Takeaways from 2009 National PRSSA Conference

Jessica Lawlor, president of Temple's PRSSA wrote an article about her three takeaways from the 2009 PRSSA National Conference in San Diego:

1. Read, read, read; write, write, write
2. Public relations is a 24/7 job
3. It's all about social media

Check out the full post here!

Follow-Up: Palin on Oprah

I wanted to follow up on the interview I mentioned previously about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The show actually produced Oprah's best ratings since about two years ago. According to EntertainmentWeekly.com the show had a household rating of 8.7 and 13 share. The numbers haven't been that high since 2007 when the Osmond family made and appearance. Palin talked about her experiences on the campaign trail, dealing with the media, her interviews with Katie Couric, the father of her daughter's child Levi Johnson, as well as her new book, "Going Rouge: An American Life."

So did you watch the interview? What did you think?

Also, did anyone watch the Barbara Walters interview with Sarah Palin? I didn't but I'd be interested to see the differences in material discussed as well as the ratings too.

As a public relations student, the idea of getting a client on the Oprah Winfrey Show or being interviewed by Barbara Walters is a HUGE deal. Of course, Palin's appearances were more important than just promoting her book, getting placement for your client with these media moguls is a PR person's dream come true.

Twitter to the Rescue

I came across an article today that immediately caught my attention with the headline of, 'Texas Hospital finds Blood Donors Through Twitter'. I was shocked that social media has come this far. The article went on to describe how, after the tragic Ft. Hood shootings of November 5, a PR person for Scott & White Hospital utilized Twitter to reach out to an active audience following news about Ft. Hood, which had quickly become a trending topic. He kept the audience and media abreast of the condition of the soldiers at the hospital and asked if people could donate blood to the shooting victims. His tweet was retweeted 400 times and he recieved a whopping 1,000 units of blood that day. His tweets generated such a buzz that he had to turn 600 donors away due to the overwhelming response. This is a great example of the power of Twitter in accessing people on a personal level and shows why social media has become such an important phenomenon in the PR world. Please link to the original article here and tell me what you think!

Guest Speaker: Joanna Hawkins

Today in my Advanced Public Relations Writing class we had a guest speaker named Joanna Hawkins from the U.S. Department of Labor. She gave us tips on how to become great PR professionals by making sure we have the basics down. Some of her tips were:

• Learn the AP Stylebook backwards and forwards. Having a working knowledge of the rules of the AP Stylebook will set you apart from other writers.
• Research doesn't end after college, so become the best you can be at it. She said that she does research constantly at her job, so learn to love it!
• Be a great communicator. Have the ability to speak to everyone, from cold calling to reporters you've developed a relationship with.

Another great piece of advice she gave us was to not worry about knowing everything about the industry you get a job in by your first day. Have the basics of public relations down, and learn new information as you go!

Informational Interviewing

Today in my public health class, our teacher used the class period to discuss good practices for those seeking internships and, ultimately, a full-time job. Although I am not a public health major, I found a lot of her advice to be relevant for everyone and anyone, regardless of specific interest. One element of her talk that really stood out for me was her enthusiasm about informational interviewing.

My teacher explained to us that she kicked off her career by conducting informational interviews during her college years. She would ask teachers and others from her professional network for the contact information of people who were already working in the field in which my teacher wanted to become involved. She would then call these contacts, ask for ten minutes of their time, and proceed to ask them, "how did you get to where you are?" and "what steps can I take that will put me on the path to a career like yours?"

My teacher explained that information and advice she was given during these informational interviews helped her secure her first job in public health. They also helped her foster some new professional connections that she has had ever since.

Here are two things that she explained should be the goal of informational interviews:

1. Emerge from the interview with an established and meaningful connection with the person you interviewed. This person can serve as a valuable resource and contact for you in the future.
2. Emerge from the interview with the contact information for five of that person's contacts (with their permission to use their name as a reference with those contacts). These people can provide you with further information and may know of opportunities they could pass along to you. This will help grow your professional network.
   

Informational interviewing could be a great practice for those of us in the field of public relations, as it represents a form of personalized networking. In addition, it could facilitate a sort of informal mentoring, which could help give us an edge over others in our field.

Do you have any experience with informational interviewing? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Having a “Roaring” Time: Interning at the Philadelphia Zoo

Most of my friends have been interning since sophomore year, so when the fall of my senior year rolled around and I hadn’t had any internships, I felt it was time for me to catch up. I searched for an internship using resources from Temple’s Career Center, and through the OwlNetwork I found a bunch of openings for communications interns. I applied for two positions, one with a small marketing agency in Plymouth Meeting and the other with the Philadelphia Zoo. Working for the Zoo seemed like a fabulous opportunity but I didn’t think I’d really get the job.

As it turns out, I did get the job and have enjoyed it ever since my first day. I was so nervous that I wouldn’t know what to do or I would disappoint my bosses, but they have been willing to help and answer all of my questions. They also understand that I want to gain as much knowledge and experience as I can while doing meaningful work, not just running to get coffee or making copies. I have had the chance to write multiple press releases and media advisories so I can practice the most important skill in PR, writing. Right now I am also learning how to work with metrics and understand ad value equivalency and audience numbers. Another beneficial aspect of this internship is that I have met some great people, including valuable contacts in the media.

My favorite thing so far has been the PR surrounding the birth of our baby orangutan. Not only is it cool to see the new baby, but it’s been a great experience being involved in the process of announcing the birth to the media and holding press conferences. Mother and baby are doing well and made their public debut this past Thursday. Our efforts at media outreach were also successful.

Because I have enjoyed myself so far, I plan to intern with the Zoo again this spring before I graduate. Although I regret not searching for an internship earlier in my college career, I feel that things happen for a reason. If I had been interning earlier I may not have been able to have this wonderful experience while working with the Zoo.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member, Laura Macenka.

Lobbying in Public Relations

Before I officially became a Public Relations major, I was back and forth between a bunch of different possible majors and career paths. At one point, I was set on becoming a lawyer. Now that I'm studying public relations, I've been looking into the different career routes I can take after graduation, and one of my recent findings, lobbying, particularly stuck out in my mind. For me, it seems like the best of both worlds--it's a combination of my interest in law and my major in public relations!

Lobbying is a fast-growing field that is closely connected to public relations, for the role of a lobbyist is to influence legislators, using the art of persuasion, on behalf of an organization’s point of view on various issues. Lobbyists aim to influence the policy making of the institutions to produce policies and legislation that are beneficial to their employers.

Since lobbying is about communicating with policy-makers, it is always beneficial to familiarize oneself with the political scene. Many of the lobbying career opportunities are concentrated in the political sphere of Washington, D.C., where graduates can gain experience working as congressional aides or with government agencies prior to beginning a career as a lobbyist. Many prospective lobbyists begin by working for environmental and advocacy organizations, where they can promote their agendas by meeting with members of Congress, legislative aides, and leaders of governmental agencies.

The primary skill of a lobbyist is to construct and communicate messages to legislators. If you're like me and have an interest in the legislative scene, maybe a lobbyist is the perfect career to pursue with your public relations degree!

Some statistics, according to the Princeton Review:

• There are approximately 106,000 people in the profession
• 35% are female; 65% are male
• The average starting salary is $20,000
• The average salary after 5 years is $50,000
• The average salary after 10 to 15 years is $80,000
• Major employers include Greenpeace, AARP, and Sacramento Advocates

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member, Marissa Sudol.