книги2 / 85

3. Write pitches

A pitch is a shorter, less formal version of the press release. Public relations professional Robert Wynne shows us what works and what doesn’t when writing pitches in his post, “How NOT to Write a Pitch Letter,” for Forbes magazine.

4. Understand what is “newsworthy”

PR professionals have to have an understanding of what is considered “newsworthy.”

Lynette Lo Tom explains why many PR professionals have backgrounds in journalism.

“It really helped me to have worked at the assignment desk at KGMB and to have been a reporter with PBS, KGMB, and print media to understand what makes good news and when something is not newsworthy. It’s important in PR to be able to research your client and find stories that are newsworthy. The hardest job is trying to pitch a story that is not.”

Journalists are not going to want to write about a story they don’t think people will be interested in or that has already been told.

This can sometimes be difficult to explain to clients and why it is so important to be able to communicate well.

In order to be successful in Public Relations, Lynette says that you need to, “be able to write, get along with your clients, and recognize what they need” while also recognizing the needs of the media.

5. Monitor media coverage

Part of keeping a good relationship with your clients is being able to show them where and when they were featured. This means scouring the internet for any mentions of your clients in the media and organizing it to show them.

Now that you’ve seen a little bit of what goes on in the world of Public Relations let’s take a look at the pros and cons of working in this industry.

I spoke with a few people in the industry, and it sounds like for many of them, the pros overlap with the cons.

31

Pros:

+Every day is different (you never have to worry about doing the same thing day after day)

+Creative industry in which you get to tell stories (it can be amazing when you work for clients you really believe in)

+Interact with many different people (if you’re an extrovert this can be exciting and fun)

+Get to participate in fun events (though this does not happen as often as it may seem)

Cons:

–Every day is different (some parts of the job are more exciting than others and certain days can be spent doing the not-so-interesting stuff)

–Creative industry in which you get to tell stories (it can be difficult to always come up with “newsworthy” stories to tell)

–Interact with many different people (can be exhausting to be “on” all the

time)

–Long hours (definitely goes beyond the 9 to 5)

What else do you need to know about getting a job in PR?

Every single person that I’ve spoken with recommends internships for anyone who wants to enter into this industry. Through an internship you’ll not only learn to format all of these different documents and spreadsheets (and many more), but also how the lifestyle feels and whether you have the emotional intelligence and energy required to live the life of a PR professional.

By Kellen McKillop (http://blog.aftercollege.com/work- public-relations-quick-guide-basics/)

32

TEXT 8

5 Things I Learned my First Year as a Freelance Publicist

Last year I was let go from my job and living in an area where no one was hiring – especially in the PR field. Considering my passion and experience was in public relations, I chose to take it upon myself to create my very own career path as a freelance publicist.

Some make a brave, planned jump into consulting, while others are more forced into it due to circumstance. My foray into freelance work started without any clients and no experience in the business aspects of independent contracting. Happily, a year later I have successfully built a freelance career. I have four consistent clients, and have had to turn down projects I can’t fit into my schedule.

Making the shift into solopreneurship has been one of the most terrifying and rewarding experiences of my life. I’m definitely looking forward, but every now and then it helps to look back on everything I’ve learned.

1. I became comfortable with pitching myself

As a business professional, and especially when you run your own business, it’s so important to keep track of – and stay in touch with – your contacts. For freelancer work, these existing relationships are often the lead to your next client referral.

As a natural introvert, the idea of having to sell myself to potential clients used to give me anxiety. But I had to force myself out of my comfort zone and become comfortable with networking and asking for work in order to grow my business.

So how did I start to build my business? Thanks to Google and LinkedIn I was able to get the contact information of businesses and individuals I wanted to work with. Then, I wrote an email explaining how I believed I could help, as well as highlighting previous experience, including my contact details and resume. I also reached out to former contacts and let them know about my new

circumstances and latest areas of expertise.

33

2. I figured out my personal brand

Before my freelance career, I didn’t fully understand the idea of personal branding. To be honest, I would roll my eyes whenever someone would say, “you are your brand.” Now I understand that when you work for yourself, this statement couldn’t be more accurate.

Starting a freelance business really makes you realize what it means to be your own brand. Over the past year, I cleaned up my social media presence by separating my personal and professional accounts. On my business profiles, I only share professional articles. I also branded my website, and learned to talk about my experience and services in a consistent way. I used Tumblr to share my portfolio, including press clippings, and Canva to create my logo and other fun, fun digital brand assets, which made a huge difference in my professional brand for very little cost.

At my previous PR firm, I never worried about my social media presence being a direct means to grow client work; we weren’t allowed to add clients on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But as an independent consultant, your online and social media efforts must help prospective clients to discover you and desire to contact you.

3. I learned how to save and spend more wisely

The whole “feast or famine” myth for contract workers is absolutely true. Sometimes I had a full roster of clients, to the point where I was overextended, and other times my workload was minimal. The natural pendulum of project work means that income can be unpredictable, which makes budgeting (and a backup plan should work run out) imperative.

Once you make over $400 from freelancing gigs, you are required to report your income and pay quarterly estimated taxes. These are typically anywhere from 20-30% of your annual earnings so I made sure to factor that in when charging clients, and automatically tucked away 20% of all of my earnings for tax time.

I quickly paid outstanding credit card balances; the fees and APR charges really add up in the long run. I also looked for easy places where I could save

34

with a bit more effort. I stopped eating out all of the time and switched to a cheaper internet provider.

4. I started to track…everything

Setting income and saving goals, and tracking spending is essential to running a successful business. But there is so much more data and planning that is valuable to me as a freelancer. These days, I use both physical and digital tools to stay on top of my work a day designer to map out my days, weeks and months. Having a visual layout of tasks helps me stay on top of everything from invoicing to project plans. And, I use Toggl, a free task timer tool that lets me easily track the work I am providing, organized by projects and clients. Toggle provides various time summary reports that make it easy to prepare accurate invoices, and provide a detailed recording of time spent, should there be any client questions come billing time!

5. I learned to take control of my schedule

The reality is that I work more now as a freelancer than I ever did at a 9 to 5. My days tend to be longer, and I have larger workloads. However, I can honestly say I would never go back to an office job. There’s no better feeling than being able to make your own rules.

I never thought I would be running my own business, but freelancing has helped me realize how much I appreciate my freedom to be able to create my own schedule, and work on projects and clients of my choice. Next year I plan to commit to a content calendar for my blog, continue to work on securing ideal, consistent clients on retainer and take a work-free vacation!

By Wendy Vazquez (http://www.prcouture.com/2016/09/ 5-things-learned-first-year-freelancer/)

35

36

TEXT 1

How to Be More Creative:

3 Strategies You Can Use Everyday

Creativity is as elusive as it is coveted, making it one of the most intriguing professional qualities in demand today. There are entire award shows and magazine features dedicated to recognizing those who demonstrate this superior kind of imaginative thinking, and it is consistently deemed one of the most important “soft-skills” an employee can have. But honing this skill is no easy task.

There are plenty of articles out there that will suggest you try to “connect with your inner child” or “learn to be more open and aware,” but in reality that’s about as helpful as someone telling you to “calm down” when you’re about to flip your lid (aka pretty useless). Like anything else, developing your creative skillset requires concrete exercises and plenty of practice. To help steer you in the right direction, we’re bringing you three strategies you can utilize everyday to improve your creativity and start on your way to coming up with the next big idea.

Establish a Routine

As romantic as the notion of a “creative spark” may be, the reality is that creativity doesn’t typically come in a sudden burst of brilliance. More often, it is the result of a rather ordinary routine. Stephen King notes, “Your schedule… exists in order to habituate yourself, to make yourself ready to dream just as you make yourself ready to sleep by going to bed at roughly the same time each night and following the same ritual as you go.” Establishing a specific routine allows your mind to focus on other, more imaginative things.

Explain What You Learn

Fast Company points out that “the most creative people in any field are people who have a tremendous amount of knowledge.” Thus, staying informed

37

and constantly learning is another important step to developing more creative perspectives. But simply reading an article here and there isn’t going to be enough to process and retain new information in a way that empowers you to be more creative. In order to come up with your own ideas from preexisting knowledge, you have to know the information more intimately.

To establish this kind of relationship with newly-learned material, try explaining the concept to someone else. This strategy is a nifty way to better retain information so it can inform new ideas down the road. You could also try recording yourself talking about a concept on your phone, then listening to it to see how well you are able to articulate the information. If you find yourself struggling to convey your message, that may be a good indication you need to do some further research.

Set Quantitative Goals

It is essential to hold yourself accountable for your own learning and your own creativity. How do you do this? Set quantifiable goals and stick to them religiously. Perhaps you want to make an effort to read at least three news articles every day or finish a new book every other week. Maybe you want write for at least three hours every day or come up with at least five new ideas for a project every week. No matter what kind of creative endeavor you’re working on, make sure you’re putting in the time and tracking your progress to ensure you’re dedicating yourself to the creative process.

With these tips, you’ll be on your way to cranking out brilliant ideas left and right in no time.

By Anna McGeady (http://bigfishpr.com/how-to-be-more-creative- 3-strategies-you-can-use-everyday/)

38

TEXT 2

10 Ways to Sharpen Your Listening Skills at Work

So you’re stuck in a horribly long meeting at work, feeling like there’s just no way you could possibly pay attention any longer. We’ve all been there. We won’t pretend that paying attention in meetings is always easy, but having good listening skills is definitely important – after all, the information being discussed could end up being crucial in completing your next project, and it totally impresses your coworkers when you actually understand and respond to what they’re saying. But how does one become (and stay!) an active listener?

“Active listening is really about being present in the moment, whether it’s in a one-on-one conversation with someone else or in a meeting,” says David Grossman, communications consultant and executive coach at The Grossman Group. “It’s when you’re really able to assess and understand – listen for what’s being said and what’s not being said – and you’re really thinking about how to effectively communicate back.”

As with any skill, active listening takes practice. Get started by following Grossman’s 10 easy steps before, during, and after your next big work meeting:

1. Study up on the meeting agenda.

OK, so you can’t guarantee that you’ll receive a nice, organized agenda before every meeting you attend. But if you do have access to a schedule before your next meeting, Grossman suggests giving it a once-over and doing a quick analysis. “Going into the meeting, it always helps to understand what you need to get out of the meeting,” he says. “Once you know what you need, specifically, you can then take a look at the agenda and really pinpoint those times that you want to make sure that you’re really paying attention.”

39

2. Keep your eyes on the speaker.

“If you really want to be present in the moment and listen to what’s being said and what’s not being said, one of the key steps is to look at whoever is speaking,” Grossman says. It makes sense, right? If you keep your eyes on the speaker, you’re way less likely to get distracted by G-chat, doodling, or whatever else is vying for your attention.

3. Continuously ask yourself what you can learn.

Think about a meeting in which you had to listen to someone from a different department speak. Maybe you didn’t understand what they were saying – your brains are wired differently, after all – or you just didn’t think what they had to say was relevant to you, so you simply tuned them out. To reengage yourself in this situation, Grossman suggests giving yourself a quick internal pep talk. “Get some self-talk going in your head, and say to yourself, ‘I can learn something from this person. What can I learn from this person?’ You’re more likely to be engaged and more likely to literally take away some important takeaways from whatever that person is sharing,” he explains.

4. Be aware of your mental and physical responses.

Whether you’re conscious of it or not, your mind and body will react to what’s being said in a meeting – so pay attention to them! “Those responses can give you cues or clues about what you may want to say next or a question you may want to ask,” Grossman says. “Having that self-awareness of what you’re thinking and what you’re feeling is extremely helpful to stay engaged in the conversation and to add some value to the overall meeting.”

5. Take notes.

#TBT to your college says: “Research shows that you pay greater attention and you remember things more when you take notes,” Grossman says. Whether you handwrite or type your notes is up to you, but be sure to avoid catching up on email / scrolling through Twitter/online shopping if you go the electronic route.

40