everyday public relations

Of all the things I wish I had paid more attention to in college, the pace of the actual work force out there in the real world of PR is probably the most important. Don’t get me wrong, I had great teachers, attended wonderful workshops and listened to or read works by some of the best speakers and practitioners in the industry. For some reason though it just didn’t sink in and even my first job seemed to be an extension of college. I kept waiting for things to develop a pattern.

Well NEWS FLASH for me. In PR there is no pattern and nobody waits for you to catch up OR catch on. You have to hit the ground running and be ready to adapt at a moments notice.

My second day in the office I was handed one of the largest projects I have ever tackled and basically given no direction. Oh and it carried an unthinkable deadline and required so much attention to detail and multiple edits and blah, blah, blah…you get the picture. It was sink or swim and now I am just hoping I don’t stumble over my new-girl phobias. On my third day I was given some more work to do and another large project and of course it was all urgent and the deadline was yesterday and I thought I was losing my mind for a moment…..

Well, I am seriously multi-tasking now and I have survived for three weeks and I think I am going to make it in PR after all. Oh I just got the memo that there is an urgent matter and everything I have been working on is now a moot point and I have to do an abrupt about face and deal with this new issue. Whew! At least It will be a fun ride…assuming I don’t crash and burn along the way.

Just a quick thought….

Click on the title of this post to find out more about the changing face of news. I came across this today and thought Mindy really expresses the views that so many of us in the public relations community are embracing. With the world rapidly changing every day it is imperative that we look for new ways to reach our publics. Getting a text only blurb in a column will no longer be sufficient. We have to force older establishments to create and maintain a conversation rather than a lecture. We need interactive features such as blogs and feedback functionality and informative eye-catching videos and photos. In short, if we are to survive then we have to pick up the pace or be left in the dust!

What is news? It can be just about anything that catches your eye. The trick is to keep it interesting….that can be hard.

One of the primary job duties of any public relations professional is to write news releases. Sometimes the subjects to write about are obvious; a new ground breaking policy, the appointment of a new CEO, a crisis of some sort. However, not all public relations professionals deal with hard hitting news, at least not all the time. So where do you come up with new ideas? How do you keep your company or organization’s name in the public eye? It can be a real challenge to find truly interesting news pegs. I’ve compiled a list to help those new to the profession, or those who merely need a little bit of a refresher.

1.Staff meetings: Never underestimate the resources you have all around you. If you are at loss for information these meetings can be a wellspring of tidbits you can build off of. These meetings can be especially helpful for those in charge of internal employee communications such as newsletters. If you can, try to attend staff meetings with departments you are not directly involved with. It can be eye opening to see the organization from a different perspective.

2.The water cooler and/or coffee maker: While all information has to be verified obviously, any informal gathering of employees can yield a story that may not be obvious from your desk. In addition to discovering an employee’s long record of service with the local Habitat for Humanity, developing those relationships is always helpful when you need information from departments or sections of the company you may not always have access to.

3.Cruise your company’s website: Sometimes the most obvious sources are overlooked. Check into areas that receive little traffic to see what you can call attention to. Say you are working for a large environmental non-profit, if you bring traffic to a little known study about plant fungus, the botanists who may receive very little press will be grateful for the exposure.

4.The community calendar: I am always on the lookout for any little thing that may have an impact on my organization. If the local Boy Scout troop is planning a park clean up and several of my employees have children who will be involved then that could potentially be news, or a partnership opportunity. Wouldn’t the CEO like to know how he or she could make a difference in the community, perhaps by providing trash bags or gloves?

These are just a few ideas to check into. There are several more. The most important thing is to always keep your eyes and ears open and ready for information. Sometimes you find great stories in the least expected places.