A Message for PRowl -- Natalie's Farewell

As most of you probably know, the idea for this firm started way back in October at the PRSSA National Conference in Philadelphia. Little did I know that just six months later, PRowl Public Relations would become a successful, flourishing agency.

I am extremely proud to be a part of this project. I have enjoyed seeing each staff member grow exponentially this semester. PRowl Public Relations has quickly grown into a strong group of young professionals with a very bright future.

Before I go, I have a few last takeaways for "Natalie's Girls."

1. Be smart and strategic. You all have great minds and you need to use them!
2. Set deadlines you can meet. Make sure you give yourself enough time for each project so you don't get overwhelmed.
3. Relax! Everything will get done. You're all motivated and driven- there's no need to get stressed and make the situations more difficult to endure.
4. Ask for help. Though I'm making the big move, you'll still have your advisor and teachers to help you with anything you need. (And you know you can always call- I'm expecting you to!)

It has truly been an honor to work with the members of PRowl PR. You are the best and the brightest and like I've said before, I can't wait to see where the future takes you. Thank you for believing in this project and giving your all. PRowl PR is the organization it is today because of your dedication.

So think hard and work hard, but don't forget to smile and enjoy it all - it will be gone before you know it.

Your Last Day on the Job- What to Take and What to Leave

Today is my last day at my internship. It's been a great experience- nine months of quality work in an agency atmosphere. But as I leave today, I want to be sure I take the right things with me and leave the right things behind. Here are my tips for your last day on the job.


First, be sure to take all of your documents. It's so easy to forget to do this! Just grab a flash drive and move all of your folders and documents from your desktop to your drive. This will be more valuable than you know- you'll have access to countless writing samples for your portfolio and templates for your work in the future.

Second, leave behind your gratitude for the people you worked closely with. This should include your boss and any superiors, but also anyone you worked closely with during your time at a job. Leaving on a good note is important because it opens the door for future networking opportunities when you or your colleague has a professional need.

Third, make sure you have a letter of recommendation from your supervisor. You never know when a letter of recommendation will come in handy. Keep this somewhere safe for future interviews.

Fourth, take all of your personal belongings with you. No one wants to receive a phone call explaining that you left personal items or confidential documents behind. Make sure you leave your desk area tidy for the person who will be sitting there in the future.

Finally, take the good and the bad experiences with you and learn from them. Each job is unique and teaches us different lessons. Look critically at your experience with your employer and use it to progress and succeed in the future.

The PA Primary: Which campaign will prevail?

Today is a big day in PA -- the Pennsylvania Primary.

People all over our state will be hitting the polls to choose their favorite candidate. We, as PR people, know that political campaigns are all about strategy and persuasion. What's the PR perspective?

Hillary and Barack have both had their share of PR moments. Hillary's crying incident and sniper-fire snafu. Barack's relationship with Jeremiah Wright and his comments about "bitter" Pennsylvanians. Egos have been bruised on both sides.

As much as we talk about truth in political campaigns, the candidates are still human. With so many appearances and speaking engagements, they're bound to slip up. Our job as PR people in the political sphere is to stop these things from happening- to push the strategic messages and teach candidates how to bridge when asked questions they aren't ready to answer.

As we enter into the final months of the 2008 election, keep your eyes open for the power of PR. Take note of things the candidates do well and the things that could use some help.

Feel free to comment about what you've seen from our candidates-- we want to know what you think about the election from a PR perspective!

How to make them take the bait

Today at Temple's Spring Fling, PRowl members were handling some promotions for clients - namely handing out flyers to Temple students. Some members were more successful than others. So I set out on a search for some tips for handing out flyers. Here's what I found at www.ehow.com: (These are general tips- most of which can be tailored to a college campus.)

Step 1:
Stay in a specific location. A mall or shopping center that has a high amount of foot traffic is a good location. As people walk by, hand them flyers. If a person has her hands full or is distracted, wait for the next person. If you can, answer any questions a person asks you.

Step 2:
Walk an established route. You can hand out thousands of flyers by walking an established route. You can find a route to walk by looking at demographics for the area and find the demographic that most closely matches the target clientele.

Step 3:
Tag vehicles. Depending on your city code, you may be able to leave flyers on vehicles. You need to place the flyer under a windshield wiper to prevent it from blowing away. You must be careful not to set off a vehicle alarm or scratch the vehicle with loose zippers or bags.

Step 4:
Join a program. There are some organizations, like the Chamber of Commerce, that have a welcome delivery system for new residents. If you would like to hand out flyers for this, you need to have the set amount of flyers to the organization. Some organizations may require you to place the flyers into the specific packaging.

Step 5:
Practice safety. Plan on handing out flyers during daylight hours. Have someone hand out flyers with you, especially in areas that are cause for concern. Beware of loose dogs. Skip any house or area that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Step 6:
Know the laws. You cannot deliver flyers to houses that are marked "No Handbills," "No flyers," or "No advertising." You are allowed to leave flyers at homes that have "No Soliciting" signs.

Top Take-aways from the Daily News Crew

Yesterday, a group from Temple's PRSSA had the opportunity to step inside the world of the journalists at the Philadelphia Daily News.* We heard from four fine Daily News writers -- Debi Licklider, Howard Gensler, Jonathan Takiff and Dan Gross. Here are some of the great pitching tips they let us in on:

Recognize the Value of Pitching. In class, we focus a lot on press releases and tend to skim over pitching. Dan informed us that pitching is a key skill to have, and a well-crafted pitch is more valuable to him than a lengthy press release. If they're interested, they'll ask for that extra information.

Get Personal. As PR people (especially at the intern level), we can get caught in the monotony of making follow-up calls to long lists of journalists. We get so stuck on getting the calls done that we forget to make our pitches personal. Something as little as a one-sentence note to personalize an e-mail goes much further than we think. So take the extra time and make the effort to create a relationsihp.

Know the Publication You're Pitching. This should be a no-brainer, but we often end up pitching so many publications that we don't have time to read them all. Debi stressed that we should focus our pitches on a few key publications. Know those publications and their audiences well, and you're on your way to getting covered.

[On a local note - never pitch the same story to the Inquirer and Daily News. If one paper prints the story before the other, you've wasted the writer's time and damaged your own reputation.]

Start from the Bottom up. Know the value of pitching to columnists and beat writers first. If they shoot down your story idea, then you can go to the editor with another pitch. But if you start with the editor, there isn't much room for a second chance. Know what each targeted writer is interested in and appeal to that interest when you pitch.


Now you're ready - practice your skills, take this advice - then go forth and pitch!

*Special thanks to the Daily News staff- you guys were great!

Take the Work Out of Networking

Networking is a huge part of the PR business. Period. We can't get away from it.

Sometimes networking can seem daunting, especially if you're networking with people who are older than you or have much higher positions than you in the working world. Luckily, PRSSA has a clever solution!

On Thursday, April 10, you can practice your networking skills with your fellow PRSSA members, members of Temple's Ad Club and members of other local PRSSA chapters. Temple PRSSA is holding a special networking event at Mad River Bar and Restaurant, located at 126 Chestnut Street in Old City.

The event runs from 7:00-10:00 PM. Whether you come out to make some new contacts, to support PRSSA, or to grab some food at the bar, just make sure you come out!

Grad School or Full-Time?

We've almost made it to April.. graduation is just around the corner. If you're a senior, you're on the verge of A LOT of big decision.

One of those decisions is what happens after May 22. Grad school or a full-time job? How do you choose?

The only thing that's for sure here is that there's no right answer. PR people have been successful on both sides of the coin.

On the grad school side, you'll find yourself equipped with any of the knowledge that you didn't get in your undergraduate degree. When you leave there, you'll be able to apply your advanced knowledge immediately and be more prepared for the ups and downs of a full-time position. Also, many employers will start you off at a higher salary if you have an advanced degree under your belt.

On the full-time job side, you'll get something very important- experience. You'll get your hands dirty with real clients and be personally responsible for results. Employers really value experience in our business- they want to know what you've done and what you can do for them. You may not get the advanced pay, but you'll make up for it later as you advance in the ranks.

As a senior and an agency intern, my coin falls with the full-time job face-up. I want to get right in there and work- my internship has revealed the PR world to me and I don't want to miss out on its opportunities in grad school hibernation. But that's just me.

Everyone's got an opinion here- where do you fall?

Is PR toast in 2009?

Recession.

We've all heard the word. We know it's not good. But do we really understand it's implications on the PR world?

The United States is clearly in an economic downturn, and service industries like PR will definitely be affected. Lay-offs in the industry have already been reported at large firms like Fleishman Hillard.

One of the top CEOs in the industry, Richard Edelman, addressed the topic on his blog on March 14, 2008. He says that PR is "better prepared this time around...[but] we still need to make a compelling case for PR in the face of looming budget cuts." We, as PR professionals, must promote PR itself and stand behind its many benefits. He offers these thoughts in his commentary:

1. The media has changed drastically. We need to be the experts on new media and original content to help clients maintain credibility.

2. PR is at an advantage over advertising. Nine out of ten people don't trust advertising, but they do buy and act based on recommendation. We need to take advantage of opinion leaders and social media to reach beyond traditional methods.

3. The industry is not just about consumers- it's about stakeholders, too. We need to make sure brand and corporate reputation support each other and look for responsible initiatives to maintain image.

4. PR educates. With complex scientific and political issues, we need to spread messages in ways that are simple and easy to understand.

5. PR is a catalyst. We need to use our campaigns to create public conversation and a continuous feedback loop between the client and the audience.

In my opinion, here's the bottom line: PR professionals must see the industry just like they see their clients. We need to spread our message: that PR is beneficial and necessary in the business world, recession or not.

Tip of the Day

This past October, Rich Jernstadt served as the keynote speaker at the PRSSA National Conference in Philadelphia. He spoke about six ways that college can prepare us for careers in PR:

1. COURSEWORK. Be flexible. Get as much as you can from your PR classes, but make sure to expand your horizons and check out other classes that you're interested in. A broad knowledge base is key.

2. LEARN TO LEARN. Be curious. When you hear about something interesting, learn everything you can about it. Talk to people about current events. Ask questions when you don't understand.

3. WRITE. Be clear, concise, correct and quick. Don't let anyone tell you that writing is not important. It's essentially and must be done flawlessly.

4. JUGGLE. Take on lots of responsibility- see how much you can do! Don't just sit around your dorm room watching MTV- in today's world, your resume needs to jump out at everyone who reads it.

5. GLOBAL. Learn a language. Study abroad. Do whatever you can to become more global. Our world is becoming bigger and bigger and nothing is out of reach- take advantage of it!

6. WHO ARE YOU? Figure out what separates you from the rest. Your activities, interests and extra-curriculars can define you- make sure you are who your resume says you are. If you aren't, change it to reflect your true personality.


These are all important points to consider - there's always more you can be doing to prepare for the future. (and don't forget to have fun doing it!)

Tip of the Day

Today, Temple professor Scott Gratson spoke with PRSSA students at our weekly meeting. We learned a few tips from his presentation that we'd like to share with all of you.

-BE A NEWS JUNKIE. Always be checking out the local, national and international headlines. Not only will knowledge of current events be useful in an interview setting, but it will be beneficial in every area of your life. Current events have power- they connect people.

-GO ABROAD. Whether it's a semester-long program, a work-study trip after graduation or volunteering during school breaks, make sure travel is a priority. In our increasingly global society, few things are more impressive than time spent abroad.

-THERE'S LIFE AND LEARNING BEYOND PR. As important as our SToC curriculum is, we should be interested in a variety of topics. Our degree isn't called Bachelor of Arts for nothing. We should strive to learn more about the arts, philosophy, politics, history - any and all subjects that you find interesting. You can use it all to your advantage.

Take these three points to heart- get out there and grab the New York Times, apply for a passport, and pay attention in your core classes!

Introducing...Natalie Prazenica

Hi, everyone! Thanks for stopping by to check out our blog. My name is Natalie Prazenica and I'm the Firm Director at PRowl Public Relations. I'm a Public Relations major and I will be graduating from Temple this May. As Firm Director, I oversee all of the firm's work, seek out new clients, and make sure everything is running smoothly and according to plan.

Creating PRowl PR has been a true adventure. My favorite aspect of public relations is seeing the outstanding changes that happen for businesses after implementing a PR plan. There's nothing more important for businesses these days than exposure- and it's great to see your own work influencing companies and their audiences. It is my hope that PRowl PR can have this type of influence at Temple.

After graduation, I'd love to pursue a job working in non-profit PR or working for an agency. I'm not sure where I'll be, but I'm confident that opportunities await everywhere.

Thanks again for stopping by.. check back often to meet the rest of our team and find out what PRowl PR is up to!