everyday public relations

In every conversation I have with former PR practitioners the subject of writing comes up sooner or later. If I took all of them seriously then the truth would be: everybody hates it but it must be done so everybody does it.

Writing is a big part of public relations. In order to get your company or cause noticed you write a press release or you write a pitch for a local reporter. You are often responsible for writing in-house newsletters and company memos.

So like it or not, writing is a must have skill. But don’t get discouraged. Writing doesn’t have to be a chore. There are things you can do to make your writing skills improve without developing writer’s cramp!!

First of all, be mindful of your subject, and enjoy what you do. It is a lot easier to write about a company policy or a cause you are adamant about. For example it is much easier to get excited about a volunteer reading program for children (Target) than to write another release about the XL200 copy and print machine. (Unless you are a techie at heart)

Second, always, always, always have a proofing buddy. For me it is my grandmother, a retired English professor. With her on my side I never have to worry about making a foolish grammatical blunder. I have determined she is NEVER wrong.

Third, if you really despise writing, then consider another field, or at least another aspect of PR. I have discovered that there are many ways to practice public relations, whether it be as a media specialist in an elementary school or as a production coordinator for a non-profit fundraising group. Not all of them depend on your writing skills. Oral communication is also key.

So yes, writing is a very important skill, one that all PR students should work to improve, but it is not the end all be all of PR. So for those of you who get a stitch in your fingers just reaching for the pen, take heart. With a little forethought you can still do the work you love without developing a permanent case of writer’s block.

I read an interesting blog entry today that got me fired up. The blogger was disturbed by recent comments made about “PR Moves” or “PR stunts”.The question I ask? Whether PR professionals are actually spin doctors.

This question hits close to home for me and ties in nicely with my quest to determine if PR is truly the noble field I want to enter after graduation. When I first decided to study public relations I received negative feedback from just about everyone. My friends thought I was sure to end up on the scandal pages. My activist parents thought I was going over to the “dark side” .

In actuality I wanted to study public relations because I thought I could help the public by making sure that they were properly kept aware of situations. I too am an activist hoping to enter the non-profit world someday. I think that there are so many who are either unaware or misinformed about what is really happening in the world today.

When I came to college I unfortunately realized how little I knew, but on the positive side I began to understand just how much I could learn and in time make a difference. This learning process is because of well executed public relations campaigns on campus and in Athens. I now know what I want to do, because of what I have learned.

Public Relations is about knowledge, not spin, something even my activist parents have come to understand. Thank goodness.

For more info on PR moves check out:
http://wagnercomm.blogspot.com/2007/02/most-pr-moves-are-actually-poor.html

From what I have learned in all my classes is that an important element of Public Relations is social responsibility. In particular, corporations have jumped on the bandwagon when it comes to giving back to the community and enhancing their image.

I agree with the idea that large corporations do in large part owe their success to the masses of consumers who utilize their products and services. Considering all the money they make it seems only right that they give a little back to their communities.

When you help the community you in turn help your business. It’s a large circle.

Knowing this I was distressed to discover a particular corporation’s (who shall remain nameless) policy regarding display furniture.

Many large corporate retailers claim to give so much money and time back to their respective communities. Several provide volunteers and supplies to various charitable organizations.

In light of this I was shocked that this particular retailer throws all their display furniture away, and I mean everything. Book shelves, entertainment centers, bedframes, desks….you name it.

Being a naive student I suggested that these items could be donated to places like goodwill, halfway houses, or other charity organizations. I was shut down so completely that I was a little breathless.

The reason? Liability. Apparently if an item sits on the floor, it is unsuitable for use by anyone, the retailer could be sued.

I find this stand ridiculous and I intend to take a much closer look at any corporation which claims to do so much for their community. To find this out is very disheartening. Maybe it is because I am too sensitive and too idealistic, but maybe this revelation is just the impetus I need to go with a non-profit rather than a corporate PR career.

After asking around and presenting this scenario, I found a considerble number of individuals who agreed with me.

Who wants to go work for a corporation that only cares about money anyways?

Not me.