Video: Stuff PR People Say

As part of the viral video phenomenon, Hunter PR has created the perfect video describe “stuff” PR professionals say on a daily basis. Check it out!

MyPRGenie: A new social media resource for PR professionals

By Karina Yücel

MyPRGenie is a resource many public relations professionals use to track results of their PR campaigns and work within other social media networks.

MyPRGenie is launching a Twitter Genie and a Facebook Genie. These two applications, according to an article on MarketWatch.com will help companies keep track of their company’s activity in cyber space. It also helps companies get found on websites such as Google, keep track of website “hits” and optimize all their online activity.

MarketWatch.com says there are 6 reasons to use MyPRGenie:

1.) To increase social media awareness and “followers” by showing you and your company how to gain a large audience on social media networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

2.) To increase search engine presence by making sure that you are easy to find on Google and other search engines.

3.) To contact and share news about your company with the 540,000 journalists affiliated with MyPRGenie.

4.) To track results of who visits the company webpage, as well as how many potential clients and customers are viewing your press release in real time.

5.) To create an online newsroom that can be easily found on all the top search engines. These newsrooms will contain stories, press releases, company history, etc. about your company.

6.) Lastly, MyPRGenie will ultimately help you connect with the over half a million journalists connected to the site in order to get your information out.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/myprgenie-presents-cutting-edge-social-media-apps-its-pr-and-social-media-platform-at-adtech-ny-2011-11-09

Retweeting Guidelines

By Ed Wons

The Associated Press has released new guidelines on retweeting, showing the continued merging of public relations and social media sites like Twitter. “Retweets, like tweets, should not be written in a way that looks like you’re expressing a personal opinion on the issues of the day.” If you retweet something with an opinion, it’s important to express that it’s someone else’s and not your own. Sites like Twitter are extremely valuable to people in PR, but there needs to be a separation between your personal opinions and your professional tweets. So if you’re tweeting as part of an internship, remember to insert a comment to the tweet expressing that it’s coming from someone else!

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/152016/ap-issues-staff-guidelines-on-retweets-no-personal-opinions-allowed-or-implied/

Advantages of PRSSA as a Freshman

By Rachael Kline

Coming into this school knowing no one, and being unfamiliar with the campus, my first goal was to join an organization. I wanted to meet people, become involved, and broaden my horizons educationally. For all of the above reasons PRSSA was a great choice. Fortunately, I also decided to apply for a THON committee, and between the two I have made new friends and felt a belonging to something important. PRSSA is a great way to meet people thru the smaller committee organizations, and get great advice from professionals at the general meetings. The opportunities each committee gives to their members are great ways to get involved. For example, writing the monthly newsletters gives experience in condensing information into a short 300 word article. Attending the weekly and monthly meetings help with time management. Not to mention the friendly and helpful executive board members and peers who make the meetings enjoyable. Another aspect of PRSSA I appreciate are the connections they provide us. Through our PRSA membership, newsletters, speakers, alumni contacts and workshops available, I truly feel like being in PRSSA is worthwhile.

November Newsletter!

Check out the newest edition of the Penn State PRSSA e-newsltter!

This month, the newsletter features articles on:

- PR & Politics

- National Conference Highlights

- Social Media Crisis Communications

- Gender & PR

- Music & PR

- Alumni, Professor and E-Board Spotlights!

Click to read!

GroupMe, a new social media app

By Alyssa Matangos

Looking for a new way to keep in touch with friends or a student organization? GroupMe is the perfect application to get involved with. Whether you have an iPhone, Android, Blackberry, or any other smart phone, this application is easily downloadable.

GroupMe has many great features to offer. There is a group messaging feature which works wonders when trying to get messages across to many people at the same time. The app lets you create your own groups with people already in your contacts. The messages are sent out simultaneously and it feels like you are participating in a private chat room on your phone.

Another great feature is the conference call feature. When you make your groups on GroupMe each group has their own phone number. If you call that number, the call goes out to everyone in that group so you can have your own mini conference call right from your cell phone.

The location feature is another great tool. You can send out your location to only the people in these groups so they can see where you are and maybe meet up to hang out. As well as the photo sharing feature, that allows you to share photos with everyone in your group.

 The great part about this is that is completely free and easy to use. CNN claims GroupMe is “an essential addition to your app library.”

 

Become a Social Media Strategist!

Check out the latest stats on careers in social media! This could be the right career path for you!

PR Gone Wrong

By Allison Staszesky

As Public Relations students I think I speak for all of us when I say we are very disappointed in the way the allegations against Sandusky were being handled by our school’s administration. Every professor and student at PSU I know could handle this crisis better than they way it is being handled now. It’s as if everything taught to us at Penn State is being completely disregarded. Where are the ethics? morals? Well, in this case ethics and morals vanished years ago. Now its time to start cooperating with the media and start apologizing. Major mistakes in judgement were made by the people in power and those wrongs need to be corrected. The main efforts here should be making this atrocity better for the victims and their families. To make matters worse all involved saw this coming a year ago, and still there was no crisis plan put into action.

Quite frankly, I felt ashamed, hurt and disappointed. We are PSU and we are better than this.

The article below explains PSU’s major Public Relation’s downfalls, all of which PR students are taught not to do here at PSU: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/246165/20111109/sandusky-scandal-pr-disaster-penn-state-joe.htm

New Atmosphere on Campus

 By Jenny Johnson

Due to the high volume of reporters and media placed around Penn State campus right now, tension is higher than normal. Downtown is filled with news-vans topped with massive satellites; the traffic is even worse now at rush hour times. After a few days though, we have come accustom to stepping over extension chords and walking around crowds of reporters to get to class. The history of Penn State has forever changed from this point on.

Needless to say, this was a poor example of public relations practice and tactics. Being a PRSSA member and a Public Relations major, I’m concerned that the actions of Penn State’s public relation heads will reflect what our future employers will think of us when they see our degree. From this point on there will be a stigma to Penn State’s image; after time passes it will slowly dissipate, but for now and through the next couple years this will remain strongly in the public eye. I think I speak for everyone when I say we are ready for this situation to resolve itself, for the ones most deeply affected by the situation to get justice and for the Penn State community to regain its unity and start fresh.

Burlington Coat Factory Warm Coats & Warms Hearts Coat Drive

If you’re reading this, you might be snuggled up in a blanket in your warm, cozy house. But, not everyone can do this. Better yet, most people in the U.S. have trouble staying warm in these cold winter months.

Because of this, PSU PRSSA’s Event Planning Committee is teaming up with Burlington Coat Factory for their fifth annual Warm Coats & Warms Hearts Drive!

From Nov. 2- 12, E.P.C. members will be collecting gently worn coats. The school that collects the most coats will receive a shout out on ABC’s Good Morning America! Amazing, right?

AND if and when you donate, you will receive a 10% coupon for your next Burlington Coat Factory purchase!

There is only ONE WEEK left to donate! Please help us, and your community out

For more information on this great cause, check out the Facebook page, or email E.P. Chair, Brittany Lorenz (brittanylorenz@gmail.com)!

5 Steps to Make the Most Out of Your Internship

By Madison Savaria

Congrats! You’ve finally landed your dream internship after months of stressing, researching, interviewing and even more stressing. Now, you’re most likely occupied with shopping for business casual outfits and rehearsing what to say on your very first day. Although these actions are important, there are more practical, imperative things to prepare in order for you make the most out of your internship! Here are my five recommendations of how to make the most out of your internship:

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Organization and Your (New) Surroundings.

This could be the most crucial aspect of starting an internship. Knowing the background of the organization you are about to live and breathe for the upcoming months can save you a load of embarrassment down the road. Trust me, there is nothing worse than chatting with a coworker, or the organization’s C.E.O. , and not know what he/she is talking about. Familiarizing yourself with how the organization operates can set you apart from the other interns. Impressing your boss in a meeting by simply recounting how a previous project was successful can set you apart from your competition, and maybe even help land you a job with them in the future!

Similarly, your surroundings can serve as a sort of personal confidence while interning for a few months, especially if you happen to be in a new location you’re not so familiar with. For example, you may intern in New York City. As you can imagine, being on your own in the Big Apple can be intimidating, and familiarizing yourself with the neighborhood can serve as positive in more ways than one. Knowing where to get your coffee, or maybe even your boss’ coffee, before you start work can really do wonders to the start of your day. Likewise, knowing the best spots close by to grab a quick-lunch with your fellow interns and colleagues can turn your day around once you realize you do have a life outside of work. (It also doesn’t hurt to make a few friends!) A simple walk around the block before starting your internship will help invoke confidence in your daily life and in turn the months to come.

2. Network!

Trust me, this is going to be the most beneficial thing you do throughout your internship. Establishing a relationship beyond small talk with your boss will not only be beneficial to your work- it will continue to benefit you afterwards throughout life. Remember, they are here to help you! It is important to never be afraid to ask for help with your work or advice for the future. Their experience in the field and their expert advice can only help you become a better professional, so be sure to take advantage of it! Afterwards, when you get a great recommendation from him/her, you’ll be happy you did! Also, don’t be afraid to get to know the interns at your organization- you never know when you’ll need a helping hand, or if you’ll run into them in the future!

3. Do Your Homework

So, you’ve done your homework prior to arriving on day one. Now it’s time to keep up with the research throughout your internship. This will help ensure you are up to date with projects and assignments and don’t fall behind. Always staying ahead of the curve and anticipating what will come next will once again give you an advantage over your competition, and even impress your boss! After work each day, try to spend an hour or so brainstorming how you can come prepared for work the next day, and then do it! We’ve all heard that this profession is not a 9-5 job. This means, sometimes you’ll have to miss out on Grey’s Anatomy to finish an assignment or do additional research for an upcoming project. Don’t worry- it’ll be worth it! (And you can always catch up on episodes online!) Arriving to your internship prepared will ensure stability and confidence in the following day. Starting the day off right can only help you. As the saying goes, “You can never be too prepared.”

4. Be Confident and Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes

This is important to remember on a constant basis. Never doubt that you or your skills aren’t good enough for the task at hand. You are an educated, brilliant young-mind who wouldn’t be in the situation you’re in if you weren’t qualified. It can be intimidating going into a new situation where you are surrounded by professionals and maybe even a few “super interns.” But, that is not reason to question your talent! It is important to remember that you have all the capabilities and confidence that anyone else has, and a positive attitude can take you far! In order to make the most out of your experience, be prepared to give yourself a pat on the back when you deserve it. An air of confidence is essential to succeed in the PR world, and your internship is the perfect place to practice! It is also important to remember that everyone makes mistakes, so don’t blow it out of proportion if you do, too. You’re an intern, you’re supposed to be learning, and that includes learning from your mistakes. If you do this, you will be all the better for it when your internship comes to an end.

5. Stay in Touch With Your Mentors & Co-Workers

Time and time again, we have heard that networking is key to succeeding in this profession. Well, it’s the truth! Your internship is the perfect place to network throughout your organization and keep in touch with these contacts, especially your boss. Not only will your relationship (that you already established) grow stronger, but you will continue to make a good impression that will stick in your boss’ mind for years to come. Sooner than later, potential employers will ask for recommendations from your previous internships, and you will want to make sure you get a good one! Maintaining the relationship you formed for months is essential to making your internship worthwhile. This is an essential ingredient in ensuring you are putting your best foot forward toward your future. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll run into each other at a Penn State tailgate and be able to reminisce about your first internship experience, and how he/she helped make your career. (Here’s to hoping!)

Good Luck, Interns!

Fresh Off the Press: October Newsletter!

Explore #CommComm’s hard work in our October edition of the PSU PRSSA newsletter! Articles range from interview advice, summer internships, popular PR blogs and current chapter news! Comments are welcomed

http://issuu.com/psu_prssa/docs/oct2011_commcomm_newsletter/1

Social Media: For Your Sanity and the Interest of Your Employer

By Sarah Kurz

Being new to a major in Public Relations or Advertising can be overwhelming for any fresh face. I would know. If getting acquainted to the terminology isn’t enough, add-on the introduction to a whole new level of dedication to social media and journalism. Before this year, I was the average Facebook and Twitter user, and my use of social media didn’t go far beyond that. Now, I have come to the realization that employers are looking for far more than just a cute profile picture or a tweet stream similar to your subconscious.

The job market is looking for young people who stand out. Say hello to a new dedication, blogging. And don’t forget staying up to date on your student, local, and national newspapers, other bloggers thoughts, and political television and radio. Overwhelmed yet? Yes, it can seem quite the handful at first, but fitting these new media outlets into your daily routine can actually become quite pleasing. Picking up The Daily Collegian or The New York Times for my in between class walks has become relaxing, and my new blog is a great way to split up my brain-searing homework schedule. The irony of aiming to become a Public Relations or Advertising agent is that the road to getting a job that’s goal is to please others, is by first learning to please yourself and embracing your own interests.

Be a Part of the 2011 PRSSA National Conference!

Our chapter’s president, Kristin, and director of public relations, Cait, want you to be in the loop about everything and anything PRSSA while they’re at National Conference in Orlando this week! Watch the video to learn how you can also be a part of PRSSA’s biggest event of the year!

Promote with Hashtags!

By Chelsea Sweithelm

More than ever, Twitter is one of the top go-to sites for live stream information on events. For example, the NBC’s new singing show, The Voice, used the hashtag “#TheVoice” to promote the show itself, voting and to probe fans to ask questions to their favorite singers via Twitter. The show even had a social media room that streamed live tweets from anyone who used their hashtag. Other television shows have caught on to this genius idea, and it has become a must on multiple television networks.

Because of this popular trend, Penn State PRSSA’s Communications Committee (A.K.A. CommComm) thought it was a good idea to incorporate their own, unique hashtag involving anything and everything CommComm. Now, members are tweeting #CommComm more than ever, and it’s actually spreading like wild fire through our chapter!

You too can help promote your organization, event or trend by creating your own hashtag. Companies today are paying thousands of dollars to get their hashtag promoted by celebrities, or featured as the promoted tweet under the Top Twitter Trends column. If you can create a hashtag for free and get it to stream, you’re destined for greatness! Hashtags are one of the simplest ways to get free publicity

Tags: Hashtags, PRSSA, Public Relations, The Voice, Twitter

Make Your Mark in PR

By: Kimberly Mouser 

“Make your mark at Penn State!” “Be a part from the start!” Sure, as college students, we constantly hear about how vital it is to become involved on campus, almost as soon as we are immersed into student life at Penn State. But do we really take advantage of all that Penn State has to offer through these student organizations? With over 700 student organizations on campus, every student can find something to join that suits their interests. While college is meant to be a thrilling and exciting time, we also have to remember that we will need something to show for at the end of this journey. Employers love to see students who have actively participated in organizations at Penn State, and the experiences that you gain through them can provide plenty of discussion material during a job interview. While it may be tempting to skip out on joining an organization while at Penn State, it is incredibly valuable to be able to show to your potential employers how you positively contributed to another organization as a student.

In public relations, it is especially imperative to build and showcase your portfolio to potential employers. Including original press materials like media advisories, press releases, pitches and writing samples are integral in proving to future employers that you have the ability and tools necessary to complete basic public relations tasks. Essentially, your work speaks for itself. The perfect way to build your portfolio outside of class is through joining and actively participating in a student organization.  The earlier you join organizations during your college career, the more likely you will be to continue with it during the rest of your time at Penn State. But don’t worry—it’s never too late to get started. And you can start right away by clicking here: http://www.sa.psu.edu/usa/studentactivities/search.asp.

A Blog About Blogs

By: Jule Gamache

 If you’re reading this blog, than you’re probably looking for information about public relations. Well, you’re definitely on the right track. There are so many ways that blogs can be a useful tool to understand PR.
 
1.     Penn State’s PRSSA and PRSSA National are great resources for advice. They provide a quick way to learn about the experiences of other students. From these blogs, I found out about different internship possibilities, career paths, and opportunities to get more experience on campus.
 
2.     Often, blogs will provide links to more blogs. By spending a few minutes on one blog, I found five more blogs that were recommended to people who want to learn more about public relations. You can never hear enough accounts from people in the field. Each new blog post suggests more opportunities in the industry.
 
3.     Writing your own blog is just as important as reading other people’s blogs. Whether you are submitting a few posts to a blog such as this one, or running your own personal page, the experience of writing is very important in PR. The more blogs you write (and read), the better you will get at connecting to your audience—something that is extremely important for PR. Blogging is also a simple way to network, and we all know the importance networking.
 
So, next time you have a few minutes to spare, look around for some PR-related blogs. The information you find will be useful in your quest to better yourself at your craft. Blogs are a necessity for success in this business.

PR Survivor

 By: Jule Gamache
Last week’s Regional Activity hosted at Penn State was such a great experience. It was a long day filled with lectures by PR pros and lots of networking. I had a fantastic time learning first hand tips from the pros about life in public relations. The keynote speaker, Michael Hinman, specializes in environmental PR. He presented us with some great tips for what he called “crafting the conversation.” In other words, identify an issue and create buzz around that issue.

1. Listening
2. Know your target audience
3. Personalize your outreach
4. Provide plenty of details
5. Be persistent.

Find out exactly what a reporter tends to write about before you pitch your idea. Highlight the things in your idea that will go over well with the audience to whom you pitch. Make the pitch so detailed that the reporter will not need to do very much research. If you present them with the bulk of the information, they will be likely to consider your story. Finally, if you do not hear back or they turn you down, send another email. Ask the reporter why they do not want to write the story. Try to work with them until they like your pitch. If you do not find success with your pitch, Hinman also gave another set of instructions for “staying the course.”

1. Don’t panic.
2. Avoid a war.
3. Stay positive.
4. Bury it in facts.
5. Be visual.

Don’t give up too quickly if you aren’t having success. Politely deal with your reporter by asking why. Back your pitch up with so many facts that nobody could turn it down. If the reporter doesn’t understand why your story is important, use analogies or visuals to explain yourself more clearly. Make sure they know that your story matters.

I learned a lot from his presentation, as well as from the other professional lecturers! If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Regional Activity, I highly recommend going. The experience was invaluable!

Take a Look at the National Website

By: Natalie Edgin

Although many people across the country join the Public Relations Student Society of America, many of them do not take the time to do their research about what their membership provides to them beyond a respected activity to put on their resume. Yes, PRSSA is a great way to grab a prospective employer’s attention. However, being a member of PRSSA provides many more “perks” and opportunities than just a title.

To fully understand what being a member of PRSSA means, one should take a half an hour and explore the PRSSA national website at www.prssa.org. The website is easy to remember and fairly easy to navigate. It provides information on all the different chapters of PRSSA across the country, as well as scholarship opportunities open to whoever wishes to apply to them. The website is an amazing tool and one that should be visited, at least once, by every member of PRSSA.

A Corporate Communications Experience

By: Michael Young

Autumn Niggles ’08 is a PRSSA alum who currently works as a corporate communications specialist for the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in Washington D.C. The ACC is a non-profit member association for cardiovascular professionals that consists of 39,000 members worldwide and 350 employees.

Niggles, who was hired by the ACC upon graduating, said she has a variety of responsibilities as a corporate communications specialist. “I do a lot more than I would have expected for an entry level job in PR/communications,” Niggles said. Some of her main duties include working on employee communications, drafting presentations and abstracts for the CEO, and managing the photography for the organization’s annual meeting, which draws 20,000 members. Above all these responsibilities, Niggles is also in charge of the marketing/communications materials for the organization’s non-revenue generating programs.

Like so many PR professionals, Niggles landed her job through networking. “I found my job through a past PRSSA president whom I was working with to write articles for the monthly newsletter,” Niggles said. She was able to keep in touch with her fellow PRSSA member, who later passed information on to her about the job she currently holds.

Niggles was also an active member of PRSSA who held several leadership positions. She was a co-chair of the national conference planning committee twice, and helped handle the logistics of getting members to Philadelphia and Detroit. She then moved up to the Vice President of Chapter Development and later became the Chapter Vice President. Niggles said that PRSSA’s leadership opportunities have helped her to excel at her job so far.

Besides developing leadership skills, Niggles also found networking to be one of the most important aspects of her PRSSA experience. “I know that networking can be an uncomfortable, strange feeling at times, but it’s important to put yourself out on a limb every once in a while,” Niggles said. “You never know who you might meet.” In Niggles’ case, this strategy paid off because the person whose contact information she received at the ACC later became her current manager.

For those looking to embark on a full-time PR career soon, Niggles said it is important to be true to yourself and pick a PR path that you find really interesting. While this may be difficult to accomplish in the current economy, Niggles said that no one should ever give up. “Keep your sights set on where you actually want to be, what keeps you up at night, and what makes you tick,” Niggles said. “You’ll be far happier in your job if you are in love not only with what you’re doing, but also why you’re doing it.”