Public Relations

Honoring National Woman’s History Month

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

In honor of March being National Woman’s History Month and the public Blog Photorelations industry being dominated by woman, we celebrate educational and professional freedom for woman by applying the words of some of the most powerful and influential woman in history to our own career paths.

“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”
– Michelle Obama

Most millennials wear their workaholism with honor. We tend to lose sight of how stressful a career in public relations can be. We need to remember the importance of keeping a balanced life, free from havoc on our health, happiness and job performance. Whether you take up a certain hobby, read a book, take a bike ride or visit friends, truly think about what you do to relax and designate time for it.

“You won’t change things unless you are prepared to fight, even if you don’t win. But I do hate losing.”
-Wendy Davis

In today’s crowded media space, creative public relations planning is a huge part of any public undertaking. Never be afraid to introduce new ideas to your team. Having new ideas to introduce means staying abreast of industry trends and continuously developing your creative potential. To boost your creativity, step outside of your own comfort zone. Open up your mind to new perspectives and take time to learn skills that you would not normally be interested in.

“Take criticism seriously, but not personally. If there is truth or merit in the criticism, try to learn from it. Otherwise, let it roll right off you. “
-Hillary Clinton

Constructive criticism is a key part of any position. Be sure to pay attention to critical comments from supervisors and co-workers. Always being prepared to take notes during meetings and conversations will help avoid making the same mistakes twice.

“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
-Oprah Winfrey

Ethics plays a huge role in public relations as a profession. By always promoting the flow of accurate and truthful information, young professionals can continue to build a better reputation for public relations as an industry. Help educate your clients by letting them know what rules you are governed by and what values should be followed when communicating with the public.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Believing in your capabilities and planning for your success are ultimate keys to achieving your dreams. Pave your career path by setting long and short-term goals to reach throughout the year. Remember to always take advantage of mentoring and networking opportunities. Cultivating relationships with co-workers and supervisors is a likely way to gain valuable insight and advice on how to navigate through the early stages of your own career.

 

Bio PhotoMagan Felitto is currently a freelance public relations professional, working with a major entertainment company in New York City. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s, Advertising & Marketing Communications program in Summer 2013 with four years of experience as Vice President of Chapter Development of her former PRSSA chapter and a plethora of internships under her belt. She is also a proud member of PRSA National, PRSA-New York, and PRSA New Professionals Section. Ms. Felitto can be reached at MaganFelitto@gmail.com.

Diversity and New Pros: Be a Storyteller, Make a Difference

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

As new professionals in the public relations field, we constantly work with people of all walks of life across many disciplines. Working with a diverse range of people opens our eyes to the possibilities and opportunities out there.

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That being said, the PR profession is not as diverse as you might think despite ongoing and tremendous progress that has been made. According to the PRSA Foundation, ethnic groups make up 30 percent of the U.S. population yet only 10 percent of minorities work in public relations.

When most people hear about diversity, the primary identifiers that come to mind include race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. There are many more than that, some of which you might least expect. What makes everyone unique and different in their own ways most likely falls under this category. To name a few, it also includes income level, religion, disabilities, socioeconomic status and age.

Addressing such issues is no easy task yet very much achievable. Local PRSA Chapters can do their part in working on diversity initiatives custom tailored to their communities in order to help diversify its memberships. PRSA members can serve as mentors to PRSSA students of all walks of life as a way to provide professional guidance and support to help prepare the next generation of leaders.

One attribute of PR professionals is that we are storytellers. We all have stories of our own to tell based on our knowledge, experience and upbringing. As no two stories are completely alike, it is having those unique stories that makes us diverse. By learning from one another about our differences, it helps us become competent professionals as a result. If we want to stand out as professionals getting started in this field, it is important that our individual stories be heard to help ourselves advance in this profession.

Now, I would like to hear from you. Each month, I hope to feature on this blog a new professional of different backgrounds and how it relates to your experiences as a PR professional. Speak from the heart so that we can all understand where you are coming from. If you are interested in submitting your story, email simonoh804@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from as many new professionals as possible.

 

Simon_Oh-5Simon Oh is the diversity liaison for the PRSA New Professionals executive committee. He is currently a graduate student at San Jose State University, studying transportation management. His professional background includes public affairs and community relations within the transportation field. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

March Twitter Chat Highlights: Crisis Communications

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the March #NPPRSA Twitter chat focused on crisis communications planning. We discussed what is required for any thorough crisis communications plan, which departments to include and how to prepare employees.

PRSA Twitter Chat Highlights: Crisis CommunicationsSpecifically, we’d like to thank Valerie Merahn Simon, senior marketing executive and Director of Marketing Communications for Plymouth Rock Assurance. She is also the co-founder of the #HAPPO and #PRStudChat Twitter chats.

Join us again on April 3 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. What did you learn from the March chat? How can you plan for unanticipated events for your brand? What methods can you use to prepare co-workers and executives for dealing with the public? Who can you collaborate with or who should you include in a crisis plan?

 

 

Lauren Rosenbaum

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.

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PRSA New Pros Teleseminar: March 13 on Real-Time Marketing with Arby’s

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

Josh Martin, Social Media Manager at Arby’s, will host our first PRSA New Professionals Section Brown Bag Discussion of the year. Josh gave us a preview of what you will be able to learn from his teleseminar on Real-Time Marketing Done Right. Register for the March 13th teleseminar today.

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How would you personally define real-time marketing? 

To me, real-time marketing is simply making timely responses to mainstream events.

What are some notable differences when executing RT marketing with an agency vs corporate?

Agencies bring a lot of creativity and strategic thinking to the table when it comes to RT marketing. Corporate lives/breathes the brand on a daily basis and often has a better understanding of what will work with their audience. The magic happens when both agency & corporate can work together seamlessly.

What are some of your goals when planning/executing RT marketing? 

My goal for RT marketing: Don’t do anything stupid. RT marketing is about two things: listening and engaging. We want to make sure we’re listening first and understand the conversations that are taking place. If we decide to pursue an opportunity, our goal is for the content to not feel forced and stays consistent with our brand voice.

What advice do you have for brands/companies that don’t have a budget to promote/push out their content?

Brands can still be effective in social media, even with a limited budget. They need to be laser-focused on developing a content strategy and be patient with results.

In your opinion, is there a good ratio to be used of pre-planned content and real-time content?

Specifically during a major event, when brands are trying to stay relative. It’s important to have pre-planned content at the ready so you can move quickly during a major event, but it’s as equally important to be flexible and pivot to real-time content when an opportunity presents itself.

Want to learn more from Josh? Register here.

 

Get Social with Your Next Pitch

Jess Noonan 1 Comment

Social media has changed the way we do a lot of things. Instead of instant messaging and emailing friends, we’re more likely to send them a Facebook message or a SnapChat. Instead of buying magazines to keep tabs on our favorite celebrities, we follow them on Instagram and Twitter. And instead of spending hours on hold with a customer service hotline, we send a tweet to the company’s customer support account (my personal favorite).

If social media has changed all of these things, shouldn’t it also change the way you interact with reporters? According to Vocus’ 2014 State of the Media Report, 91% of reporters still prefer being pitched via email, so those days aren’t completely behind us. But that doesn’t mean social media shouldn’t become part of your pitching strategy.

Here are three ways it can help you land that next great piece of coverage:

Before the pitch: Foster name recognition

We all know that journalists receive a ton of pitches, and seeing a name they recognize in their inbox could be the difference between landing in their email’s trash folder and becoming their next story. But if you’ve never met or worked with the reporter before, how can you make that initial introduction?

Start a relationship on social media. Follow them on Twitter and retweet them, share their stories mentioning their handle, etc. The Cision 2013 Social Journalism Survey found that 80% of the journalists that responded used social media for professional networking at least once a week. This is a great way to start a relationship and increase the probability that your name will stand out in their overflowing inbox full of pitches.

A helpful way to keep tabs on reporters in your niche is to put them all into a private Twitter list or Facebook Interest List and check them each at least every few days. Interact with those you already have a relationship with, and make new connections that could be beneficial in the future.

During the pitch: Conduct reconnaissance

While flattery definitely won’t ever get you everywhere, as the adage goes, it can definitely get you somewhere. Not only does letting a journalist know you follow their work help in that regard, it also shows that you’ve done your research.

Set aside 15 minutes before writing your pitch to go through the journalist’s social media updates. What have they written about recently? What’s their opinion on a recent piece of big industry news? This information can be helpful when writing your email’s intro. Diving straight into the pitch might be quicker, but you want to foster a relationship, not throw information at them.

After the pitch: Follow up

One of the things journalists hate the most is a phone call saying “Did you get my pitch/press release?” or a another email asking “Did you get my email?” For your follow-up, try going a less invasive route.

When it’s time to follow up with a reporter, try reaching out on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. If they haven’t seen your pitch yet, it’s likely because their inbox is so crowded. By comparison, their mentions stream on Twitter is probably a lot emptier.

I frequently follow up with reporters via social media and am met with a much quicker response than sending another email. Even if it’s a rejection, at least I know that the pitch was seen and not lost in cyber land, and I know not to follow up a second time. If I had emailed them, I likely wouldn’t have seen a response.

While journalists will probably prefer being pitched over email for at least the next few years, there’s no reason your online communication with them should be limited to just email. Reaching out to them on more than one channel will add a depth to the relationship, which can help all parties down the road.

Have you had any success pitching journalists via social media?

 

710T3ue1Brittany Berger is the Content Marketing Coordinator at eZanga.com, a search engine and online advertising company in Delaware. Connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.