I like to think of myself as a Rita Hayworth of public relations. I give good face.
No, I’m not lauding what my mama gave me. I’m talking about the care I take to, as often as possible, meet the reporters I regularly work with or those with whom I want to work. But, it’s not about impersonal networking and pitching my clients. It’s possible to accomplish challenging media placement goals via email or over the phone, but isn’t relationship building at the very core of our profession?
With the speed at which today’s news is shared via social media, channels like Twitter and Facebook that offer instantaneous broadcast capability are critical assets to have in one’s crisis communications arsenal. Unfortunately, these same channels can do more harm than good when fact-checking falls secondary to being first to “break the news,” and false information is reported.
Public relations is very much a “learn by doing” industry. While taking communication classes can certainly help undergraduate students learn why it’s a valued profession, often it’s the internships we complete that truly teach us how to be a PR pro – a testament to those in the field who oversee our work and help us develop along the way.
Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is impossible to ignore, even if you wish you could. Flowers, chocolates and stuffed animals flood grocery and gift store aisles. Promotional messages continually urge us to make the holiday special – whether or not you have a valentine.
This February 14th, you may be dining with a significant other, hitting the town with your single friends or refusing to celebrate the holiday entirely. Either way, Valentine’s Day offers three major lessons for public relations practitioners:
For the fourth installment in our “Where Are They Now?” blog series, which highlights the career trajectories of former Buchanan PR interns, we feature Kellie Connors, who interned with the agency from November 2007 through February 2008. Read on for Kelly’s experiences working in PR and her advice for those just starting out in the field.