Welcome To Our New Spring 2014 Staff Members!

The semester has officially commenced! PRowl held it's first weekly meeting yesterday afternoon with many returning faces along with a few new ones. Everyone seems extremely excited to begin work with our new as well as returning clients. After such a successful meeting, I am really looking forward to a fun-filled semester.

I would like to give a shout out to our newest staff members here at PRowl Public Relations. You will be seeing their first few blog posts in these upcoming weeks so make sure to familiarize yourself with their names:

Megan Healy is a sophomore Strategic Communication major with a concentration in PR, as well as a Spanish minor. She has always loved the urban lifestyle, which led her to Philadelphia. Megan’s dream job would be working in entertainment PR in New York City or Los Angeles.

Shaun Luberski is a sophomore Strategic Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations. She is thrilled to be a part of the PRowl staff. She is currently interning at The Rock School for Dance Education. Shaun hopes to work in a Public Relations agency and incorporate her love for photography and dance.

Paige Gross is a freshman Journalism major/ PR minor. Moving to Philadelphia was one of the most exciting and beneficial choices she has ever made; every day Paige sees or hears something new. She has a passion for media, coffee, anything that comes in black, and cheesecake. Paige is figuring out life the only way she knows how- one interesting day at a time.

Emily Charles is a sophomore Strategic Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations and minor in general business. She is currently the public relations representative for Rent the Runway. She also volunteers with different organizations on Temple's campus and hopes to someday work in public relations for a non-profit organization. Emily is extremely excited to be apart of the PRowl staff and cannot wait for the opportunities to come.

Michael Maling is a junior Strategic Communication major from Brick, NJ. Before becoming a PR major, Michael bounced around from psychology to journalism, then eventually to communication. His passion is music and intends to work in the industry upon graduation. Michael is currently waiting to start his new internship with East Side Electro, a music company based out of Philly.

Tyler Cameron is a junior majoring in Strategic Communication and minoring in General Business Studies. As an avid writer, PR was a natural fit. He hopes to work in corporate or crisis public relations, as well as earn a master's degree in Finance from Temple University in the near future. Tyler is the Director of Social Media for the Temple PRSSA chapter.

Nicole Beck is a junior Strategic Communication major with a concentration in Public Relations. She is excited to be apart of the PRowl staff and gain experience beyond the classroom.  Nicole has a passion for PR, being outdoors, photography and interior design. In the future Nicole would love to pursue the event planning and social media aspects of the PR field.

Christopher Smith is a sophomore Strategic Communication major with a concentration in Public relations. He is excited to be a member of the PRowl staff and experience more hands on work. Chris hopes to work in a Public Relations agency and incorporate his love for writing.

Welcome to PRowl everyone, here's to a wonderful new experience!

Interested in joining PRowl? Stay up to date with this blog for future opportunities and openings within the firm!

The Super Bowl Lineup of Events in NYC

Yes! The Super Bowl is slowly approaching and we have the honor of not only watching the champions of the National and the American football conferences but also seeing the creative and enticing ads brought on by some of the top Brands. And how could I forget the big performance at half time?  This year the line up of events is as adventurous as it gets. If you will be in NYC this weekend, maybe you could tick something off your bucket-list, who knows!

Here are some of the things to do while in NYC:

Block party- Time square will be transformed into a boulevard where there will be concerts and photo ops with the Vince Lombardi trophy. The festival will be between 33rd and 44th streets.

The longest year- The 50 Yard Lounge will be having a food and wine festival at Penn Plaza, which is situated near Madison Square Garden. There will be football legends and great food!

The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration- On January 31st  Pati LaBelle along with some other talented singers will be performing at the Madison Square Garden for the 15th annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.

Football at the Met-  Visit the Met Museum for their exhibit of vintage football cards.

Click here for more events.

4 Tips For Better SEO

"Content is King" is a phrase we are no strangers to, but "SEO is Queen" may be a new one. SEO, or search engine optimization, is crucial for all online ventures. The reining king of the internet, Google, can control which websites have higher rankings during searches. Google tries to avoid things that look like spam, or that are too general, from appearing at the top of the list of results. Having your website or blog appear at the head of a Google search is a great way to increase pageviews and overall traffic to your site.

If you've found that your Google ranking is lower than what you would like, try implementing some of these tips:

• Make your keywords count. Google uses keywords and phrases to determine sources that would be relevant to a search. Being able to work a key or phrase throughout a post or the content in a page is a great way to improve your SEO rank. Make your keyword phrases detailed and precise. Instead of listing your keyword as "handbags," or "winter style," write them as people would enter them in a Google search. "How to wear a handbag during the winter" is a much better keyword phrase 
• Use strong keywords in your URLs. Not only is it important to use your keywords and phrases throughout your content, they need to be wisely utilized in your site's URLs. Websites and blogs that run on Wordpress use permalinks without the name of the content in the URL by default. You should always update this in your settings so that the post title can be included in the URL. Instead of having a page's link read "yourwebsite.com/x?1234" set them to read "yourwebsite.com/name-of-the-post," and be sure that there are keywords in place of "name-of-the-post."
• Optimize your images. We often forget that images are really HTML text embedded into our post via codes. This means that images can be picked up by search engines. Always include "alt text," which are basically short descriptions of your image. Most content management systems, like Wordpress and Blogger, make it easy to add alt text without needing to know any HTML. Include keywords in your alt text and photo descriptions to really boost your SEO. 
• Link with Love. Including links, to other websites and your own, are great ways to boost your SEO rank. Having external links is incredibly important, because Google counts them as a sort of "third party vote" making your content credible. Be sure that the content you are linking to is credible and reliable, and you will see improvement in your SEO rank in no time.

Do you take SEO into consideration on your blog or website? Why or why not?

Social Media Lessons from the Grammy Awards

Award shows are a prime time to use social media and build your brand, be it personal, product, or otherwise.  You're automatically included in a celebrity-crazed social community when you utilize whatever hashtag is related to the show.  This past Sunday, several brands (local and national) were live tweeting the Grammy Awards along with the rest of the college students and young professionals on my newsfeed. It really caught my attention and I think it's because it shows that those brands care about what's going on and what their audiences are interested in.

If you're going to participate in the award show mania on social media, there are some things you have to keep in mind.

Be prepared for some backlash
No matter how true the tweets about Taylor Swift or Pharrell might be, there are some die-hard fans out there that will send some pretty rude things your way if you disagree with them. Be prepared with some proper responses for such a situation.

Can we say it enough? PROOFREAD!
Live-tweeting is basically a race between your fingers and the funny, horrifying and classic moments happening on screen. It can be easy to misspell a word or slip up in a post when you're rushing to get it out.

Engage, engage, engage
It's all well and good to push out your own thoughts and opinions about what's going on. If you really want to connect with your audience and build your brand, engage with what they are saying. Respond to their tweets or ask their opinions in a Facebook post.

Were any of your favorite brands following along with the Grammys? What were some of your favorite moments?

Sincere Apology or Publicity Stunt?

Last night, millions of Americans tuned in to watch the Grammy award show. Two of the most discussed artists of the night were rappers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Kendrick Lamar, who were nominated in several of the same categories. Many speculated who would win their categories. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis walked away with four Grammys while Kendrick Lamar, who was nominated for seven awards, received none.

Not long after the show ended, Macklemore posted a screenshot of a text message he sent to Kendrick on Instagram. The text, and caption, go on to commend Kendrick's album and the work he did this year saying, "It's weird and it sucks that I robbed you," and "he should have won...just giving [his album] its proper respect."

While on the surface this appears to be a genuine and graceful apology, the public relations skeptic in me can't help but wonder if this was sincere or a seized opportunity for good publicity. People's criticism of Macklemore winning the Best Rap Album category didn't go unnoticed. It's possible that while the text may have had good intentions, that he chose to make the conversation public in an effort to quell angered Kendrick fans. 

What do you think? Did Macklemore do the right thing by reaching out to Kendrick or was this simply a tactic to save face? Share your opinion below!

Should the 40-Hour Work Week Be Standard?

The forty hour work week, or the traditional nice-to-five job, is about as American as apple pie and ice cream. Eight hours a day, five days a week is the commonplace standard in most professional settings. In fact, most of our setups, especially in our education system, are created to prepare us for this nine-to-five lifestyle. 

From kindergarten to twelfth grade, school days are normally 8 hours long and begin early in the morning until afternoon. College classes, excluding night classes and online learning, are scheduled throughout the day during standard nine-to-five business hours.

There are many benefits to the 40 hour a week, 9-5 set up. It keeps businesses structured, and makes aligning schedules and meetings less complex with everyone running on a standard system. Before even checking with a company, you can almost bet that their business hours are 9 a.m to 5 p.m. But the truth is, while the benefits are there for businesses, many people don't operate well on this set schedule.

This article written by Mikael Cho, founder and CEO of Ooomf, explains why setting exact work hours may not be the best idea. Rather than do the traditional 9-5, he and his co-founders work according to when they have the most energy to be productive. Some start their days early, around 9am and others who prefer later hours start in the evening into early morning hours.

While switching up how we do business days could take much adapting and be a little tricky, the costs could be well worth it in terms of productivity gains.

In college, we have the option, more often than not, to schedule classes in ways that best fit our lifestyles. If we aren't our best in the mornings, we pass on the 8am classes. So if we aren't able to be authentically productive at 9am, does it make sense to begin our work day on the wrong foot?

Of course there are some fields, like the medicine industry which runs on a 24/7 schedule, who would not be able to make these adjustments as readily. But for those who could, opting to deviate from the norm may be a best practice to put in place.

Let's start a conversation - do you believe the traditional nine-to-five forty hour work week should remain standard? Or, would it be more beneficial to structure business hours around the productivity and energy levels of employees?

Stay on Track This Semester

Classes have already begun for many colleges and universities and will start for the majority of the remaining ones today.  We might as well start off on the right foot this semester and pave the way for smooth sailing in the next several months.

• Get a planner. Use it.
  There is no better way to stay on top of your schoolwork, social activities, and other commitments.  If you write everything down there is no reason to forget it. That way you'll always know what's coming up and what you have room for, be it homework or fun events.
  
• Talk to someone new.
  Don't be a loner on the first day of class. Scope out your classmates and sit next to someone who seems like they might have a similar vibe to you. You could end up making a great connection, helpful study buddy, and possibly even a new friend!
  
• Go to office hours.
  Professors notice the students who go above and beyond in class. If you visit them during office hours you will stick out in their mind. Spending time outside of class with your professor will also ensure that all your questions get answered.
  
• Eat breakfast.
  You're a busy bee and you need energy for the day. Eating even just a little something for breakfast every day will keep you going through all your classes and extracurricular activities.  You'll beat that mid-day funk and be able to perform at top speed. 

These are just some of the things you can do to keep yourself on track for the upcoming semester.  Get organized right away and you'll stay organized throughout.  End the year with a successful semester and reward yourself with a summer of fun (not that we're counting down the days or anything)!

What will you be improving on this semester?

6 Ways To Discover A Great PR Client

When working at an agency, clients come and go. There are good clients, bad clients, mediocre clients, and there are great clients. At PRowl PR, we have been fortunate to have a history of retaining great clients. 

After working with PRowl PR for the past three years, I have noticed that there are certain traits that really make a great client stand out. I think this article from Maven Communications puts it best:

1. The client is open to exploring initiatives that they’ve never done before because...
2. The client trusts your expertise and respects your professional recommendations. 
3. The client is on board with adjusting the campaign to keep the results aligned with the business objectives of the company. 
4. The client pushes you to continually be innovative. 
5. The client’s campaigns are intellectually stimulating… 
6. And also intellectually demanding. 

Next time you are meeting with a potential new client, be sure to keep these six traits in mind and hopefully you will discover your next great PR client. 

Three Top News Apps To Watch In 2014.

Keeping up with the news is important to every PR professional. With the changes in the world in regards to technology, there are different means and ways to receive data and keep up to date with what's taking place. PBS wrote a blog on the top news apps to watch in 2014 and discussed their uniqueness. Below are three of the top news apps:

AP Mobile-  This is one of the news apps that focuses on providing original news content. This app is available on both IOS and Android and is best used on smartphones. AP Mobile provides trending news, sports and popular stories.

Taptu- This social media and technology company basically created a platform for their users to choose the different types of news that interests them. They describe it as "DJ your news" where you create your own vibe and style.

Google Play Newsstand-  This app was recently launched by Google to replace their old app Currents. This app provides their users access to blogs, digital magazines, RSS feeds, news agencies and gossip sites.

Each App has its differences and unique features to keep us up to date on news. For me, reading a newspapers is not my preference therefore I utilize the aforementioned apps to stay abreast on what's taking place in the world today. Don't let information pass you by, keep reading and continue staying up to date on current events.

Tools for Freelancers: MyPrice

One of my favorite things about PR is that it doesn't take huge teams and corporate budgets to be able to offer services. In fact, many professionals opt to step away from the nine-to-five setting and into the home office to work as a freelancer. Freelance work is an awesome way to do what you love with maximum flexibility and control. But for every pro that comes with freelancing comes a challenge, and one of those challenges (more often than not) is earning sufficient income and knowing what to charge.

Your rates say a lot about you as a freelancer. If your rates are too low, it may suggest that you are inexperienced or only used to working with lower-budget clients. If your rates are too high, you may be reaching too far and miss out on a larger medium-budget clientele. Finding that middle ground rate can be quite challenging, especially when first starting out.

MyPrice, an app available for iPad and iPhone, helps freelancers determine what their ideal rates and wages should be, without all of the extra hassle. MyPrice uses the characteristics and descriptions that you tell it about your projects to help calculate your rates. The app will also take into consideration your professional and education backgrounds, both of which are huge determinants of salary.

MyPrice was originally created with creative freelancers, such as web or graphic designers, in mind. Now, the app also includes projects such as SEO integration and online marketing, which are more useful to PR professionals.This is a great tool to have as a freelancer, and it is offered for only $1.99 via the Apple App Store. A small investiment can make a huge impact in the rest of your professional earnings as a freelancer. Having a tool to help you handle the calculations gives you more time to focus on catering to your clients and building your professional brand.

Have you ever taken on freelance work? Which tools did you use to help manage your business?

Bonjour! A Little PR from Paris

At this very moment I'm across the pond being captivated by the beauty of France. In addition to visits to cultural landmarks, tours of the most beautiful landscapes, and dining at divine restaurants, I've also been to visit several different companies. We've been to see the French Fashion Institute, Hermes, and Peugeot and are set to see many more.

On these visits I've noticed some serious cultural differences in conducting business that any aspiring public relations professional will want to know if they're considering doing business abroad.

Dress

In the United States, "business casual" is generally the norm and "business formal" is saved for fancier occasions.  In France, "business formal" is the norm and the French take great pride in how they dress. Americans always need to look their most professional and very best when doing business in France.

Time

The French look at Americans as "always in a hurry". If you're going to do business with the French, you need to be prepared to slow down and go at their pace or you'll risk looking too aggressive.

Language

In France, it's common to use 'terms of endearment' in business conversation.  You'll hear "mon cheri" used and at first thought it may seem sexist or politically incorrect. The French don't view it that way and it's best to just accept the cultural adjustment.

It's your job as an American business-person and PR professional to be prepared for the cultural differences you'll face when doing business abroad. France is just a drop in the bucket of cultural clash.

What are some other cultural differences you can think of? We want to know!

Instagram Direct: What Does It Mean for PR?

Whether you like it or not, social media is one of the fastest growing platforms for public relations students and professionals alike. With a community of over 150 million users from around the globe, Instagram is one of those social media platforms that has grown to monumental heights over the past three years. Instagram can be great for PR students and professionals because it allows them reach out to an audience creatively through picture and video sharing. However, avid Instagram users have most likely noticed the small change on the top-right side of their Instagram screen.

Recently, Instagram introduced a new feature: Instagram Direct. Instagram Direct allows you to send a picture or video to up to 15 Instagram users simultaneously. Within this direct message users can track who has seen the message, start a conversation, and like the photo or video. But what is the use of this feature for PR professionals?

Instagram Direct may not be great for getting your message out to a large audience, but it will show your followers that you care. If there is something that you feel as though may be more relevant to a smaller group of people, this feature allows you to send that image or video to a smaller number of avid or important followers, and allows for marketing strategies such as contests or prizes that become exclusive to certain followers. 

Another approach to Instagram Direct is to use the feature to pitch to journalists and bloggers. Though it may be difficult to pitch with the brevity of just a photo or a 15 second video, if done right, you can really be able to pitch a great product or story to these users.

Though Instagram has a very “user-first” mentality, PR students and professionals can use this to their advantage. By connecting to more personally to certain followers, and pitching to journalists and bloggers, Instagram Direct can open a brand new portal of opportunity.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Rute Barkai.

5 Steps to Enhance Your Pinterest Presence

Pinterest is a great way to share a story visually rather than in words. The challenge lies in creating a profile that is search engine friendly as well as creative and unique. Before you create your next board, try implementing a few of these tips:

1. Create useful descriptions. When users are searching Pinterest, they can opt to either view pins or boards. Pinterest will pull from descriptions to decide which pins or boards best match the terms the users are searching for. Including strong keywords and phrases will ensure that your content appears in various searches, and increases your chances of having your content re-pinned.

2. Don't generalize board titles. While Pinterest is known for being a safe haven for the artsy and creative, specific and to-the-point board titles work best. Instead of having one board called "art" or "education," break your boards down into specific workable parts. Use general terms as headers, and give them each a subheading to create your boards. So instead of having one board called "art" you now have three or four: watercolor, sculpture, mosaic. 

3. Make your profile cohesive. Before you go pin and board crazy, make a plan so that your profile looks cohesive and visually appealing. The cover photos for your boards should have similar colors to make the page come together. Organize your boards and place those with like content together, so that viewers don't have to dig.

4. Pin original content. If you have a blog or website that you are looking to drive traffic to via Pinterest, be sure that you are uploading that original content to your profile! Include a link to the source, and strong descriptions to increase your chances of being repinned.

5. Promote your pins. Now that your boards and pins are in better shape, it's time to share them with others. Add a button that links to your Pinterest profile, or even a widget that displays your most recent pins. Create blog or Facebook posts sharing your most recent pins, and be sure any images on your blog are website are easily pin-able.

If used correctly, Pinterest can generate tons of traffic to your blog or website, and is a creative way to share a visual story with your followers. To see what content from your blog or website is pinned the most, simply go to pinterest.com/source/yourwebsiteurl.com. Pay attention the images that are most pinned, get an ideal of the visuals your followers enjoy and work from there.

Have you been utilizing Pinterest? How, and what have the results been?

Intern vs. Employee: Whose Job is Harder?

You might think there is an obvious answer to this question and wonder why I'm bringing it to debate at all.  It seems like a no brainer, why would a part-time (or even full-time) intern have a harder job than someone actually employed by the company?

Let's break it down:

Employee

• 40 hour work week (but let's be real, in PR we all know it's more)
• Multiple clients, projects, meetings, etc.
• Work-life balance challenges
• Inter-company relationship maintenance

Intern

• Busy work 
• Smaller tasks
• Part-time (generally)
• School-work-life balance

The biggest difference between the intern and the employee is that the job isn't the intern's end-all. They aren't bound to this company for an extended amount of time like an employee is. However, the employee is there every day. They're familiar with the in's and out's of the people they work with and the clients they have.

I think it's harder being the intern because you're NOT there every day. Even if you are, you're not included in every email chain and every meeting. It's hard to get completely familiarized with every client to the proper extent when the job isn't your main focus because of school, extra curricular activities, etc.

Which do you think is more difficult? Have you had an experience where you struggled as an intern but felt that if you were employed you would succeed?

Tips To Be A More Productive Blogger

Recently, PR Daily posted an article listing 23 ways to become a more productive blogger. From that list, I chose to highlight five tips that I feel could be most beneficial.

1. Consider your workplace. Make sure you're in an environment that you can be the most productive in. Whether that's in a cafe full of people or a quiet corner in the library, put yourself in a space that will foster your best work.
2. Know why you blog. Keeping your mission statement, or the reason why you blog, in the front of your mind is essential. Not only does it help to focus your content, but constantly reminding yourself why you blog can be a great motivator to keep pressing forward.
3. Keep an idea list. From personal experience, this is beyond helpful. If you're in a bind and can't seem to put pen to paper, an idea list can prevent writer's block. It always seems that the best ideas come at the most obscure times, so make sure you have a place to jot them down to reference later.
4. Embrace flow. It's not all the time that the words just seem to flow so when they do, don't stop! Take advantage of this sudden burst of creativity and schedule several blog posts ahead of time. That way if/when writer's block should strike again you're prepared with a few posts that are ready to go.
5. Just do it. You may not feel up to the task of writing every time you need to, but push through and just do it. Ramble if you have to, but get some thoughts on paper. You can edit later, but at least now there is content there to edit.

For all 23 tips you can view the original article here. Do you have any advice that can help fellow bloggers? Share them in the comments below!

Entertainers In Need of A PR Representative

Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, or individual in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, and customers. Well, the entertainers I am going to name display little to no goodwill at all in the public eye anymore. Once seen as bright young stars, are now seen as problems in the entertainment industry. Can these entertainers rejuvenate their images? Only if they reach into their wallets and hire a public relations representative.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown seems to live in the news. It’s almost like he enjoys seeing his name in the headlines saying, "Breezy Strikes Again.” Brown, infamously known for the brutal beating of ex girlfriend and pop superstar Rihanna, has not yet learned his lesson. Seriously, everyone deserves a second chance, but not a million. From throwing bottles in the club with Drake, to decorating his LA mansion in flamboyant colors, to fighting Frank Ocean in the studio; the list goes on. People think he is spoiled, irresponsible, disrespectful and shows no remorse for his actions. Sorry Chris, I think its time to get a public relations representative.

Miley Cyrus

Miley Miley Miley. What happened? From innocent Hannah Montana to pop star badass, Miley Cyrus is on track to become one of the most talked about celebrities in the entertainment business. Cyrus took the world by storm at the VMA's last year with her "twerking" performance. She surprisingly topped this the following month by lighting a joint on stage at the EMA's. Most of the public thinks these acts are tasteless while only her fans think otherwise.  Miley Cyrus is foreshadowed to be the next one hit wonder if she does not clean up her act. Miley Cyrus, you need a public relations representative.

Kanye West

Kanye West is definitely one of a kind. From interrupting pop princess, Taylor Swift, to going on random rants, to stealing every guys dream girl, Kim Kardashian; it is no surprise that Yeezy isn't the most popular rapper in the world. While people still respect him lyrically, socially the public is very hesitant of Kanye West. Kanye, you need a public relations representative.

What other public figures do you think could use a little PR assistance? Let us know!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Ransford Whaumbush.

            

Taking The Creative Approach To Your Cover Letter

Is getting a new job one of your New Years' resolutions? If so, now is the time to spice up your job application materials! I believe the most important part of the job application process is your cover letter.

Your cover letter is supposed to catch a prospective employer's eye, but that's easier said than done when it's buried under a pile of applications. As a result, nearly every professional has his or her own advice when it comes to writing one of these formal introductions and bids for employment.

Instead of following the typical formula, why not try a more inventive technique to get your application noticed. Mashable highlighted these five innovative approaches yesterday:

1. The Direct Approach
Lindsay Blackwell wanted to be social media director of the University of Michigan. Instead of typing up a typical cover letter, the tried and (sometimes) true method, she created a website with a video directed at Lisa Rudgers, the university's vice president for global communications and strategic Initiatives.

While Blackwell didn't ultimately get the job, she did land an interview for the position — an impressive feat on its own.

2. Using the Changing Communication Landscape

Video: YouTube, Graeme Anthony

Graeme Anthony, a PR practitioner looking for a job, uploaded his professional information to YouTube rather than creating a traditional cover letter and resume. Anthony's interactive video application included a breakdown of his skills and timeline for potential employers. It showed his video-producing and editing knowledge as well as his ability to use online resources.

In the end, it helped him land a job at Manc Frank. If a simple series of videos is enough to get you noticed, the sky's the limit.

3. The Power of Being Honest
Sometimes employers appreciate sheer honesty above well-written prose and assertions of dedication and passion. An unnamed applicant applied for a summer internship on Wall Street with a short but honest letter.

Whether the lack of embellishment helped secure the position for the student is unknown, but it made quite a splash online and proved that honesty really can be the best policy.

4. A Little Design Goes a Long Way

Image: Alice Lee

With a company as geared to the visual as Instagram, it can take more than a well-worded letter to catch the team's attention.

Twenty-year-old Alice Lee used her design skills to create an interactive website, complete with an Instagram stream with the social network's API. Instagram didn't end up hiring Lee, but she did get to speak to CEO Kevin Systrom, and Lee's site eventually led to an internship with another company.

5. Using Ads to Your Advantage

Video: YouTube, Alec Brownstein

Most of us have Googled ourselves at least once or twice, if only to make sure that nothing strange turns up with our names. With that in mind, Alec Brownstein decided to buy ads that would appear when specific people searched for creative directors' names, or more importantly, when said directors Googled themselves.

The ads led to Brownstein's site with a message that simply read, "Googling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too." Brownstein now works at Y&R New York, and the ads only cost him $6. It isn't exactly a cover letter, but it isn't a bad strategy.

Which creative approach will you take?

Three Things Every Aspiring PR Professional Should Do in 2014!

Its a brand new year, goals are set and everyone is excited to accomplish their new years resolutions. In this blog post, I highlighted the three important things that aspiring professionals should do and keep at in this upcoming year. I reevaluated my 2013 and decided the following tips are essential.
Below are the three things a PR Professional should do in 2014:

Build a PRofessional network:  Networking is very important in any occupation, but as an aspiring pr professional this should be second nature to you. Continue to meet new people and add them to your professional network. This will only help you in the long run.

Get Creative  Its 2014 and as the years increase and technology expands, its becoming more difficult to stand out. Therefore you should get creative in your assignments or whatever you desire to be apart of. Put your creativity to work and let your work speak for you.

Find a Mentor:  We all need some guidance and assistance somewhere across the line. Finding a mentor can assist you in many ways. As aspiring professionals, you can learn from your mentor mistakes and even grab some knowledge from their experiences.

Are there any other tips you think an aspiring PR professional should do in 2014? Let us know!

P.s Happy New Year to all our readers. Continue to push for those goals, create the best out of your 2014 and keep a positive mind! 

Let's Invest Better in 2014

Happy New Year! What better way to kick off 2014 than by addressing something we all deal with personally and professionally: budgeting.

Spending money is rarely at the top of anyone's to-do list, especially a PR pro's with a tight budget. Our aim is normally to get much done by spending as little as possible, especially when working in a smaller department or team. We avoid losing quality, and won't cut corners and risk producing sub par work. However, there is no denying that money plays a major role in how we carry out our campaigns.

Making wise investments is a critical aspect of a successful campaign. Whether you are splurging to boost a promotional post on Facebook or to have a logo professionally designed, we expect great yields to come from the few extra dollars we spend.

So before you pull out your personal or company debit card, consider the following four questions:

• Is this investment within our means, or will it cause us to lack in other important areas.
• What goal will this help me or my client achieve?
• Are there alternatives for less that are of equal or greater quality?
• How long will it be before I see a return on this investment?

Ask these four questions before spending that extra cash, and you'll find that your spending becomes much more intentional.

What considerations do you make before dipping into your budget?