Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Being the last post of 2008, everyone at PRowl Public Relations would like to wish you a happy and healthy new year! Ring in 2009 in style, and have a fresh start on January 1!

Here are some of the top resolutions of 2009.
-Stop smoking
-Lose "x" pounds
-Be a better person
-Be a healthier person

Does yours match these, or do you have a different resolution?

Happy New Year!

Top 10 PR Blunders

Thanks to our own Jessica Lawlor, I was recently alerted to this interesting list that was compiled by San Francisco's Fineman PR. It's their 14th annual Top 10 PR Blunders list, and it's a really great list for PR majors and practitioners to take a look at. 2008 was filled with blunders that many of us know about, but there were a few on the list that I needed to brush up on! Here are the top two blunders:

Number 1 Spot: AIG paying for retreats for executives just a few days after they were granted an $85 billion dollar federal bailout package.

Number 2 Spot: CEOs of the Big Three automakers flew to Washington in three separate corporate jets to ask for bailout money. PR Week reported that "it made the Big Three appear out of touch, and evoked memories of the AIG retreat controversy."

Want to read all 10 blunders? Check out the article here!

*All information was taken from "AIG, Detroit Three, V.A. and Berkeley Featured Among Top 2008 PR Blunders" on PRNewswire.

Freelance PR Part 3

In my never-ending quest to find out what I really want to do with my life, I came across a new avenue of public relations-- Freelancing.

After interning at an agency this past semester, I realized that perhaps agency work isn't quite the route I want to take upon graduating from college next year. I realized that I love to write, and often prefer working solo. I reached out through our Twitter to find other PR practitioners out there who have done some freelance work. Luckily, many people responded!

This is the third post in what is a series of posts featuring different PR freelancers.

This week, I interviewed Shonali Burke, ABC , an award-winning, accredited communications consultant based in the Washington, DC area.

Ms. Burke would describe a Freelance PR professional as, "one who pursues his or her career without a long-term commitment to a single employer, thus being able to cater to as many clients as their time and workload allows."

Interestingly enough, Ms. Burke did not study PR at the undergraduate or graduate level. She began working in PR over a decade ago while living in India and working as an actress and director. After gaining name recognition, she was asked to help with PR for various projects. When she moved to the United States in 2000, she decided to take up PR full-time.

While living in San Francisco, she worked in a boutique PR and marketing agency, and after a few years set up her own consulting firm. After moving to DC, she decided to work in an established agency, and eventually moved on to revamp the ASPCA's communications. Ms. Burke describes this opportunity as exciting and fulfilling but left in July 2008 and began independently consulting in November 2008.

She is extremely accomplished and was honored in 2007 when PRWeek named her one of the top 40 under 40 PR professionals in the United States. Also, in 2005 Ms. Burke earned her accreditation in business communications from IABC (hence the ABC after her name).

When asked why she broke into freelancing, Ms. Burke says, "When I first started freelancing in India, I did so because I could not, at the time, imagine giving up my theater and related activities altogether; I loved what I did but needed to find a way to supplement my income. Freelancing allowed me the freedom to do both, and I also enjoyed the feeling of being my own boss. More recently, I started looking for a full-time position a few months after leaving the ASPCA, but had a great project come my way and leaped at the opportunity to work with a fun client. I'm investigating further consulting opportunities and thoroughly enjoying what I'm doing."

With the connections she has made through networking and her agency experience, Ms. Burke has obtained clients through referrals and has not yet had to cold-call and pitch clients. However, she notes that as a freelancer, networking is extremely important. Ms. Burke has spoken at many conferences which she mentions has been great for raising her profile to potential clients. She also notes the importance of Twitter as a tool for networking with other like-minded people creating potential business opportunities.

Ms. Burke's favorite aspect of freelancing is setting her own schedule, and choosing the work that she wants to do. Her least favorite aspect is managing every aspect of her business including taxes, accounting, contract, and finding new clients.

"I'm often asked for advice on whether or not to start freelancing. I always tell people that if you can deal with the ups and downs that come with an irregular income stream, and feel in your gut that it will make you happier than regular employment, you should go for it. Recognize, though, that as your own boss, you will work harder than anywhere else - after all, it's completely up to you to bring in your business, no one else is going to do it for you," Ms. Burke advises to any person who wishes to begin freelancing.

Merry Christmas from PRowl Public Relations!

Merry Christmas! Everyone at PRowl Public Relations wishes you a happy and safe holiday!

Even though it is the holiday season, it is always important to practice proper etiquette. PR practitioners use some of these things every day, and it is important for you to do the same, especially around the holidays:

• Always be pleasant. Smile, give a hug, have a firm handshake. It's the holidays. Nobody wants to be or look miserable.


• Send thank you cards. If someone gives you an unexpected gift, always thank them. Make sure you always have simple thank you cards on hand. Mail them a thank you card the next morning.


• If you're invited to a holiday party, ask what you can do to help. Give a nice bottle of wine, make an appetizer, bake your favorite Christmas cookies. Never go empty-handed.
  

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Everyone at PRowl Public Relations
would like to wish our readers and friends
a very very very special holiday!

Enjoy yourselves, be safe and have fun!

Freelance PR Part 2

In my never-ending quest to find out what I really want to do with my life, I came across a new avenue of public relations-- Freelancing.

After interning at an agency this past semester, I realized that perhaps agency work isn't quite the route I want to take upon graduating from college next year. I realized that I love to write, and often prefer working solo. I reached out through our Twitter to find other PR practitioners out there who have done some freelance work. Luckily, many people responded!

This is the second post in what is a series of posts featuring different PR freelancers.

This week, I interviewed Zackery Moore, a unique PR freelancer, because he is also a student.

Zackery describes freelance PR as, "working solo with your clients." He is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The first thing Zackery did when deciding to pursue PR was to find a mentor.

Zackery mentions that it's sometimes difficult to balance PR, schoolwork, and holding a job to make ends meet, but it's something that he is determined to do.

As for charging clients, Zackery says, "Pricing is the biggest hurdle. Of course, I charge less than someone with a degree. And when I graduate next December, I'll raise my fees." Zackery uses an Adobe AIR application called FEAT that helps him to determine prices for projects.

Unlike most freelancers, who carefully plan their foray into the freelancing world, Zackery stumbled upon it. He did research, read blogs, and later constructed a business plan . He mentions that he, "became consumed with the freelance lifestyle."

So, how does Zackery get his clients? Many different ways. He makes cold-calls, networks as much as possible and uses personal marketing. However, his most successful tactic is networking. He explains that he often just asks how he can help a potential client, and sometimes does work for free, before finding paying clients.

Zackery's favorite aspect of freelancing is the freedom that comes with creating your own hours and being your own boss. His least favorite aspect, however, is finding new clients. "I've never really been great at sales, but I love the creative part of it. I think that's the case for a lot of freelancers. We love our "art," but often times aren't great at the sales part," he said.

As for his plans post-graduation, Zackery said that he would like to continue freelancing, find a job at an agency, and eventually open his own firm.

To stay active in the business, Zackery relies on social media and networking. He likes to read industry blogs and social media blogs to stay current.

Tweet Tweet: You're Fired!

Twitter is making the news these days. This week, the New York Times published an article about a new way to stay current on the media.

A tip sheet is a newsletter that PR professionals can get about changes in media personnel. If you have a Twitter account, now you don’t have to wait for that newsletter, you can get instant updates! “The Media Is Dying” is a Twitter stream that sends media hirings and firings in less than 140 characters. The stream, which was once private, is now public to all who want to “follow.” With the economy, staffing changes and layoffs are increasing every day, and as a public relations professional and/or student, it is essential to keep up with who’s who in the media. Keeping current on staff changes will allow for you to pitch to the correct person, and not annoy the wrong one.

Happy Twittering!

To subscribe to “The Media Is Dying,” visit twitter.com/themediaisdying.