To further expand on some of the information that I provided in my previous blog, I would like to continue with building your brand on a connecting and networking side. Aside from determining who you are, you need to start creating your own publicity. By that I mean the type of publicity that will make you reputable as a future PR practitioner.

One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is by creating an online presence for yourself. I suggest being connected on at least three social platforms. Get involved online on more of professional level, rather than just on a personal level. Remember, you are leaving an online footprint. Please try not to broadcast anything publicly that you may not want a client or employer to read about it.

I recommend using platforms like a LinkedIn account, Twitter account and Facebook. LinkedIn will get you connected with colleagues and believe it or not employers will use LinkedIn to find new talent to join their team. Remember, market yourself the best online just as you would in person. Twitter and Facebook are purely essential as a part of PR today and social media. All of these tools are available to you for free and allow you to network.

Unsolicited advice from me to you day 6: You may want to register for Google or Twitter alerts. Google alerts are emails sent to you when Google finds new results — such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs — that match your search term. You can use Google Alerts to monitor anything on the Web. For example, people use Google Alerts to:

• Find out what is being said about their company or product.
• Monitor a developing news story.
• Keep up to date on a competitor or industry.
• Get the latest news on a celebrity or sports team.
• Find out what’s being said about themselves.

Bookmark It

As a PR intern, or any intern for that matter, in addition to having a portfolio to represent your work thus far, you need to start creating your brand.

Who are you? What do you represent?

Start small and as you excel then also start to expand and become more creative.

An amusing and artistic way to start is to create a collage of some sort.

Ask yourself: Who am I? What sets me apart from others? What distinguishes me as a person? What is my logo?

Now take those ideas and translate them into a sketch, graphics, painting or even use Photoshop. If you don’t have a logo, make one. Do you automatically recognize Ford because of their logo? Well your employers or clients should be able to recognize your logo and immediately know that is you.

Although, this may not be what you submit on a website or even on a business card it will be a start on branding – YOU! Remember that your brand ultimately defines you.

Unsolicited advice from me to you day 5: Get involved in school organizations. If you are public relations major find out if your school has a Public Relations Student Society of America chapter.  Or as journalism major see if your school has a Society of Professional Journalists chapter. The important thing is to not only join, but to become involved and stay active. The connections you make will be invaluable.

Bookmark It

Think about your future. Fast-forward to after graduation and the possibility that you have not secured a job already. It’s now time to start working and start applying at different companies. A guaranteed first requirement along with submitting your resume will be to either present writing samples or some work from your portfolio. Employers don’t expect an entry-level applicant to have much experience, but some practical experience will set you apart.

Scenario A: You have been diligent in keeping track of your work in a either a physical portfolio or you have even gone a step ahead and created a digital portfolio or website displaying your work thus far. Scenario 2: You have not taken the time to keep track of your accomplishments and now you have to scramble to find something to submit to them.

Remember, this is a competitive field, and while you are working on something to submit or finding some of your old work – your competition has already sent in their samples and are now waiting on a callback for an interview. Granted you may be the more qualified party. Nonetheless, the delay on your end could cause the competition to land the position.

Unsolicited advice from me to you day 4: Purchase a flash drive or even create a virtual portfolio over the web.  Whether it is a press release or a flyer it is all work that YOU have done. Not to mention you will be able to see the improvement of your work over the years. Be creative and love what you do; that will make all the difference. (Don’t forget though that you may be required to mark out certain portions of the work for confidentiality of clients)

Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.  Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger.  If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.  ~Dale Carnegie

Bookmark It

I was anxious at first, but when I relaxed, I was able to enjoy the press release writing experience.  This is what I’m here for – to learn and contribute. Guess what? I didn’t crumble and fail. I completed my assignment and loved it!

Remember, for all of you fellow or future interns, what you learn in your writing courses is extremely important and will be your outline for the rest of your time in the PR industry.

It’s funny how what seemed to be tedious previously, has quickly proved to be essential to be a successful public relations practitioner or journalist. Headlines, datelines, sub headlines, AP style, and writing in third person must become second nature. Be informative in your writing and remember: the words used in your writings are not just for search engine results, but to engage the public and the targeted audience.

Unsolicited advice from me to you day 3: Take notes. Whenever you are given directions or observing take the time to take notes. It may seem insignificant at the time, but it will only benefit you later on when you need to refer back to something you were told weeks prior.

Bookmark It

Additionally, I was able to learn about distribution lists. Imagine that you have written a press release for a client, and now what do you do? The first thought may be to send it to every one of your media contacts. This is not the case.

If the client you are writing for is an author who has written a how-to book for new mothers, it is safe to assume that you will not send the press release to a journalist who primarily covers criminal cases.   You want to keep your contacts interested in the material that you submit to them. Make sure it relevant to their field of expertise and the rest is up to them.

Unsolicited advice from me to you day 2: Be confident and understand that you are learning and no one expects an intern to come in knowing all answers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your supervisor doesn’t anticipate you are an expert and wants for both parties to benefit from the internship

Bookmark It

I am in my second semester as a junior and had yet to hear the term ‘search engine optimization’ (SEO).  While shadowing with one of the staff members I learned about SEO and that anything being submitted on the web should have specific key words and search parameters in order to maximize search results that are most relevant.  So it only makes sense that in PR, you want to ensure that client is going to be one of the top results when their name is searched for on the web.

Therefore, when creating distribution lists or writing and submitting press releases it is important to include those parameters so you can ensure your client is getting the best and most relevant publicity possible.

Unsolicited advice from me to you day 1: Keep your AP Stylebook with you at all times. In fact, keep one at home and one in your car, handbag or briefcase. Consider it your PR bible. We are interns and unless you started writing for PR when you were 5 years old – you can always learn something new or just reinforce what you may already know.

Bookmark It

In our newest segment, “Intern Perspectives”, we will have our spring intern, Kerriann, blog about her observations and experiences.

We are very excited to have her and we hope to all learn something from this!

-The Selig Multimedia team

The possibility of an internship in PR seemed like a stretch a year ago, however, I made some really beneficial decisions in my life and now the dream is a reality. After taking two years off from school, I’m back!

Currently, I am a junior at a university in Tampa, Fla. and majoring in public relations. Learning in the classroom is great, but, I am more interested in actually getting my feet wet in the PR industry. My guess is that most college students know they need internships, however, based on interactions with my classmates, not all of them actually try to attain them.

I am a hands-on person and feel the best way for me to learn this industry is to try it out. So, in addition to the chaos of the first week of class and schedule changes, I was also submitting resumes, writing samples and cover letters for internships. I received an offer for an internship with Selig Multimedia and couldn’t be happier with my decision to accept.

My first internship is here and I can’t wait to get started!

Bookmark It

It’s important to be aware of grammar and AP style rules, because a simple mistake can ruin the credibility of an otherwise great release.

A press release writer needs to deliver a compelling message in a small amount of space. Press releases should be kept to a single page long, and should have short, succinct headlines.

Always put the most newsworthy information first, followed by the supporting details in order of importance. In the news business, this is referred to as the “inverted pyramid” and is essential in both press release and news writing.

Here are some other important rules for proper press release writing:

1. Determine your audience before starting. Are you writing for a journalist? A technical publication? A general audience? Keep your audience in mind throughout the release.

2. Get to the point. Make sure you can do this quickly, in the first few sentences is best.

3. Walk away from the release, and then go back over everything. Proper grammar, spelling and punctuation are crucial and you can’t always rely on spell check.

4. Use quotes from reputable, relevant experts in the release. This helps backup the information in the release.

5. Learn the AP Stylebook and reference it when you’re unsure.

6. Use a professional service to have an expert look it over. Many press release distribution newswires like PR NewsChannel offer a free editorial check with a distribution. This can help save time and possible credibility lost from small mistakes.

Some organizations and businesses don’t have time to learn the rules of press release writing. Professionals like the writers at the press release distribution newswire PR NewsChannel can write one for you. Whichever option you choose, make sure you take your time to get it right.

About Naomi Prioleau: Naomi is a staff writer for PR NewsChannel, the press release writing and press release distribution company. She encourages comments and emails with your opinions at Naomi@seligmultimedia.com .

Bookmark It

Journalists are notoriously hard to reach, but, there are a few tricks of the trade to get their attention.

A PR Campaign

A carefully planned and executed PR campaign run by a PR firm can do wonders for your story, product or business. A quality PR firm like The Publicity Agency can strategize with you to determine your goals and devise a strategy to get there.

This may include tactics like crafting a pitch for producers at specific outlets, writing and distributing press releases and leveraging personal contacts to get a story covered.

You may be wondering, ‘why can’t I do this myself?’ The biggest difference between a pitch from Joe Q. Public and an established PR firm is credibility.

When journalists receive a pitch or press release from an established PR firm, they are more likely to open it. This is because PR firms establish give and take relationships with journalists.

PR firms make sure to give specific journalists quality stories that relate to their beat. These relationships make them more likely to consider a story and more likely to receive feedback if they aren’t interested.

Many PR firms, including The Publicity Agency, offer free consultations to determine if your philosophy aligns with theirs.

Press releases

Many individuals and small businesses find PR campaigns too expensive. The alternative is press release writing and distribution. This is a cost effective way to get your message out to the media without spending the money that usually comes with full-scale PR campaigns.

Press release newswires like PR NewsChannel offer to write a press release for you and distribute it to media areas of your choice. For example, if you’re a small business announcing your grand opening, you can call PR NewsChannel to write a press release and distribute it directly to journalist’s inboxes in your local city.

Press release writing is an art form that must be mastered to be considered. There are specific style and grammar rules that, if not followed, will make the release look amateur-ish and not considered for a story.

Quality press release writers will use search engine optimization techniques for the online audience and proper style for journalists. Striking this perfect balance is often difficult without proper training.

Make sure to temper your expectations. Very rarely does one press release to get you on the ‘Today’ show. Often, you can get a discount on a press release writing and distribution package when you purchase multiple.

Regardless which option you choose, there’s no greater benefit than free publicity.

About Melissa Rogovin:
Melissa is a publicist and project manager with the PR firm The Publicity Agency. The agency specializes in news publicity, crisis management and image consulting.

Bookmark It

Whether your consumers celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza, chances are they are looking for the fastest, greatest, most convenient and most affordable places to shop this holiday season. So how are you to stand out among major chain retailers and show consumers that you can get them just what they need this holiday season?

Here are a few ways….

1. Online press releases are a great way to target customers.

Consumers now turn to the Internet as a source of ideas, prices and helpful information. The more information on your business, its services and the products that are made available on the Internet, the better.

2. Utilizing search engine optimization (SEO) techniques in your online release will help it get noticed.

When customers are stumped on what to buy their colleague, they may turn to Google to search for ‘inexpensive holiday gifts.’ With professional search engine optimization techniques, Your press release touting your store’s latest line of $5 creative coffee mugs may appear in their search engine results and end their shopping search.

3. Steer clear of sales pitch and too much advertising speak in the press release.

Customers want high quality products at fair prices, especially during the holiday season when their gift list seems to be miles long. It’s important to make sure that the press release writing is as professional as possible, even so much that may resemble a news article.

While many retailers and businesses turn to paid advertising during the busy holiday season, online press releases can generate income as well as media coverage when done right. If you’re unsure of how to get started with press releases, the best idea is to contact a press release writing and press release distribution service, like PR NewsChannel.

About Jessica: Jessica is a project manager with PR NewsChannel, a press release writing a press release distribution company. She encourages comments and emails with your opinions at jessica@seligmultimedia.com.

Bookmark It