. Every single day I am excited to wake up, see what has happened with my clients and their competitors and go to work with a great group of people.

  • Every opportunity is a networking opportunity – and I mean every place: Work, dinner, church, sitting in the airport or playing sports. Keep in mind, networking does not mean “What can you do for me?” Good networking involves helping others and making connections, just like investing in your 401k. At first, your network seems small, but if you keep it up, the beauty of compound interest gives even someone who is an average networker an amazing web of contacts and influencers in just five to 10 years. Don’t be intimidated just because someone has been doing consumer PR longer than you have been alive. You have a valuable point of view and experiences they do not have. Share it.Networking is also the best way to break through the HR roadblock and get an interview and possibly your dream job. Having a news snippet to share at the interview to show you have done your research is also strongly suggested.

  • Change is constant: With consumer PR, change is constant. You need to keep up on the latest trends. Ten million people joined Google+ in the first three weeks–is that something your company or clients should leverage? The only way to know is to try it yourself. This often means putting the time in after work. Just keep in mind, you need to look at things through your clients’ and your company’s eyes, not your own. This also means you shouldn’t be wedded to any one thing. Discussing a Facebook strategy is the wrong question. You should be looking at the social networking strategy. Facebook may not even be here in five years. 

  • Everything matters: As a consumer PR pro, you need to be a subject matter expert, but your subjects can be featured in everything from “Sex in the City” to USA Today; TechCrunch to “Captain America.” This means you need to keep up with quite a bit. Read constantly. You will be amazed when an obscure piece of knowledge helps you connect with a reporter or a client.

Consumer PR is a thriving, dynamic market with an opportunity for you to do whatever you want. If you have a goal – go for it. However, keep yourself open to new experiences. In consumer PR, you can be sure you will have a new challenge every day.

Mark W. McClennan, APR, is a senior vice president at Schwartz Communications, where he heads the research group and co-leads the consumer technology practice. In his spare time, he writes blog posts on how Dora the Explorer teaches you all you need to know about PR and does stand-up comedy.

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