How to Work With Bloggers and Influencers

This video produced by GasPedal caught my eye today.

Presented by Virginia Miracle, this class offer seriously relevant tips on how to build relationships with different types of bloggers and online influencers.

Virginia, Ogilvy PR, covered how to identify relevant influencers, what to use to get them excited and engaged, and how to make your program last.

For a recent PR grad, this is a valuable video. But even an experienced PR pro will find some interest in this.

Client requests: “I NEED THESE BLOGGERS TO WRITE ABOUT ME!!”

How can you get your client what he wants? Take the Inside-Out Approach –> do not start with targeting, look at these steps:

1. What it is you are trying to accomplish? Name what it is, before you start your outreach. Reason such as this one: “everybody else is doing it” is not good enough though.
2. Create engagement value. Look at what can these bloggers do for us and what we can do for them => focus on value exchange. Virginia’s big objective: “What is the value we can provide people so they will actually give a crap and want to spend time and energy with us?” Audit your assets = what do you have to offer? A sneak peek, fame, meet their hero, recognition, etc. Virginia uses the example of LifetimeMoms.com where contributors are paid for their content, transparently.
3. Identify who we want to talk to: bloggers and other influencers (conversations happen within forums too).
4. Design your outreach program in ethical and honest way, build it out of bricks. Virginia emphasizes WOMMA’s Ethics Code, FTC Guidelines, and others.
5. Keep up the relationships. Virginia says: “It’s critical you’re regularly talking to them, responding to their needs, and reacting along the way."

How to Work With Bloggers and Influencers -- presented by Virginia Miracle from GasPedal on Vimeo.

University? Done! :D

I’m happy & proud to announce that my last exam took place on Tuesday, 1st June. I am free now! I am not a graduate yet (don’t have my title) but I am done with University – it feels so good...

PR class of 2010

Just one quick look at my ikea bookcase reveals about 12 books that still need to be returned to the library (plus fines to be paid - ups) and 8 books that I actually own but will never ever need in my life. I can bet all my imaginary millions on it!

On the other hand there are about 15 books that I love (Deirdre Breakenridge: PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences, and other PR books). HA, I’ve joust found a list of ‘TO READ’ books:

• Deirdre Breakenridge: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR
• Brian Solis: Engage
• Charlen Li & Josh Bernoff: Groundswell
• Jim Macnamara: The 21st Century Media (R)EVOLUTION
• David Phillips & Philip Young: Online Public Relations

Hmm, maybe one day. Will have to check them on ebay soon :) If anyone has a spare copy of any of these, please let me know.

Other part of the bookcase is full of sheets of paper filled with my notes in every possible colour and mind maps on everything and anything (some nicely stapled together, some lying freely on top of each other), notebooks and colourful file folders that contain 3 years of my life (well, some more filling is still needed to be done – I’ve just looked at my desk (*sight*).

This is actually quite upsetting: University is done! What now? What people do with all this stuff?? 

The last semester flew by so fast! I didn’t really get ready for the end of it, I admit. Everything was very hectic and intense in many ways. I was forced to multitask more than ever before: attending lectures and seminars, meeting deadlines for University assignments, getting group work going, applying for PR Grad jobs, looking for part time jobs, educating myself about the new digital tools and social media, blogging, tweeting, and many more. I don’t know how to ‘unitask’ anymore.

No surprise then that it feels weird to have time for the ‘things’ that I like to do like cooking, reading books, drawing, city browsing, etc. These activities have been banned from my life for a very long time. Well, let’s see how I get on with them. 

My top priority is to find a job now. I just need to catch my breath first.

Angry bride changes name to 'I Hate Thomas Cook' | Metro.co.uk

Angry bride changes name to 'I Hate Thomas Cook' | Metro.co.uk

An example of a very bad PR for Thomas Cook. The lady must really hate them.

BIG THINK – paid, one month summer internship at Big Yellow anyone?

The closing date is 11 June 2010 ... But enter now if you really want it!

“Big Thinkers Wanted at Big Yellow” – Big Yellow Self Storage is looking for their summer 2010 intern who will join their communication team in London. Absolutely anyone can apply! Well you must fancy Social Media of course.

How to enter? Simply visit facebook.com/bigyellow and submit your news headline including the words “Big” and “Yellow”.

How easy is this? No need for long essays, no need to answer: "Why do you think we should pick you?” or "What for you was the biggest PR disaster during 2009 and how would you have handled it differently?" types of questions...

So what are you still waiting for?

Twitter kicks off promoted tweets

So, Twitter launched the advertising platform this week. Companies like Starbucks and Virgin have signed up for the service straights away. I noticed these three today:

 I find it quite weird. It is a form of advertising, no doubt about it, but why when I click on the "Promoted by XY" ,just below the particular tweet, it takes to me to "FAQ: Promoted Tweets". Shouldn't it take me to the brand's home website? I am the target audience, not a potential advertiser...

PR Spam: PROs know what to do now, what about Journalists & Bloggers? Do you have an opinion? Share it then...

Journalists and Bloggers have been complaining about being spammed by irrelevant and often unsolicited PR communication for ages. This bad practice is as old as Public Relations itself. The nature of the relationship between PROs and journalists (and bloggers since the introduction of Web 2.0) is sometimes quite difficult to define. Some say that PROs need journalists as much as journalists need PROs. So this should be a win-win relationship then, right? Apparently it isn’t.

The Inconvenient PR Truth campaign has brought to light a ‘bill-of-rights’, set of 10 demands on behalf of journalists. In my opinion, the most important ones are the first three, the rest of the rules follow from these three. These are: Permission required, Timely unsubscribe, Don’t rely on media lists exclusively.

By following these simple three rules when trying to sell a story to the media, a PRO can not only manage to do so, but also build his/hers reputation as a rational and sensible person who does the research and respect the journalists’ side ... simple as that. If you behave more like a human and less like a machine, you will get the results your client requires.

Thanks to the ‘bill-of-rights’ PROs know what to do, but what about the journalists and bloggers?

Journalists & bloggers are very good in complaining, posting shame-lists of names on their blogs and spending (and wasting) time on keeping this issue alive. What if they also made a step forward and published their key interests and topics they like to cover on their websites and blogs? Some of them have done it already, but some are still resistant to make the step and remain in the phase of complaining and moaning. This could save them valuable time (currently spent on deleting irrelevant PR pitches & Press Releases and complaining about it in their blogs) and actually improve their work. I said “could” because not all PROs’ ethics are the same. Some just generally don’t care.

Here I am, trying to get some response from the journalists & bloggers and PROs on the issue of PR Spam for my final year PR project. I thought that it was going to be much easier than it actually is. It seems like my target audience has no opinion! Is it even possible?

Journalists & Bloggers – please find the time to complete this 10-question survey on PR Spam. I need your opinion to find out the possible solutions to this issue. You have been complaining for quite long now, now is the time to make the next step.

PROs – do you think that journalists are right to complain about sending out PR communication in bulk? Or maybe you think that they should do something to improve your relationship... Let me know in this 10-question survey on PR Spam please.

Alternatively, feel free to email me with your thoughts on the issue.

It is more than PR Spam...

I’ve started getting into the issue of PR Spam and I must say that I‘ve reached the point, when I just hate to call it this way, It is because I think that the term doesn’t really capture the nature of the issue.

Definitions of spam on the Web are very diverse yet similar:

• A common synonym for spam is unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE).

• Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately.

• A collection of unsolicited bulk electronic messages; Any undesired electronic content automatically-generated for commercial purposes

• Indiscriminately send unsolicited, unwanted, irrelevant, or inappropriate messages, especially commercial advertising in mass quantities.

• Unwanted, unsolicited email

So I am asking, what about the unwanted and irrelevant DMs on Twitter? The unnecessary and annoying phone calls and text messages? Other forms of information received without people requesting them? Based on the definitions of ‘spam’, the PR issue is not just PR Spam. It is more complex than that. In my opinion, the key aspects of what we call ‘PR Spam’ are:

• Inappropriate targeting => resulting in sending information in bulk

• Laziness to do the initial media campaign research => resulting in sending information in bulk

• Unrealistic expectation on PROs to meet crazy objective (i.e. every day coverage in the FTs) = causing high level of stress on the PRO to get some coverage => resulting in sending information in bulk

• Lack of appropriate education=>causing low practical PR skills=> resulting in sending information in bulk

• Expensive media training courses => little chance that a PRO will attend => resulting in sending information in bulk

I get it, journos and bloggers are angry because their email in-boxes are full of irrelevant information but they need to see the reality of being on the other side too. (I intend to cover this in my next blog post)

The campaign “An Inconvenient PR Truth" covers 10 demands on behalf of journalists and bloggers - “bill of rights: 

• Right 1 – Permission required

• Right 2 – Timely unsubscribe

• Right 3 – Don’t rely on media lists exclusively

• Right 4 – Read publication first

• Right 5 – Categorise interests in detail

• Right 6 – Types of release

• Right 7 – Telephone chasing

• Right 8 – Succinct headlines

• Right 9 – Use clear format

• Right 10 – No attachments

Are these purely about finding ways how to stop PROs from spamming journalists and bloggers? I don’t think so. It seems like the problem is hidden much deeper – in the nature of the ‘PRO – Journalist’ relationship.

I have noticed that some people are trying to cash out on this hot issue and came up with training seminars, webinars, blogs, and who knows what else. Here is an offer to ‘attend’ a webinar on how to deal with the media, in particular how to pitch journalists in the new media world. It will cost you ‘only’ $99!!! Is this helping?

‘CIPR training, qualifications and seminars for PR& communication professionals’ booklet offers only two workshops on basic level on how to deal with the media.

• Selling-in your stories (£350 + VAT for CIPR members, £455 + VAT for non-members)

• Working with the media (£350 + VAT for CIPR members, £455 + VAT for non-members)

 I am not entirely convinced that these two workshops are tailored to the needs of the journalists though.

So as I said above, the so called ‘PR Spam’ is more than that. PROs should think before they hit send. Do you all remember the definition of PR?

"Public Relations is the planned and sustained effort 

to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual 

understanding between an organisation and its publics."

  (CIPR)

How important is Social Media in Marketing Plan?

If this question was asked 5 years ago, marketers would go: “Maybe Social Media is important but we will wait and see what our competitors come up with first.” It is 2010 now and the answer has changed significantly: “Yes, it is very important to try something new ahead of our competition” ...Social Media are even crucial for some companies. The key point here is that SOCIAL MEDIA HAS TO BE INTEGRATED WITH THE OTHER MARKETING AND MARCOMS TOOLS. Social media doesn't drive marketing, but marketing doesn't drive social media. THEY WORK TOGETHER.

In the society where the main focus is on brands not products, it is immensely important that the brands put emphasis on engaging with their key stakeholders (customers and consumers) via a range of social networks. Social Media help communicate with the customers and reach them in more ways than the traditional mediums. Communication is also about listening to the customers and monitoring their attitudes towards the brand. You can learn about what your customers want and what drives your business. What more, you can spot any change in their behaviour and avoid potential crisis and reputation damage.

Social Media is most of all AN ONGOING PROCESS, so whatever you start you need to follow through. The key is to have seamless and consistent communication across all mediums and listening to what your target audience really wants. Start with thinking of your objectives: What do you want to achieve by integrating Social Media into your business plan? Who are the key stakeholders that you want to talk to? What you want to say? How much you want to invest in Social Media? What media are you going to use? How do you implement this step into your communications strategy? How will you measure ROI? Etc.

The social media strategy should integrate the following 3 steps:

Step 1 is about creating content. Focus on creating a comprehensive digital presence for your company or brand across key Social Media and digital platforms: Facebook Fan Pages, YouTube channel (or Vimeo), Flickr! account, AudioBoo account (or any other recording online tool), and blog. 

Step 2 is about communicating your content via Blog Directories (Technorati, AllTop), Twitter, Digg, Stumble Upon and Stumble Exchange, etc. There are so many of ‘seeding’ sites available, just go and do your research.

Step 3 is about integrating step 1 and step 2:

1. Generate content: create a blog post on your brand’s achievement/create a video of a  winner of your competition/update your Flickr! page with new pictures from your company’s meeting/record an interview with your boss using AudioBoo/etc.
2. Use Digg, Stumble Upon, Stumble Exchange, etc. to make others aware of the blog
3. Post the link to the blog post on your Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account  
4. Watch how the traffic to your website increase – don’t forget to use SEO so you can measure the number of hits and your ROI in Social Media

Social media can be integrated further. Use mobile apps, traditional marketing, customer loyalty, reward, and an advertising mix across the platform that is matching the client goals and market niche.

PR Spam & Campaign 'An Inconvenient PR Truth'

Background on the Issue

The Internet is affecting Public Relations in both positive and negative way. PR professionals (PROs) can research, communicate, listen, monitor and engage with their key stakeholders in much faster, therefore more convenient way. There are arguably many benefits of using the Internet but this brief is devoted to one of the negative aspects of the new PR practice: use of emails to send out irrelevant and often untargeted press releases and pitches to long lists of journalists, without considering the consequences. PROs have been spamming the opinion formers (journalists, bloggers and other non-traditional journalists) this way, and therefore the PR Industry is facing damage to its reputation and ability to achieve the influence it desires.

Recently, key PR industry figures have launched a campaign named ‘An Inconvenient PR Truth’ that aims to cut PR spam and help PROs and journalists work together better. The campaign includes a ‘bill of rights’, which is a list of demands on behalf of journalists and bloggers about how they want to be approached by the PR community. Prior to the launch of the campaign, several blog posts were published revealing the names and email addresses of PROs who had been spamming a particular journalist or blogger. This can be seen as a controversial step but it reinforced the debate about inappropriate targeting. The campaign was launched on the 28^th January 2010 by Realwire CEO Adam Parker and is backed by Borkowski founder Mark Borkowski, Speed Communications MD Stephen Waddington and Umpf founder Adrian Johnson.[i] Since its launch, the numbers of supporters, such as the 3WPR founder Stephen Davies, have increased and even the CIPR published a statement of support.

The research that contributed to the launch of the campaign has found that “78 percent of press release emails are received by recipients to whom they are irrelevant and more than half (55 per  cent) of recipients have taken action to block a sender of news.”[ii] This is shocking and potentially damaging to the image and reputation of the PR Industry.

 

The Importance of this Issue to the PR Industry

PR has gradually gained respect as one of the most cost effective and impactful marketing tools that are available to any organisation. The fact that some PR professionals have been spamming their key target audience – the media – may have a negative effect on the reputation and image of the PR industry. The media is central to PR activity. PR is about building relationships and should aim to achieve ‘balanced dialogue’ and ‘mutual understanding’ by the use of open two-way symmetric communication between PROs and the media (Grunig & Hunt, 1984). “Truly effective press relations starts with effective targeting” (Theaker, et.al., 2005). In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the journalists, and therefore gain valuable media coverage, the PR “messages have to be tailored to the wide variety of media available, being clear about the target audience” (Theaker,et.al.,2005:59). There is a potential threat that if PR professionals don’t change their habits of sending out irrelevant and untargeted press releases and pitches, their key target audience may block their incoming communication, and as a result of this the PR message will not be received and published. PROs shouldn’t focus on”...filling up [journalists’] e-mail inboxes with unwanted material, but instead [provide] specifically targeted and relevant material” Theaker, et.al., (2005: 37). This practice will improve their relationships with the journalists and positively affect their success rate.

Time schedule

Week 1 (01/032010 – 07/03/2010)

Conduct initial research: “An Inconvenient PR Truth” campaign, media coverage (focus on the media side and PR side separately). Is that a PR stunt? Create a list of key journalists & PROs for a survey.

Week 2 (08/03/2010 – 14/03/2010)

Prepare two short surveys (media & PROs) based on the previous findings and seed them on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. Send them directly to the key PR Practitioners and the key journalists.

Week 3 (15/03/2010 – 21/03/2010)

Conduct research on potential reasons behind PR spam and what actions have been undertaken to stop this bad practice (CIPR and other educational bodies). Who or what is to blame? E.g. lack of skills and education, laziness of PR professionals, technology (Internet), payment by results oriented pay structures (problems with measurement and educating clients), etc.

Week 4 (22/03/2010 – 28/03/2010)

Evaluate and analyse the outcomes of the surveys. Look for the real reasons behind sending out untargeted press releases and pitches, and what steps have been undertaken on the media side to stop this bad practice. Do the journalists and bloggers really mind?

Week 5 & 6 (29/03/2010 – 11/04/2010) EASTER BREAK

Start putting the information together & suggest possible solutions to achieve two-way symmetric PR.

Week 7 (12/04/2010 – 18/04/2010)

Summarize the data and create first draft of the reports and presentation.

Week 8 (19/04/2010 – 25/04/2010)

Create presentation – select the key information and decide on the correct structure.

Week 9 (26/04/2010 – 02/05/2010) GROUP PRESENTATION DUE

Practice presentation presentational skills as a group.

Week 10 (03/05/2010 – 07/05/2010) REPORT DUE

Edit the report (individually) – Introduction, Conclusion, Executive Summary, Appendix, etc.

---

[i] http://www.prweek.com/news/bulletin/UKDaily/article/980491/?DCMP=EMC-UKDaily

[ii] http://inconvenientprtruth.com/research/

Assessment Day at Diffusion PR

OMG! I’ve been shortlisted for a PR Grads Scheme at Diffusion PR! Yey! How exciting! After hours spent on filling in Grad Scheme applications and then days/weeks of waiting, I finally received an email saying:

“I am delighted to let you know that you have been short-listed, and are therefore invited to our Graduate Assessment Day at our central London office on Saturday 27 February 2010.”

Triple hurray!

Ok, what now? I was shaking for the rest of the day trying to deal with the news and also trying to figure out how to get ready. The last thing I wanted was to look like a complete fool. This may sound like an action of a complete control freak, but I started creating this document on PR, news, PR disasters and Social Media. I know everything by heart but once my nerves start working their way, I can easily forget my own name. Don’t laugh it’s a true. Unfortunately... (I think I could share the document with you – let me know what you think and if you are interested.)

I was so anxious on my way down to the office. The situation of tube lines closures didn’t help at all. What I found quite ‘funny’ was that the moment I arrived ... the anxiety was gone. All the fellow candidates were nice people and even though we were ‘competitors’ of some degree, the atmosphere in the office was great.

The day started with a short presentation about Diffusion PR as a company and the benefits of joining as a PR Grad. I think that the hidden reason behind this initial step was to motivate us. The “I am delighted to let you know” email didn’t enclose much information about what was going to happen so we were all quietly waiting for the big news. We found out very soon – it was a team work on a PR campaign creation and a presentation.

I was assigned to the Hackney team (team names based on London Boroughs – quite funny but great idea). It was interesting to find out that my team consisted of 6 girls. I think that once there is ‘a girl-only team’ the productivity can be either high, if we all work toward the same goal, or quite off-putting, if some girls become more pushy and competitive. Luckily, our team was great. Based on the Belbin’s Team Role assessment, we had all the key roles covered: the implementer, plant, coordinator, etc. I think that we have all delivered a fantastic piece of work, even though we didn’t know each other prior to the assessment day.

Once the assessment was over we were invited for drinks to Diffusion’s favourite bar. Oh God, I really needed a beer or two! The task of creating a PR campaign was both engaging and challenging in the same time and made my brain works really fast.

Feelings about the day? It was great! I definitely benefited from being put into a situation of working with other students on the campaign. It wasn’t entirely new experience for me but the speed of decision making and moving forward was really shocking and made me see what I was capable of.

Feelings about my chances to be hired? Positive but.... There were so many talented people so the team at Diffusion PR may possibly have it very hard to pick the top 8 candidates for the next stage.

Hurray! PR girl started using SlideShare.net...it was about time.

BP Corporate Strategy Brief by Kat4PR

I finally found the time to upload my BR Corporate Strategy PR Brief presentation on SlideShare.net! Yey! I am really excited about it!It is an example of the way I work I suppose – I am a perfectionist who focuses on details and spends lots of time doing research.

The presentation has unexpectedly improved my personal SEO too, which is just a cherry on the cake. I was encouraged to upload more of my work by some of my Twitter followers - BTW thank you all for you support. I intend to do exactly that ;)

 

And here is the link to the presentation again. Let me please know what you think! I appreciate any feedback.

Third year – busy busy busy!

Third year in a PR course is always tough. It is no longer only about delivering assignments, chasing deadlines and sitting exams. The new addition to the busy life of soon-to-be-graduates is the hunt for the dream job. Most of us decide to focus on the PR Grad Scheme applications and some start using Twitter and blogging to enhance their ‘digital footprint’ and ‘PR themselves’... there is a lot to do to succeed!!

In November, I started working on a 2010 Grad PR Scheme list. I found it essential to kick off the whole process of applying EARLY because you never know how busy you are going to be after Christmas.

The first Grad Scheme I applied for was the WPP Marketing Fellowship. I didn’t get in but not because I wasn’t good enough. Yes it was a bit upsetting to be rejected but I always wanted to work in PR so Marketing Fellowship wouldn’t give me what I wanted anyway. The WPP Marketing Fellowship comprises of three one-year rotations through WPP companies – PR, Marketing, Research, etc. Yes I’d have gained a broad experience during the Scheme but what for?

After the initial set back, I had to RECONSIDER my aspirations, desires and preferences. It would be a massive waste of time applying for something I wasn’t into. So since then, I have applied only for PR Schemes that I found interesting and felt that they were ‘right’ for me.

I have discovered a hidden passion for the digital world so started looking at agencies offering jobs/schemes in Digital PR, Consumer Technology, and similar. I’ve applied for quite a few and I am now eagerly awaiting THE phone call.

Recently, I’ve been thinking of the benefits of being in a PR Grad Scheme: team building, training, support, etc. These key aspects are highly desirable by most of the students who need some initial introduction. It is quite interesting to see recent graduates counting only on their social media presence hoping that it will do the trick and get them the dream job in PR.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve been focusing on my ‘digital footprint’ too but still made the time to apply for PR Grad Schemes. Some students only ‘PR themselves and their communication skills’ to the agencies via Twitter & Blog, etc. Is it a good strategy? - Certainly yes. I managed to get my PR Internship this way. But is it enough?

 

Digital Footprint

©canadianmarketingblog.com

To conclude, any soon-to-be-graduate has to do his/hers best to enhance the ‘digital footprint’ they have, select and apply for the appropriate PR Grad Schemes that fits their aspirations and desires, and also finish the University in a decent way – with good marks. It is tough! I am in this process right now and sometimes I had to prioritise what was more important to do – Uni or Applications.

But it is totally worth it!

Reflection on the PR Strategy Module

The two key pieces of my coursework have just been handed in. Yey! I’ve been waiting to say this for a very long time. I must say that the third and last year at Uni is really the hardest. I hope that my hard work on both of the assignments will pay off. If not, I would be really upset.

Strategic PR Plan for Soil Association

This assignment was for the PR Strategy module let by Gareth Thompson. He is a very tough lecturer. You can even apply the Marmite’s slogan here: ‘You either love him or hate him’.

Do you remember the much hated old physic teacher from your high school or college, who considered his/hers subject as the most important in the whole world even though you were more into arts, alnguages and psychology?? I had a really tough physic teacher when at college. I just hated the subject but had to do it as it was compulsory for us all. I felt like I was in a personal fight with her every time. She used to give me ‘the grin’ when she said, ‘Young lady, another F for you’.

Oh dear, these memories are coming back to me now. She made me work so hard. I remember my last exam with her right before graduation from college. (Even though I picked completely different subjects to graduate from, I still had to pass an exam with her – otherwise I wouldn’t be allowed to sit my finals) She gave me some 4-5 questions (one of them on the composition of an atom (!!!!!) and the historical evolution of the opinions on how the atom looked like – this dates back to the Stone Age!!!!) And I answered them all correctly. I was so relieved! And what more, she smiled at me and waved me good bye and good luck in life! Can you believe this?

Gareth made us all work very hard. His expectations always seemed to be much higher than those of other lecturers. I already admitted that I am passionate about PR, so going the extra mile didn’t cause me any problems but I know students who just couldn’t be bothered and dropped the module once they could.

The module was quite well designed. First we worked in groups to deliver a “Brief to a PR consultancy” – my group picked BP. And then we were asked to become a PR consultant and respond to the Brief – individually. I did the Soil Association. Previews can be found in my PR portfolio.

Ehm, PR?

It is quite interesting to see what you can find when you do just very little Google search on PR. According to Prospect.co.uk, PR pros can work  or in consultancies, which specialise in one sector.

This is quite fun to read as it doesn’t make any sense to me. PR pros can also work freelance and virtually. There is no need to have a physical workplace, when you can work from the comfort of your home. PR Agencies don’t specialise in just one sector. It is in fact quite rare to see nowadays. I’ve seen agencies devoted to more than one sector – technology & consumer for instance.

Prospect.co.uk, then continues with listing the possible PR activities:  

1. interacting with the media

2. writing and editing

3. planning, research and evaluation

4. event management.

Then they go into detail with Lobbying.

OK, so are they really trying to say that as a PR pro, I will need to know how to write, edit, plan, research, evaluate, manage events...? I must be a PR pro already! I am great in doing all of that, OMG, how comes I am not employed yet? I would be a complete and utter STAR!!! BTW, interacting with media means what exactly? Christmas Party dance and drinking?

I am afraid that Prospect.co.uk didn’t get PR at all. The description is so general, that it make it sound like an easy career choice for anyone who knows how to think and write.

PR pros can work in-house, in consultancies/agencies or on freelance basis. It is a challenging career choice that sees them working long hours.

PR activities:

Media relations – contact and follow up

Press Releases, Video News Releases (audio too) – information to contact the media with

Pitches – to get a new client, to attract media and other important opinion makers (or influencers)

Campaigns – creating, planning, running, evaluating

Event Management – organising events or PR stunts for clients to rise their profile, attract attention of the publics and media or to spread the word

Public Speaking - giving interviews or giving media training to clients' Spokesperson

Digital World - Social Media, PR 2.0, etc

(there must be way more ,but I don't know about it yet, as I am not a PR Pro yet)

What is needed: 

#Passion for PR

#Enthusiasm for your job

#Dedication to do better

#Great organisational, writing and communication skills

#Common sense (very much needed)

# ... and more

PR and Twitter

I've been a huge fan of Twitter since the minute I joined it. Now, I use it way more than Facebook. Twitter is a fantastic online tool for people or businesses in any situation, when looking for a job/employees/internship, advice, promoting products and services, networking, etc.

As a passionate PR student I've been searching information on HOW TO DO PR EFFICIENTLY all accros the Internet. The number of people who have a PR blog is large, the number of good blogs about PR is much smaller. Brian Solis is one of the best-known PR people in the Tech industry. He is really influential, therefore people are always interested in what he likes and what he hates.

I've come across 2 great videos "PR in the age of Twitter" Part 1 and Part 2. Brian Solis talks to a media guy scobleizer about Twitter and how to use it for PR. It is quite a good try, but it goes a bit on and on and on..great discussion though.

PR in the age of Twitter, Part 1

PR in the age of Twitter, Part 2

New Week and New Me

I found myself strangled with work for University and no time to play. The last two weeks were very exhausting. But my Globalization report: “Media Ownership in the Czech Republic” has been submitted (at last), so happy days. What more, I managed to create a nice database with all media contacts in from the Czech Republic....it may be useful one day. 

It’s funny that every PR agency says "We work hard and play harder". I suppose that it is true in a way, but why can’t you work and play in the same time? Public Relations is fun, you get to be creative and build relationships... OK, so what is the downside of this? I suppose that research, building databases and outreach  is not much fun, but that’s why you have all the unpaid Interns working for you, isn’t it? So why is it that you cannot work and play in the same time? The logo should be “We know how to work hard and play in the same time”

Uni work may seem more daunting and in a way dull. The one big Uni rule is:

“We decided that you have to do it, so do it. Doesn’t matter if it has nothing to do with your degree or if it doesn’t interest you at all.”

Over the last two and half years (nearly), I had to deal with number of things like that. The first place would go to Quantitative Analysis. Oh my, how much I was fighting against the Uni rule, not wanting to obey.  But on the other hand, I could have picked some modules instead of those already chosen for me (if they weren’t core). This way I got to do modules such as the Intro to Management, Marketing and then my favourite Marketing Communications. That was hard work but so much fun! If you select your career, you do it because you having fun doing it, right?

There has been so much pressure on me recently and I wasn’t exactly coping well. I always let thing get to me, unfortunately. So when the offer to do some pampering came, I was happy to give it a try. It was the first Christmas present this year – a makeover in a hair salon and professional photoshoot. I’m not a model so I was only looking forward to the hair cut though. I went for a new hairdo. Te shortest I’ve ever had! It is quite funny to see how a change like this can improve how you feel about things, particularly if you are a woman.

 Do I look like a PR girl now?

So I am back, still searching for the perfect PR Grad Scheme or Job. (Not sure If I want to spend another x years just learning) I’ve applied only for the WPP Grad Scheme so far. I like the idea of trying three different disciplines and then making the final decision. I know that I like consumer PR and technology, but wouldn’t say no to corporate comms or B2B. I just need to try things I suppose. See how I can have some PR fun.

I've updated my PR Portfolio at http://kat4pr.wordpress.com/ and intend to add more things in the upcoming days. It is important that my future employer know what I've been up to, right?