We All Need This Simple 5-Step Plan

In PR you have to keep moving. There's definitely a time for strategic planning and thinking as you lay out your game plan. But most of your days will be spent making fast (and hopefully thorough) decisions about the moves you have to make to manage your media interactions and get the results you hope for.

Marketing guru Seth Godin recently wrote about a simple five-step plan for action. While it's meant as advice for any businessperson, it's an especially good fit for PR pros.

We couldn't have said it better, so we won't even try. Here's the link to Seth's words of wisdom.

Multi-Tasking: It's A Must For PR

It's graduation time and young grads are thinking about hooking that first professional job. If you studied communications or public relations in school, get ready for a shocker. The real world is almost nothing like what you've learned in the hallowed halls of academia.

Wise grads already have an internship or two under their belts. They have at least given themselves the opportunity to observe the real world of PR up close and personal. If you've done that, you're already at the head of the stampede for the few jobs out there.

But do some soul searching too. It's a well-known fact that only a small percentage of college grads actually go to work in the field they majored in. Most move into something else and begin to build a professional skill set there.

Ask yourself: am I a multi-tasker? Can I make fast, but strategically thought-out, decisions? Am I a good and fast writer? Am I comfortable with rejection (you'll really need this skill when pitching stories)?

Do I have the right attitude for PR? That means being flexible, able to review both sides of an issue objectively, and able to maintain a relatively positive workplace atmosphere. A positive, can-do, ready-to-pitch-in-anytime attitude will take you far.

Most importantly, how comfortable are you with juggling several issues simultaneously? If you don't know how to juggle several important issues at once, PR may not be the job for you.

How Do You Invite Media To An Event?

Sounds simple enough...

Obvious answer is a Media Alert.

But what if dignitaries and members of the community are also invited. Does that change the way you invite the media?

If you're thinking yes, then think again.

Let's begin by defining exactly what an invitation is. It's a request for someone to attend as a guest. Keyword here: guest.

A guest is someone invited to enjoy the event, maybe eat a little, drink a little and talk casually with other guests.

The media is not a guest. They are there to do their job. And their job is getting the story.

As a public relations specialist, it's your responsibility to your client to ensure that the media understands the news angle of the event and to get them on site to cover it.

So, what's the proper way to handle this?

Draft a Media Alert that is succinct and to the point. Send it out a day or two before the event and then vigorously follow-up the day before.

Make a list of which media has promised to attend and which will not. If someone has committed to attend but is a no show, don't be surprised to find you have to call them again minutes before the event.

What To Look For In A PR Internship

If you're a communications major, an internship (paid or unpaid) is the best thing you can do to boost your chances of finding a job after graduation.

But before you accept an internship, make sure that it's the right fit for you. While all interns do their fair share of standing at the copy machine, answering the phones, and running errands, a good internship also includes exposure to the workings of a PR team and opportunities to make meaningful contributions to that team's assignments.

Look for an internship that provides opportunities:

to attend strategic meetings that focus on the priorities of the PR team and how they plan to organize and execute their daily responsibilities;
for hands-on work with tools used regularly by PR professionals (for example, media contact lists, costing methodologies, and research sources);
to write press releases, fact sheets and/or features;
to generate editorial coverage results that you can include in your portfolio.

Most importantly, look for an intern coordinator who promises an open-door policy and a PR staff that is willing and able to answer your questions and help you grow.

Keep in touch with your intern coordinator after the internship is over. That person can serve as a reference from the real world and that may give you the ability to finally jump from school into a job as a paying PR professional.