Teaching PR

Twitter Local Connects You to Local Voices, Brian Solis
Writing Without Typos Is Totally Outdated, Penelope Trunk
News Releases on Life Support? Five Reasons Why, Gary Schlee
43 More Top Social Media Tips and Tools, Dave Fleet
Nuggets of Wisdom from the Work Place, Sue
Inside PR #105 (podcast with long discussion on PR interns), Terry Fallis & David Jones

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

Aside from teaching classes (these are some of the students from my Campaigns class celebrating the public support they helped drum up for OneAthens last night), we faculty have other responsibilities. For me that includes research, graduate student advising, and such public service as organizing the Connect conference. It's a busier life than you might think.

The great part about it, though, is that we have a lot of flexibility in choosing how we want to spend our time. I chose OneAthens as a client. I get to choose who gets invited to Connect. I decide which projects are interesting and worthy of research. So work becomes a labor of love.

I know some other PR educators who feel the same way. From my aggregator today alone, check out PR Open Mic, Robert French's new social network for PR educators and students, and Behind the Spin, Richard Bailey's online magazine for students and young professionals (be sure to check the editorial calendar, too). It strikes me that collaborative media are allowing us PR educators to teach people outside our schools, and to do a bit of learning ourselves.

Labels: campaigns, education, public relations, students

New Skills for Young PR Pros, Mike Manuel
20Types of Pages that Every Blogger Should Consider, Darren Rowse
How to: Identify Keywords, Brendan Cooper
The Care and Feeding of Your References, Karen Burns
Making a Splash with Social Media Measurement (video on Sea World's Journey to Atlantis campaign), Shel Israel with Kami Huyse
Oddcast is Pretty Cool (and Just a Wee Bit Creepy), Melanie Seasons

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

I confess my list is short this week because I've been so busy, not because the social media sphere is lacking in good reads. Feel free to add a comment with something great I've missed. :-(

How I Use Twitter to Promote My Blog, Darren Rowse
Video: How to Use Facebook Privacy Features, Jeremiah Owyang
The Top 5 Films About PR, Richard Millington
How to Edit Your Resume Like a Professional Resume Writer, Penelope Trunk
On the Record... Online with Business Week Columnist Jon Fine, Eric Schwartzman (podcast)
Marketing with Social Media, Shelly Banjo (Wall Street Journal)

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

Customer Service Is the Conduit Through Which Direct Brand Conversations Happen (with lots of Starbucks links), Valeria Maltoni
5 Easy Ways to Make Your Comments Section a Conversation, Tiffany Monhollon
State of the News Media 2008, Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism (via Peter Himler)
A Groundswell at SXSW: How the Audience Revolted and Asserted Control, Jeremiah Owyang
Announcing (Formally) Alltop (top 40 news aggregation site), Guy Kawasaki
10 Questions Every Blogger Should Ask Themselves Before Posting, Damien Van Vroenhoven
We're All on Drugs: This Explains Everything!, Bill Sledzik
Harness the Energy of Your Team, Ben Matthews
Blog Resources for English Language and Blog Writing, Lorelle VanFossen (via Joseph Thornley)
Pitching Fits: Why News Releases Might Die, Rich
The Secret Underground Guide to Social Media for Organizations, Colin McKay

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

My Word-of-Mouth Communication class's last project before spring break consisted of brainstorming about the social media tools that ad/PR students should know how to use, as well as the skills and characteristics that they should cultivate, in order to be prepared for 21st-century jobs.

Do you like what they came up with?

Social Media Tools (for themselves or their employers/clients)

• Blogging
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Podcasting
• Flickr
• Facebook, MySpace (social networks)
• Wikipedia
• Google docs, chat, groups, etc.
• RSS feeds and aggregators
• Social bookmarking (del.icio.us)
• Search engines including blog searches
• Second Life
• LinkedIn
• VoIP, such as Skype
• Mobile media
• Interactive gaming

Skills/characteristics to cultivate

• Ability to pitch effectively (mainstream and social media)
• Online research skills
• Use of appropriate language and etiquette
• Knowledge of ethics, law
• Technological understanding, comfortable with both Mac and PC
• Online identity management and networking skills
• Online security
• Adventurousness, learning agility
• Knowledge of branding
• Keeping up with current events
• Understanding word of mouth -- filters, why some things go viral
• Interaction between online and mainstream media
• Ability to learn on the job
• SEO
• Being personable in person, not just online
• Transparency, authenticity
• Writing ability
• Knowledge of measurement tools and ability to apply them (Feedburner, Google Analytics, etc.)

Now there's no excuse for them not to get out and learn what they need to know! As soon as spring break ends, that is.

Labels: education, social media, students

Most of my students are off galavanting in some warm and sunny place this week, but I'm still here at my desk rounding up interesting reading for PR students/newbies (written in a tone of abject sorrow). Here you have it:

Getting to Know Gen Why, BusinessWeek and Generation Y Doesn't Buy the Hype about Generation Y, Kelli Matthews
Where My News At?, Michael Allison
Recommendation Letters and References, Mihaela Vorvoreanu
Where Are All the Student PR Bloggers?, Stephen Davies and Student PR Blogs, At Least Give It a Try, Richard Millington
45 Essential PR Links, My Creative Team
10 Tips for Encouraging Blog Comments, Neville Hobson
Wal-Mart Tastemakers Write Unfiltered Blog, New York Times

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

Facebook 101: Ten Things You Need to Know About Facebook, Thomas Krivak (via Michael Seaton)
BrazenCareerist.com, via Penelope Trunk
The Press Release Page: A NewApproach to an Old Problem, Mike Manuel
An Introduction to Twitter for Marketers, Tessa Horehled
Grad School Decision Time, Les Potter
Gawker Reporter-in-Training, Peter Himler
Should PR Agencies Blog?, Brian Solis
Jobs in Social Media, Corinne Weisgerber

And two great examples of writing by college bloggers:
Twitter-provements, Ashley B. (Georgia)
Tips for the PRos, Lisa Poplawski (Oregon)

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

Labels: blogging, conference, podcasting, social media, students, WOM

Putting a Face on Social Networks: Corporate Facebook Pages, Dan Greenfield
Now We Flacks Get Students to Astroturf for Us, Bob LeDrew (report here) via Robert French and Kelli Matthews
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Podcasting, Susan Getgood
How to Use LinkedIn to Create Authoritative Content, Michael Stelzner
Internship Application Mania, Fourdoorshack

And, what's going on with PR and social media here at the Grady College:
Ashley Beebe: UGA Safe Kids Athens Buckle Up PR Campaign, Robert French
Ready to Earn Your Stripes?, Erin Caldwell
YouTube Viral... Locally, Kaye Sweetser

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

Okay, for all those other Bateman Competition teams who check my blog for updates on UGA's Bateman team, here's their Web site.

Just kidding, I'm really posting it for all you potential employers. Three of the five team members are looking for jobs... but don't wait too long! Feel free to contact me for references.

Update: Now three of the five are off the market. The other two will go fast!

Labels: Bateman, students

Earlier this year I said I wasn't going to say much about UGA's 2008 PRSSA Bateman team, but now that this has gone public I can share it with you.

The client, Safe Kids Buckle Up (sponsored by Chevy), wants the teams to use social media, targeting especially hard-to-reach minority tweens. Therefore, one of the tactics the UGA team is using is a video contest between the sixth grade and seventh grade at Coile Middle School. Check them out!

Labels: Bateman, public relations, students

Yesterday Kevin Dugan gave an extremely informative virtual guest lecture on media relations to my WOM class students, and he gave me permission to share his slides and notes from his talk. Follow his advice, and you'll never end up on the Bad Pitch Blog!

Kevin defines a pitch as "any form of communication with the media that's designed to get media coverage." He pointed out that, with newsroom budgets getting smaller, reporters can use good pitches to help them identify stories and sources. From a PR perspective, media channels are increasing and media are fragmenting, so there are new places to get your message out but at the same time we have to figure out how to compete. He also showed a great slide depicting how the news cycle is expanding, with blogs, Twitter and other social media often breaking news, followed by mainstream media coverage, followed by follow-up niche discussion (including discussion of MSM performance) on blogs and other social media.

The dirty little secret, Kevin explained, is that PRs have the same amount of time (or less) to do their work, while the number of media outlets is expanding -- so they often therefore rely on technology to get the news out; but technology can't take the place of groundwork and relationship building that should be the key to media (and blogger) relations. The ugly truth, he said, is that young kids new to the PR profession are the ones doing the pitching, yet they are the least prepared to do it. Ask for the big picture, he urged my students, and don't just call and ask if they got your news release -- add something new to the follow-up call.

Although the pitch should always be customized, he offered some general rules for pitching:

1. Be a know-it-all: know yourself and develop your own style; know the news and link your story to current events when appropriate; know your story and how it fits with the larger context of the company or industry; and know the media that you're targeting.
2. Before the pitch: for a big campaign, prepare a pitch planner with key points, targets, and what makes this story newsworthy.
3. During the pitch: Use their preferred method of contact; when a reporter responds your work is just beginning. Find out their story angle and deadline; find out the general direction of their questions so the interviewee can start formulating their thoughts.
4. After the pitch/the interview: prepare a briefing document including the reporter's recent or related articles; and, when necessary, conduct media training. The PR person should sit in on the interview to make sure it stays on topic.

I can't recount the entire hour of discussion, but here are some of Kevin's other pointers:

1. The news release is background information; the pitch tells why it's important to the readers, viewers, listeners.
2. E-mail: use more links, don't use attachments, consider the pitch the appetizer (not the buffet) -- don't make the reader scroll.
3. Boil it down to 3 paragraphs or even 3 sentences: what's the unique element of this story; prove it with research; call to action -- what are the next steps? And don' t forget to hold one thing back for the follow-up phone call.
4. Send the e-mail to yourself to see what it looks like before you send it to anyone else.
5. Redefine content: creativity is your only limit. (Kevin's Connect video makes this point beautifully.)
6. Make shorter pitches to fewer outlets... customization is the key.

In the Q&A discussion following his presentation, I mentioned a quote from Brian Solis, "Build relationships, not lists," an approach Kevin fully endorsed.

Labels: blogger relations, media relations, pitching, public relations, students

A little Valentine's week link love:

Calling All PR Students & Educators in the South, Kaye Sweetser (Edelman Digital Bootcamp update)
Repopulating the Student PR Blog Roll, Chris Clarke
Lasting Impact: Storytelling Makes Messages Memorable, Kevin Dugan
USA Federal Court to Decide if Public Relations is Racketeering!, Toni Muzi Falconi
Small is Tall (video), via Amy Gahran
Corporate Blogs, Valeria Maltoni
How to Herd Organic Search Traffic to Your Blog, Darren Rowse
Oovoo (aka what everyone's talking about on Twitter)

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

My WOM class had a virtual visit yesterday from David Meerman Scott, whose book we're reading right now. He was kind enough to spend about 45 minutes explaining the old and new rules of marketing and PR and providing lots of examples of how to capitalize on the Internet (e-Books, Online Media Room, and Online New Releases in particular).

When one of the students asked if he was going to blog about us, he pointed out that he's already blogged about Robert French's students, so we're going to have to one-up them by producing an amazing "new rules" pr and marketing plan for our client, the East Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross (thanks to @ikepigott for helping me make that connection) in order to merit a mention.

Give us some time. I guarantee we'll be on Web Ink Now by the end of the semester. :-)

Labels: classes, students, WOM

So you've created a blog, probably for class, and you've started posting content. Now you're hoping someone will read it. How do you get people to notice your blog? That's one of the most common questions I get from my students. Here are the suggestions I give them to get them started (note: you should have 3-5 posts up before you start promotion).

1. At least some of the time, create original content, not just links to news stories or "I agree with so-and-so" posts. Examples:

• Conduct an interview (usually via e-mail; make sure the person knows it’s for publication on your blog)
• Summarize blog conversation on a timely and relevant issue with links to the various posts
• Create a top-10 list relevant to your blog’s purpose
• Present "how-to" information: how to look for an internship, write a poem, etc.
• Do an informal survey and post the results
• Choose headlines carefully so that they are descriptive and use tags and categories or keywords to help people find/notice your post.

2. Start to build a community.

• Include many outbound links in your posts (links to other bloggers posting about the same subject as your blog)
• Post comments on other blogs, using your blog’s URL when you sign in
• E-mail a note to another blogger to call attention to your latest post; make sure it’s someone who has demonstrated interest in that subject before and use this tactic selectively.
• Include your URL on your e-mail signature, Facebook or MySpace page, etc.

3. Remember that a blog is a conversation.

• Sign up for Feedburner, Google Analytics, and/or Technorati to help you track progress--all are free. When these sites show that someone has linked to you, follow the link back to their blog to see what they've written and post a comment thanking them for the link or adding more information.
• Notice which search terms land people on your blog, and consider writing more about those topics.
• When you get a comment, respond back on your blog with another comment (we're going for dialogue). Make sure your blog is set up to tell you when you receive comments, so you can respond as soon as possible. In addition, start watching that person’s blog and comment on their posts if you find one that interests you.
• Use a social bookmarking site like delicious to help you manage content with tags.

I (and my students) welcome any other suggestions or additions to this list!

Cross-posted to WOM Class.

Labels: blogging, education, public relations, social media, students, tips

Back in October I listed a dozen things I wished PR professionals would blog about for the benefit of my students. The response has been great, including a few modifications and additions, so I wanted to post the final list with links to the blog posts. Thanks to all the pros who contributed!

• 5 ways not to get an entry-level job in PR -- David Reich
• The biggest mistake I made early in my career -- Lauren Vargas
• What to expect your first week on a new job -- Kristina Summers
• The cover letter pitch -- Kevin Dugan
• Reasons a student should get involved in social media -- Joe Thornley with Chris Clarke
• What I wish my new employee knew -- Todd Defren
• 5 ways to dazzle a potential employer -- Francis Moran
• 3 things never to say to your boss -- Lauren Vargas
• How to behave in a client meeting -- Sherrilynne Starkie
• Office Politics 101 -- Colin McKay
• How to get promoted -- Judy Gombita on PR Conversations
• If I knew then what I know now -- Donna Papacosta
• 5 things all PR students should know about their choice of career -- Steven Silvers (and he added #6 here)

Labels: public relations, students, tips

South Carolina -- Turnout, Young Voters, and Social Media, David Wescott
The Ultimate Student Resource List, Dustin M. Wax
RSS As a Research Tool: Using RSS to Subscribe to News and Web Search Feeds, Corinne Weisgerber
Say It Ain't So, Larry; Bosox Defile Uniform with Corporate Logo, Kevin McCauley
Millenials in the Job Market: Implications for Organizational Communication, Les Potter
5 Courses for PR Students (Advice from the PRos), Lizzie Azzolino
Advertising: Now a Conversation, Ted Shelton (BusinessWeek)
Everything You Ever Needed to Know Can Be Found in Free e-Books, Todd Defren
Best Internet Marketing Blog Posts of 2007, Tamar Weinberg
Media Myths and Realities: A Public of One, Ketchum Perspectives

Labels: public relations, students, week's best

Last fall at the Connect conference, some of us discussed the idea of holding a "social media bootcamp" for students. My colleague Kaye Sweetser is turning that idea into reality.

Grady College and Edelman are co-sponsoring a social media bootcamp for upper-level PR students (and educators) from around the Southeast during the first weekend in March. Kaye says the registration fee will be nominal and will include lunch and refreshments. For those who can't attend, my WOM class will be live-blogging, tweeting, flickring and so forth.

More details to come.

Labels: education, public relations, social media, students

"What I Wish My New Employee Knew," Todd Defren and One More Rule for PR Students Who Still Don't Quite Get It, Steven Silvers
Obama's Goal: Getting Out the Youth Vote, Eric Eggertson
How to Become a Social Media Junkie, Sydney Carroll
Distributed Influence: Quantifying the Impact of Social Media, Jonny Bentwood (Edelman)
Examples of Twitter Providing Business Benefit, Paull Young
10 Lessons I Learned in the First Week of Classes, Meg Roberts
Frozen Peas: A Case Study, Michael Allison
42 Top Social Media Tips and Tools, Dave Fleet

And, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, here's his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, made the night before he was assassinated in Memphis, which includes these lines:

"Let us rise up tonight with greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once again, for allowing me to be here with you."

Labels: public relations, students, week's best