Three Ways to Stay Informed in a Busy PR World

blog6Pitch targeted media. Handle company crises. Prepare media materials. Tweet, post, pin – then do it all again. Side note: You’re on deadline. Side, side note: The company’s reputation is in your (probably trembling) hands.

Ahh, a day in the life of a PR pro. And, on top of those responsibilities – and many more – you must find time to keep up with the latest trends and news about, well, everything.

Yeah, I guess that whole “PR executive is a top five most stressful job” is true after all. But it doesn’t have to be.

With the right mix of media – and some high-quality multitasking – you’ll be consistently on top of your game. It took me upwards of two years to perfect my “mix,” but I think I’m finally getting somewhere in the busy world of PR. Here’s how:

Email newsletters: If it’s in your inbox, it’s more likely to be read. That’s why I love my email newsletters. One note of caution, though: Don’t sign up for too many newsletters. You’ll end up overwhelmed, deleting them all before reading. (As someone who loves a clean inbox, I initially drove myself crazy).

But now I’ve narrowed it down to three newsletters. And yes – I read them all:

  • The New York Times features a comprehensive news-of-the-day overview with top headlines from all sections and short excerpts.
  • Social Media Examiner sends social updates as they happen along with tips for using the latest tools.
  • PRSA Issues & Trends compiles all the PR industry news you need in one place.

Aggregated news sites: With all the news sources around us, we could spend eight or more hours a day just reading. But with a full-time (ahem, top five most stressful) PR job, who has time for that?

No one. That’s why I love these aggregated news sites.

  • Alltop Social Media displays top headlines from hundreds of social and PR news sites.
  • Circa is an app that combines popular news headlines for on-the-go reading. I especially like to scroll through this in the morning before I start my day.
  • Facebook Trends turned out to be more helpful than I initially expected. It’s quick, comprehensive and features the most talked about news – from pop culture to politics – in one place.

Podcasts: If you’re like most new pros, you have several mundane – yet still important – tasks on your to-do list. Why not get some additional education during those tasks with a good podcast in the background? Here are my recommendations.

  • Inside PR features notable PR pros discussing the latest industry trends.
  • Brave Ad World gives a quick look at the changing social and digital media world.
  • NPR is probably a given – it has hundreds of podcasts to choose from based on your interest areas. If you can’t decide, try the Shuffle podcast. It randomly chooses the content for you.

Since our digital world is constantly evolving, this resource list is nowhere near complete. As new PR pros, we should always be on the lookout for the latest time-saving tools. But remember: These resources can only get you so far. It’s your job to use them for information gathering regularly.

How do you stay updated on breaking news and industry trends? Share your tips and tricks for new pros below.

Stephanie Vermillion headshotStephanie Vermillion is an account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati. She is on the PRSA Cincinnati Leadership Team and is part of the PRSA Cincinnati New Pros Committee. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@SMVermillion).