Archive for October, 2008

Press Releases with a little kick!

{ October 27, 2008 @ 5:21 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Social media is dominating the world of public relations. It is evolving the practice, technically, more than it has ever been. With all the news technology comes the social media news release. Not only does this new type of new release do what the old school news release do, but it also provides more visual and interactive material for bloggers, journalist and anyone interested in the company to look at.

With the SMNR one is able to add pictures, video, RSSfeed, sound clips, graphs, statistics, other website links, quotes and more. These are also more convenient because they allow for optimized searches because you can include tags with the release. Two-way communication is easier and more useful than the old press release. The verdict is still out and the cons that come along with this type of new release, and even though 75% of journalist and bloggers would like to receive this type of new release most don’t. The only set back that I could think of would be that it could be some what time consuming to create a press release like this. I do believe that not all press releases call for this extreme information, but when one does it is very useful. The SMNR is still in the infancy stage and we will see where it goes from here.

The importance of communication…hopefully it doesn’t lead to a breakup!

{ October 20, 2008 @ 4:43 pm } · { Uncategorized }
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Working in the field of public relations one knows how important communicate is, it is what our job is about. I was on the way back from Kansas city this weekend from soccer we watched The Breakup with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. As I was watching the movie I thought of how it relates to pr because it shows how important communicate is.

Basically the two break up and Jennifer Aniston’s role wants to prove to Vince Vaughn – her boyfriend, that he really needs her. Well, instead of just talking to him (even though I probably would want to do the same thing!) she does all these things like bringing a date home to make him jealous. By the end of the movie Vince sets up this romantic dinner and he tells her how he feels and she says she doesn’t feel the same. It just sad that this relationship might have been able to been savaged if there was good communication.

Without having good two-way communication a relationship, business or organization will break down. If people don’t talk other people assume things and a domino effect happens. I hope that I didn’t ruin the movie for anyone!

Helping establish PR as a profession

{ October 13, 2008 @ 8:22 pm } · { Public Relation Issues }
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The Institute for Public Relations is introducing new leadership. The Institute for PR is a nonprofit group that documents and does research for the public relations field. They then provide this information to practitioners, educators, researchers and their clients. With the help of this company, their effort and research I hope that public relations will be on its way to a “true profession.”

So, how is the Institute introducing new leaders? Well, the board has introduced this new body to provide needed leadership to their research program. The first class of inductees is important and helpful to the group because they will provide a new ideas for research and help give guidance to the research already being conducted. So many people just assume things about public relations and if the Institute is able to provide the public and skeptics with factual knowledge on our practice it will help give us a leg to stand on. It will be exciting to see what these new inductees offer the program. Their backgrounds in public relations, either in the practice or teaching of it, is expansive and impressive.

Media Kit are they essential to PR work?

{ October 8, 2008 @ 8:07 pm } · { Public Relation Issues }
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To help promote and get essential information out to the public about their company the public relations staff is in charge of creating a media kit. A media kit provides the media with information about the company including fact sheets, annaul reports, promotion material for ads, demographics that the company reaches, news releases, biographical information about employees, pictures and logos, clips from the media about the organization and much more.

With technology changing at such a fast pace media kits are begining to move from hardcopies to virtual. Most companies should, if they do not, transfer their media kit to online. Here is why:

-Printing out media kits take time and money. A company must pay for printing, ink, paper and an employee for the time it takes to make the kit. Also, when new information goes out they must update it and resend it.

-Media kits are only available if the media contacts the company and ask for one or if the company gives one out.

-With the kits costing money to print out, usualy, companies can put so much information in the kit.

-Reports desk are piled with papers and a hardcopy media kit can get lost in the mess.

If a company has its media kit online it can combat many of these problems:

-First of all, the company does not have to shell out money to print of the kits. They simply put them online and make it available to print off. This way the cost transfers to the reporter, saving the company tons of money.

-Secondly, all the practitioner has to do is go online and update the material with a touch of a button. They don’t have to resend any more information out.

-Third, since the media kit is online anyone can access the kit. A company is able to provide to many more publics their kit than what they origianlly had.

-Fourth, since the media kit is online it will not get lost on a reporters desk and they can pull it up anytime…late at night, early in the morning when there at home ect.

These are just some of the ways having your media kit online can benefit a company.