In this post I’d like to share some of the advice that was provided in the “Diary of Young Professionals” session.  Allison Hughes, Lara Golike, Tanya Kath and Phillip Cleveland served as panelists and answered questions from the Missouri and southern Illinois PRSSA members in attendance.

When asked for advice about entering the job market, the panel offered these points:

• Don’t go in with a sense of entitlement. You’ll be “knocked down a peg” and only set yourself up for disappointment.
• Not everyone works with clients immediately. While you should have a writing portfolio, you are still the “low man on the totem pole.”
• With entry-level positions, you may have to jump through the hoops and prove yourself until acknowledged as a professional.  It can be a long road, but you must keep on until accepted.
• In corporate PR there can be as many as ten approvals and red lines before something is given the go-ahead.
• Not every office is like “Devil Wears Prada!”

As far as advice about job searching and what skills should be highlighted, the panel offered this guidance:

1. Digital PR is a must. Agencies want to hire those that already have these skills. 
2. Be sure Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages are “clean.” With Facebook, you can set privacy filters, but keep in mind that nothing is truly private on the web. 
3. As far as skills to be highlighted, do NOT say you are a “people person.” 
4. Include group projects (not just individual) as this demonstrates team work.
5. Showcase achievements rather than activities. 
6. Be prepared for an on-the-spot writing test.
7. When interviewing, ask lots of questions before accepting a position so you know what you’re getting into.
8. Early in your career (or even when doing internships) – diversify. Even if you know what area you want to go into, don’t pigeon-hole your experience.

Finally, panelists were asked about some the things they wish they’d learned more about in school, to which they responded:

• AP Style (there’s even an app for that now!)
• Social Media
• Reading industry magazines and newsletters as well as thought-leaders blogs.

If your local PRSA, IABC, AMA or other group has a Pro-Am event, I’d encourage you to participate in any way that you are able.  What additional advice would you offer these about-to-be young PR pros?

Flickr Image: David Reece

Now that 2010 is well underway, I thought it would be interesting to go back and read some articles and posts from the past couple years to decipher what’s changed in the realm of media relations. 

I was a little surprised to find that not much has really changed!  (Not entirely surprised as this was what I suspected.)

Your target media now may not be just traditional media but also bloggers, ezine/webzine editors, streaming webcast producers, and freelance writers. However, the qualities or traits that define good media relations have remained essentially the same: Before preparing your press release, do your homework and familiarize yourself with the chosen topics as well as recent writings of your target journalists and bloggers. Then do some additional checking to ensure that your intended audience is also the audience for the media you’re about to pitch. (BurrellesLuce 2009 whitepaper “New Rules for Media Relations”)

In early 2009, Jeremy Porter conducted interviews with PR professionals in an effort to gauge what the biggest challenges were in dealing with the media. The results shared on his Journalistics blog could have been written today!  Some of the challenges included were:

• Having accurate media contact information – keeping up with ongoing changes
• Breaking through filters to reach the right contact, at the right time, with just the right information
• Leveraging new media like Twitter in appropriate ways
• Having better access to what journalists are writing about and what information they value most
• Measuring the value of media outreach and placement – beyond impressions, release pickup and ad value
• Developing more effective processes for media relations – moving away from one-size-fits-all pitching

With the exception of Twitter, this sounds like the same challenges we had 15 years ago when I was working at a St. Louis PR agency.

I’m not oblivious to the fact that public relations and the media are changing in some ways (that may be the topic for a future post), but in many ways it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Am I wrong? What similarities or changes have you seen occurring in the world of public relations and media these past few years?

Flickr Image: Gavin Luhrs

As I began to think about the topic for this first post of the New Year, I thought about my goals and aspirations. (Colleen Flood, my colleague here at BurrellesLuce had similiar inspiration when she wrote about “Setting Smart Goals in 2010“).  Then, I realized that there is already lots of good information out there – many that parallel my own thoughts.  So, I thought I’d provide a round-up of some of the posts I’ve read in the past week – ones that I think we can all relate to. 

• Associated Press business writer Joyce M. Rosenburg did a story on small business owners making resolutions. The first interviewee was a PR agency owner and her resolution was one we should all strive to do:  spend quality time with clients. In that same article, another PR agency president planned to improve her work/life balance. 
• My Twitter friend @PRcog has some resolutions, found on the PRBC (PR Breakfast Club), site that I think many of us can relate to, as well: Stop using descriptors like “cutting (or bleeding) edge,” “revolutionary” or the “next big thing” and to convince clients to stop caring about their follower/fan count.  He doesn’t say it, but it’s implied that they should be focusing more on the strategy, not the tool. 
• Linda Jacobson, APR, published her New Year wish list which included promising to only put out quality content (versus a press release just for the sake of releasing something). She also encouraged us to “play nice with others,” stating that, “Marketers, advertisers and PR professionals need to be on the same team. Playing to each strength usually gets targeted results. When one of the three legs decides not to do this, the result skews and doesn’t deliver full strength.”
• Charlotte Schaff posted her top ten resolutions on the Valley PR blog, which include making the most of her PRSA membership, improve media relations by being a connector and source to the media, and (one I can personally relate to) saying “no” more often. 
• PR student and PRSSA national vice president of professional development, Nick Lucido resolves to learn to lead – his resolutions are in relation to his studies but can be applied in the business world as well.
• Finally, Brian Solis, in his “Greatest Hits of 2009” series, states “Our resolutions for 2010 must include learning and participation. With an open mind and an open heart, we can continue to learn, grow, and in turn, teach those around us to make 2010 a banner year for new media literacy and change.”

 What resolutions have you made? What would you add to this list? I look forward to your participation!

In researching being a PR mentor, I found quite a bit of good information on how to find a public relations mentor, where to find a mentor, and finding the right mentor; however, I wasn’t able to find much on being a PR mentor. 

Let’s face it, we’re all doing twice as much with half as much time these days (or at least it seems that way). So why should you invest the time to mentor?  Here are my three reasons for becoming a mentor:

• Good way to learn.  I’m not necessarily talking about “reverse mentoring,” but it may be as simple (and enlightening) as discovering a new slant on an old strategy, method, or practice. Furthermore, you’ll encounter your protégé’s world and take away that experience. You may even learn something about yourself in the process.
• Expand your network. Many of us work in non-traditional work settings these days, participate in webinars versus group meetings, and generally have less face-time together. Whether you work in a traditional office setting or not, mentoring is a great way to expand your reach. Your protégé today may be a hiring manager or client tomorrow.
• Return the favor. “Pay it forward.” “Share the wealth.” However you want to phrase it, it just plain feels good to help others. When you mentor, you leave a legacy of sorts – your work ethic, character, experience, and even your professional personality are instilled into your mentee. 

Still believe you don’t have time to be a mentor? Then, how about participating in social media conversations or participating in Twitter chats such as #PRStudChat, #u30pro, #journchat, or #solopr just to name a few. Arik Hanson thinks this sort of “virtual mentoring” is the wave of the future per his recent vlog post over at The Spinks blog.  BurrelleLuce’s own Valerie Simon agrees, commenting “While there is certainly an important value in that old school (one-to-one, face-to-face) mentor/mentee relationship, virtual mentoring offers an important opportunity to gain access to a broad gamut of leaders.”

I’m eager to hear about your mentor relationships and thoughts.

Flickr Image: josh.liba

Contrary to some, the press release is far from dead and continues to be a useful tool for public relations practitioners.  In fact, a recent poll conducted by Ragan Communications and PollStream found nearly 50 percent of corporate communicators believe press releases are “as useful as ever.”  

By definition, a press release (aka news release) is an announcement sent to (targeted) news media for the purpose of letting the public know of company developments, events, or other newsworthy items.

My esteemed Twitter friend, Bill Prickett, APR, recently wrote some benefits of a well-planned, well-placed news release – an inexpensive way to get publicity, which includes:  building your brand/image/reputation/business, providing consumer information/education, lending credibility to your message, and driving traffic.

But the question at-hand is should you send a release?  Years ago, I attended a marketing and sales training workshop where the trainer taught us about the “so what” (or “who cares”) test. The same concept applies when determining whether your release is newsworthy enough to send.  For example, if you say the headline/topic aloud – “XYZ company opens new location,” you should then follow it up by thinking like the reporter or reader, and asking “so what?” or “who cares?”  It might mean that locals won’t have to drive so far or they will have more selection and shorter lines, etc.  In other words, if your release can’t pass the “so what” test and illustrate why the news has value, then don’t send it! 

I’m not saying that a press release is the only or best way to get your news out to the media – and, ultimately, your stakeholders. Journalistics recently reported that he believes blog posts and tweeting may be a better way of sharing news with your stakeholders.  According to MarketingCharts, Ragan.com’s Lindsey Miller noted that corporate communicators are increasingly using social media as a way to get around “canned” information, and to personalize, target, and reach reporters.

Every circumstance is unique and not all situations will warrant release to the media, but the press release is still an integral part of the PR toolkit.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?