Breaking into Sports Public Relations: A “Birds Eye View”

Recently I sat down with Ryan Nissan, Football Media Services Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, to see an insiders perspective into the day-to-day operations of a public relations practitioner of America’s most popular and demanding sport: Football.

The biggest take-away I received from Ryan was that if you want to enter the sports industry you are going to have to have prior experience and be able to have a competitive resume, because there are limited jobs and everyone dreams of working for their favorite sports team. The Eagles have a total of three staff members in their Media Relations Department. Before working for the Eagles, Nissan had an internship with HBO Sports in New York City. Through that experience he was able to connect with the Eagles and he began filming press conferences for them three times a week. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl that year in 2004 (oh how far away that seems to Eagles fans), and Nissan was asked to stay on for the remainder of the playoffs. His hard work paid off as the next year as the Eagles offered him a Graduate Assistant’s position, and finally with some luck, but even more hard work and dedication, Nissan was promoted to the position he holds today.

Nissan told me that the best advice he had for students wanting to get involved in sports PR was to reach out to your universities Sports Information Director (SID) and to become actively involved with them on campus, because the work you will do there is very similar to what your future job could be in professional sports. He also added that SID’s were the first people he reached out to in regards to filling open positions within the organization. Writing for your school newspaper was the second piece of advice Nissan dished out, saying that in his job today he is constantly updating player and coaches bios along with recaps from games. Writing is a constant and inescapable necessity in the world of sports PR. Finally Nissan added to always do your best work and give your finest effort because the NFL is somewhat like a brotherhood saying, while there might not be a job available on your hometown team, there could possibly be an open job on another team and the contacts you make along the way in this business can take you a long way, including a recommendation for an open job somewhere else in the league.

With every job comes some downsides along with some fantastic perks, and Nissan’s job is no different. He said the toughest part about his job was keeping pace with the evolution of the media, especially social media. When he started his job with the Eagles, Facebook was just beginning to come alive and Twitter was not even in the picture. Now players can instantly be accessible for all fans across the country with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. It is an around the clock job and Nissan loves the fast paced environment that is always keeping him on his toes. He said the best part about his job though were the relationships he has established with the players, coaches and media, adding that’s his main job is to have the players, coaches and media trust him. The three make up two huge distinct groups and his role is to play the middleman between the two.

“I have never dreaded coming to work,” Nissan said. “Every day I wake up and am excited and looking forward to either getting into the office or arriving at the stadium for game day.” This is a great piece of wisdom I took away from Nissan that applies to everyone, not just those interested in sports PR. You never want to put yourself in a position to detest the place where you go to work. So go out and dream big, it wouldn’t be considered a dream job if at one point in your life your dream did not seem impossible. Never set limits for yourself, in the words of many football coaches, “Always keep running, never stop until you reach that end zone for the touchdown.” And when you get there, keep dreaming.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Andy Esworthy.

Why the Sports Industry Dominates Twitter

With the recent emergence of social media, it seems that every business and corporation now has a Twitter. The sports industry was one of the first major corporations to catch on to this trend and they are calling the shots on how to run a successful social media platform.

Professional sports are a business, but the two are often very confused when thought of as partners. Fans want to believe that their favorite athletes play for the love of the game and the pursuit of childhood dreams, while the owners and some players try and cash in on every money-making opportunity they can that involves their team. Sports and business both often create controversy. However, the one way sports do not create controversy is the Twitter strategies and the lessons many businesses could learn from by modeling after the sports industry’s twitter approach. Businesses could learn from the sports industry’s Twitter strategy by following these tactics:

Exclusive Access- Twitter allows fans to have access to their beloved teams that they would never have had to chance to before. All of the behind the scenes work that a professional team goes through can now be made available in small tidbits to the public. Whether it is snapping a photo of merely a coach’s meeting or relaying information straight from the team’s head spokesperson. This access allows fans to feel closer to the teams they follow even more and gives more meaning to the fans to follow their teams on Twitter.

Fan Interaction- Ever go to the ballpark or stadium early, hoping to sneak down to the closest possible seats to the field hoping to talk to, shake the hand or even ask for an autograph from your favorite player? With Twitter, fans have access to their favorite players at their finger tips, or rather their Twitter handles. Many athletes will take advantage of the easy interaction Twitter allows professional athletes and fans to have, because it allows them to become closer to the fan base that supports them on a daily basis. This then enhances the fan experience, which will only build positive brand recognition for the fan of the player and/or team that he or she plays on.

Live Updates- Not able to sneak away from all of that grueling work at your job and check on your local team’s scores? Twitter grants a solution to that problem. Most, if not all teams will be updating their Twitter feeds at a very rapid pace throughout the game, keeping all of their fans that are not able to attend or view the game filled in on what’s happening during the game. This allows fans to stay connected no matter where they are, yet they still will feel the comforts of being home following their beloved franchises.

Contests and Giveaways- The sports industry more than any other industry has many contests and giveaways strictly for their Twitter followers only. The only way to win the contest is to follow the team or player on Twitter. This gives the team or player a chance to shape the conversation and take advantage of the use of hashtags such as #superbowl2012 or #postseason. In return, it keeps fans glued to the games and team twitter feeds and keeps the interactions continuous between the team and fans.

So, the ball is in your court. Maybe staying late after work to watch some hoops and twitter feeds with your co-workers isn’t such a bad idea after all. If you want your business’ social media platforms to succeed, all you have to do is get in the game!

Agree/Disagree? Let us know what you think about this proposed plan of action. We are all ears!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Andy Esworthy.

Back to School, Back to School, to Prove to Daddy I’m not a Fool!

Ahh… school is back in session. This means the daily grind of waking up early, going to class after class, finishing continuous amounts of work for the week, and going to bed at an ungodly hour is about to take over the lives of thousands of college students around the country. With all of that being said, college students must also start planning for their future, and now is a great time to try and make the most out of your school year.

Public relations students, as well as general communications students, have many options when they graduate with what they would like to pursue in life. In order to be prepared for those steps though, Becky Johns of PRdaily.com reveals tips on how to plan efficiently and effectively for success in future endeavors.

1. Have a part-time job- Time management is one of the most important lessons students can take away from college. Balancing schoolwork, a social life, and a job can be very difficult. It can also be extremely beneficial for students because they can gain invaluable experience in learning time management. If students can strike a balance between school work, making some money, and finding time to go out and be with friends, then they will be well prepared for when they enter the work force. This forces students to focus on the task at hand, which will result in a more disciplined self.

2. Study and know your industry- Find out as much as you can about the agencies or companies you could see yourself working for when you graduate. See who the major game changers are in your industry and find ways to emulate what they do, so that when you go looking for a job after graduation, a future employer views you as an irresistible hire. The more you know about the industry the more beneficial it will be to yourself upon hunting for a job.

3. Compile a portfolio- Public relations and many other communications professions rely on strong writing to succeed. Creating a strong portfolio and keeping it organized by adding writing samples will allow you flexibility within your portfolio. This will give you multiple options of which samples you would like to present to future employers during the interviewing process. Each company or agency may want a different type of writing sample, so a diverse portfolio is best.

4. Go out and have some FUN- College is not all about cramming for tests and stressing over what your going to do with your life five years from now. It’s about going out on your own and experiencing a new adventure. You do not need to totally sacrifice your social life to succeed in college. There needs to be a balance. So go out on a Thursday night and stay up till 3 am and have fun with your friends. Just make sure that homework for that 8am class is typed and ready for you the next morning.

What do you think of these tips? Agree/Disagree? Shoot your comments our way! If you would like to read the rest of the article and other tips provided, click here.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Andy Esworthy.