public relations - Journalistics

by Jeremy Porter on February 5, 2013 16 Comments

What Led You to PR or Journalism?

Time for some reminiscing. Think back (for some of you, think way, way back). What led you to PR or journalism? Did you know you wanted to work in PR or journalism before college, or did you discover the field later in life? If the latter, what did you do before?

If I’m asking you to share your story, it’s only fair I share mine. I wrote for my high school newspaper and loved it. I edited our class yearbook in high school and loved it. I even spent my free time at home working on an underground newspaper (much harder in the days of typewriters) – which I also loved. [Read more...]

Filed Under: journalism education, pr careers, public relations Tagged With: career advice, journalism, PR

by Colleen Hanrahan on February 17, 2011 Leave a Comment

Using PR to Fight Pediatric Cancer

The largest student-run philanthropy in the world needs a solid and efficient public relations committee. And that is exactly what the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately known as THON, has. Benefiting The Four Diamonds Fund, THON is a year-long philanthropy that raises money fight pediatric cancer. The fundraising season for THON culminates in a 46 hour long no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon in February.

Raising over $7.8 million in 2010, THON has raised more than $69 million for The Four Diamonds Fund since their partnership, which began in 1977. The Four Diamonds Fund is an organization dedicated to offsetting medical and non-medical costs for the families of children diagnosed with cancer at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, as well as advancing pediatric cancer research.

In order to consistently raise millions of dollars each year, THON relies heavily on its Public Relations Captains and Committees to inform the public about its efforts and educate others about pediatric cancer. Here are all the ways public relations plays a crucial role in the largest student-run philanthropy in the world: [Read more...]

Filed Under: pr tactics, public relations Tagged With: fundraising pr

by Jeremy Porter on August 18, 2010 44 Comments

The Best PR Blogs Out There

While there is no shortage of “Best PR Blogs” posts out there, I’ve put together a list of my favorites based on what I’m reading these days. Along the way, I found a few I need to spend more time with (and shared them). As a bonus, I also included some non-PR blogs I think PR people should read. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

My Favorite PR Blogs

These are my ‘must have’, can’t live without PR blogs (in alphabetical order)…

A Shel of My Former Self – you’ll find Shel Holtz’s blog ‘at the intersection of communication and technology’. Shel knows his stuff, enough said.

Brian Solis – Brian offers so much more than “PR” knowledge these days, it’s almost unfair to put him on this list. That said, he’s one of the leading innovators in our industry and is somebody you should pay attention to when he posts (he’s also a pretty nice guy). If you want to know what people will be talking about next year, just read Brian’s blog today.

Dave Fleet – PR professional who explores the intersection of communications, marketing and social media. Always great, insightful content on his blog. Surprisingly, Dave is one of the few people on this list I have met. What’s up with that?

PRDaily – PRDaily does a great job at sifting through all the top PR news of the day and packaging it in one, nice and tidy digest. PRDaily has climbed to the top of the charts for me in 2010. They do a great job at pulling stories related to PR and social media as well.

PRNewser – this is MediaBistro’s best blog. If you want to keep tabs on what’s shakin’ in the PR world, you’ll learn about it first PRNewser (co-editors @jasonchupick and @joeciarallo are great at what they do).

PRSarahEvans.com – while I love Sarah’s blog, I find Commentz even more valuable (it’s awesome) – subscribe today, you won’t regret it. Then again, if you don’t know who Sarah Evans is yet, you’ve got some catching up to do (see also #journchat and MediaOnTwitter).

PR-Squared – Shift Communications’ blog about social media marketing and public relations (they were blogging about social media before it was cool).

Don’t miss my non-PR blogs PR pros should be reading list on the next page.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: PR, public relations Tagged With: PR, pr blogs, pr resources

by Ashleigh Egan on February 26, 2010 27 Comments

Higher Education vs. Real-World Experience in PR

A common decision that college seniors must make is whether to continue on to graduate school or to look for a job in the field they wish to pursue.

With the economy slowly recovering, it’s no surprise that many students are deciding to enroll in graduate school instead of jumping into the job search. This growing trend, especially in public relations, has made me think: what is the value of graduate school without any on-the-job experience?

Let me preface by saying that I am currently completing my master’s degree in PR and corporate communications at NYU – so I definitely see value in higher education. I chose to pursue this degree because my undergraduate degree is not in PR, and I decided that further education would be the best way for me to understand my new profession. [Read more...]

Filed Under: public relations Tagged With: PR education

by Jeremy Porter on October 13, 2009 41 Comments

Do You Need the APR?

Not too long ago in my career, I was pretty convinced I would pursue the APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) someday. At the time, I remember thinking how well-respected APRs were. They always seemed to be the ones giving all the speeches at conferences I was going to. My professors and mentors in college were APRs. The best media relations pro I’ve ever worked with was an APR. And a lot of the great people I’ve met since I started writing this blog have the APR designation. So, I’m basically surrounded by a lot of smart people who decided the APR was an important process to go through. But like a lot of other PR professionals, it’s hard not to question the value of the certification, when so many people outside of the PR world have never heard of the APR. [Read more...]

Filed Under: public relations Tagged With: apr, pr professional development, public relations training

by Jeremy Porter on September 21, 2009 3 Comments

Practice is Essential to Top Performance in PR

If you want to be a top performer in any area of PR, you need to have some level of natural ability. Wrong. In any area of life, when you look at top performers, you’ll find two consistent traits: they are never satisfied, and they never stop improving. If you want to be a top performer in PR, natural ability will help. You might be creative, a great public speaker, or a gifted writer. All of this will help you succeed in PR, but natural ability will only get you so far. Those who set aside time to practice will continually outperform those that think they already know enough. [Read more...]

Filed Under: public relations Tagged With: personal development, professional development

by Jeremy Porter on September 1, 2009 29 Comments

What’s Your Personal PR Plan?

With the rise of blogging and social media, individuals have more opportunities than ever to brand and promote themselves. What are you doing to brand and promote yourself today? Do you have a personal PR plan? When I take a look at some of the best-known people in the media, marketing and public relations sectors, I can’t help but notice how awesome they are at self-promotion. Is this luck? I think not. I think this is a commitment to a personal PR plan, whether formal or informal, to help them position themselves as experts in their particular areas.

What can you do to put yourself on a path to building your personal brand around your areas of expertise? [Read more...]

Filed Under: public relations Tagged With: expert promotion, personal branding

by Jeremy Porter on April 24, 2009 3 Comments

I Wish I Were Graduating This Year

If you’re graduating from J-school or a great PR program this year, fear not. While it may not be easy to find that entry level position you’re searching for, it’s never been easy. There are more tools and resources at your disposal now than ever. In many ways, there’s never been a better time to work in journalism or PR (provided you like the salaries offered to entry-level pros). Change breeds opportunity; and there’s no shortage of change in these industries today.

Here are some brief thoughts for you to consider as you pack up your portfolio and hit the interview trail:

You Probably Get Social Media More Than They Do – you’ve grown up with email, chat rooms and Facebook. It’s not a new medium for you. Provided you’ve made sure to remove those pictures of you doing a keg stand, an active Facebook profile is an asset for you (bonus points for Twitter and LinkedIn). Many organizations I’ve talked with recently admit to having entry-level employees (or interns) work on their social media efforts. This is a huge opportunity for you just entering the workforce.

Writing for The Web and Blogs is Normal – it’s not a new channel for you. Chances are good your writing samples include links to blog posts or online articles you’ve written. There are some journalists who are just starting to blog, because they have to. You probably want to write online content. This is a strength you have in your favor.

You’ll Be a Social Media Expert Soon – after a year or so in your first job, partially because of the two points above, you’ll most likely have more social media experience than your boss and co-workers. You’ll be the one they turn to manage social media campaigns and lead social media pitches.