5 Ways To Prevent Writer's Block

Public relations and writing go together like math and science, you can't do one without encountering the other. But when it's time to write that perfect pitch or media advisory, writer's block is the last thing you want to deal with. Here are 5 quick and easy tips to prevent writer's block:


1. Write Daily: If you write every day, it makes writing almost effortless and quickly becomes second nature. Even if you only write for 15 minutes a day, it will help you develop a habit.

2. Change Your Surroundings: Finding inspiration can be difficult when you're always surrounded by the same 4 walls. Try talking a walk, writing at a coffee shop, or relocating your workspace to keep your creative juices flowing.

3. Read: If you're having trouble putting together your own words, seek out inspiration by reading a good book. You never know when one sentence or paragraph will give you just the boost you need to write something brillant.

4. Sleep: Writing while sleep deprived is a recipe for disaster. Getting 8 hours of sleep at night helps recharge your brain, allowing you to think more clearly and creatively!

5. Keep Learning: Opening yourself up to new experiences helps to keep you fresh and cutting edge. Try visiting museums, taking day trips, or a class. The more experiences you have, the more you have to add to your writing.

What tips do you have to prevent writer's block?

Plan B

You've spent hours crafting and proofreading a press release, one that you just sent out to the media. A couple days go by, and not a bite from reporters. So now what? Yeah you can follow up by emailing, calling, the works. But before you pull your hair out from frustration, consider the following points via PR Daily:

• Remember that timing is critical when pitching: Consider what is going on in the world when you are pitching. If you are pitching a farmers market in the midst of a national disaster, then obviously your pitch is going to get pushed to the back burner. Sometimes reporters will pick up on your story after a couple rounds of pitches, simply because the time is right. 
• Sometimes it takes a while, too: Of course it's better when a reporter gets back to you immediately. But sometimes it'll take a while, depending on several different factors like time, place, market, etc.
• It's not always about timing, of course, so trust your instincts: While someone can get back to you months after your initial pitch, maybe its time to switch it up after a while. Sometimes we can be so focused on just getting the pitch out and running that we neglect to see when the body of our story is lacking. 
• Regrouping with colleagues always helps if you need a new perspective: Another set of eyes are always beneficial when you're in need of an extra push. A colleague may be able to show or tell you something that you missed. Even a family member or friend could be of help, after all, they're representative of your target audience. 

Have you ever been stuck when reporters don't respond to your pitch? What was your Plan B? Let us know!

Removing Joe Paterno’s statue: A PR No-Brainer.

As if the conviction of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was not enough of a PR nightmare, the release of the Freeh report detailing Penn State officials’ involvement in the covering up of Sandusky’s crimes made things much worse. The 267-page report  released on July 12 named Penn state officials such as university president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and the beloved and revered head football coach Joe Paterno. 

Since the release of the report several groups have made attempts to distance themselves from Joe Pa. First, Nike announced they would remove Paterno’s name from their Child Development Center. Brown University, Paterno’s alma mater, decided to take Paterno’s name off their annual award recognizing the top performing freshmen student athlete. The most recent group were Penn State students who announced that they would re-name the tent village that pops up every year the night before football season tickets go on-sale “Nittanyville”, instead of its previous name, “Paternoville.”

These groups recognize the damage that associating with Paterno can cause to their image and have made the necessary steps to remove themselves from the situation. Despite all of the changes Penn State had prior, made it was clear that  Joe Paterno’s statue had to come down.

Penn State can never make what happened go away and can never repair the lives of the victims that Sandusky and those who let him run free destroyed. However, it can prove to the world that it cares about these victims, its students, and the community more than it cares about winning football games.

Much of this scandal has been a PR disaster as Penn State struggled to jump to any conclusions or make any rash and insensitive moves before finding out the truth.

After the release of the Freeh report there should not have been much discussion. The only sensible move to maintain Penn State’s fragile relationship with the public was to remove the statue. One could argue it took them too long as they initially decided to keep the statue up and a week later announced its removal 

If PR is all about building and maintaining relationships with your publics than the only logical move was to remove the statue and cut any ties the university has with Joe Paterno’s name, no matter how much fun it was to win all those games. 


This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Matt Jones

The Social Celeb

When it comes to social media, how celebrities use their accounts is really no different than the rest of the world. However, their communities, reach and relevance is much more prevalent and on a much larger scale.

When a celebrity tweets or makes a status update it is literally “heard” around the world. Celebrities can use this personal PR tool to provide their fans and followers with a more intimate look into their lives. When used correctly, social media can be powerful and instrumental in taking relationships, engagement and establishing connections to a higher level. The growing use of social media among people in the public-eye is bringing them closer to their fans.

Celebrities utilizing social media can be dangerous though. Since it is an instant form of PR placed directly in the hands of the individual, the reality is that celebs have a lot to lose if they don’t use discretion with their social media accounts.

Here are some positive ways celebrities have used social media to their advantage:

-          Connect on a personal level with fans and followers

-          Rally community support for a good cause

-          Increase awareness on a certain public issue

-          Drive sales

-          Promote contests and giveaways

-          Announce private news before it goes public

Can you think of other ways that celebs can get the most out of their social media profiles? Let us know!

Don't Over Feed!

As aspiring public relations professionals and young adults, many of us are constantly "plugged in". Throughout the day we are on social media sites commenting, re-tweeting and posting not only on our personal accounts but also for our internships and places of employment. We know it's sometimes unhealthy but some of us have trouble "shutting off". While feeding my addiction on Pinterest, I found this funny and cautionary warning.

The new motto, "Don't over feed". Sorry, Drake.

Facebook’s “Likes,” Shares and Comments Mean More to Google

Google is the most used search engine in the world. It works by using keywords found in the website’s text to help users find what their searching for. Google also ranks its results by how often users have previously clicked on the result. 

Now, Google uses Facebook’s "like’s", shares and comments as better indicators of what users are searching for. Searchmetrics, a Berlin based metric firm, collected data over two months using 10,000 top keywords, 300,000 websites, and millions of links, shares, and tweets.

The result of the data concluded that Facebook’s “likes,” shares and comments showed a strong correlation with the results Google provided. The firm also determined that Twitter and Google+ were also driving results.

Client’s brand on social media will matter more than it has in the past. Not only will the content be used to help users find your client on Google, but it will also help your client determine the success of their social media presence. 

Social Media And The Penn State Sanctions

Yesterday morning, my Facebook newsfeed and Twitter timeline were both filled with comments about the NCAA sanctions on Penn State. The sanctions included:

• A $60 million fine, with the money going to an endowment to benefit the welfare of children.
• A four-year ban on postseason play, including the Big Ten championship game, bowls or the playoffs coming in 2014.
• A reduction in the maximum allowance of scholarships offered to incoming players from 25 to 15 a year for the next four years.
• Any entering or returning player is free to transfer without restriction (such as sitting out one season). Others can maintain their scholarship at Penn State and choose not to play.
• The vacating of all victories from 1998-2011.

The responses to the sanctions ranged from some agreeing with them, some completely objecting to their severity, and others begging for people to just stop posting about it. While I was scrolling through posts, especially those by Penn  State students, alumni, and fans, I couldn’t help but wonder if people knew their statements were public. When hot topics and big issues hit the news, it is important to remember that the comments you make on social media are public, and you should choose your words wisely. Here are 4 lessons I learned from observing social media on the NCAA sanctions:

You’re opinion isn’t the only one: Not everyone is going to agree with your point of view, and that’s ok. Be prepared to receive responses from others with a different viewpoint and respond in an elegant and polite manner.

Your opinions are a direct reflection of you: Not everyone is going to understand that your comments were made in the heat of the moment. You don’t want to leave an impression that you cannot control your thoughts or have a tendency to lash out.

Everything online is public: No matter how well you think you’ve mastered privacy settings, what you say online can be viewed by everyone. You never know who will be offended by your comments, or how your comments will affect you in the future.

Sometimes, saying nothing says everything: You do not have to comment on every major topic that hits the news stands. Silence can oftentimes be the greatest mode of communication. You know your thoughts, opinions, and viewpoints and sometimes, that is satisfaction enough.