Anti-Smoking Campaign Turns To Social Media

Tinder is a simple-to-use dating app for smartphones. You find tinder matches based on location, so you won’t be able to connect to anyone far away. If your scroll to the right, you “like” the person and if they “like” you back you become a match. It is very creative, yet surprising, how the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) used Tinder to their advantage. The ASH conducted an experiment to see if people found smokers attractive versus non-smokers with the aid of Tinder. The ASH made two Tinder profiles for the same user; in one photo the woman was smoking and in the other profile she had no cigarette. The results found were that the picture of the woman with no cigarette was preferred. What a creative use of social media, ASH! Many companies and campaigns should use social media to their advantage in this way.

How to land your dream PR gig

Ragan’s PR Daily came out with a very helpful article, “How to land your dream PR gig,” that gives advice to graduating college students. Now, I still have some time left in college but it is never too early to starting thinking about your future. This article gives 5 helpful pointers that will lead you on the path to fulfilling your PR dreams! Here they are…..

1. Before the interview, read the publications, websites, and blogs important to the industry the company serves.

By showing that you have taken personal time to research what is important to this company, you show your dedication and in turn, impress interviewers. Plus, it is always good to be up-to-date on current events!

2. Look the part.

Look nice and be professional. If you are hungover or look like you just rolled out of bed then you can be guaranteed you won’t get this job. 

3. Work your assets and skills.

Relate all of your work experience, no matter how minor it is, to the PR world. Once I was at a professional briefing with Havas PR and they told me how when they look at resumes they love seeing people who have worked as camp counselors or waiters/waitresses; it shows that they are real and aren’t scared to show even the smallest of jobs. Everything counts so use it to your advantage! 

4. Ditch irrelevant information.

Now it is important to use small jobs to your advantage, but make sure not to overkill. For example, do not write how you used to mow your neighbors lawns or shovel snow out of their driveways. Be mindful.

5. Abandon the boring. Make your cover letters unique and compelling.

Make sure not to state the obvious. Be friendly and unique; cut to the chase and set yourself apart. Tell them why you are the best candidate for the job! 

 

Hopefully these tips have helped, they sure have helped me! Whether you are applying for your dream PR job or any small job, these tips will make you go far! 

“Stuff PR Parents Say”

While Hunter Public Relations was celebrating their 25th anniversary, they decided to come out with a funny video mocking what they have heard from their parents about the PR world. This video, “Stuff PR Parents Say,” is a sequel to a video they released in 2012, “Stuff PR People Say.” Check it out to see if anything sounds familiar to you!

“Stuff PR People say” link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C32V4-P0idA

5 ways to improve your blog’s performance without blogging

It seems appropriate to blog about an article on blogging, right? Well, Ragan’s PR Daily came out with a very interesting article “5 ways to improve your blog’s performance without blogging,” that I will tell you all about. Here are some tips, suggested by the article, that will help your blog without blogging itself.

1. Invite guest bloggers.

The benefits to this are that you don’t waste time updating your own blog and if the guest blogger shares your link than your blog is exposed to a completely new audience which can gain you more followers! 

2. Increase you followers.

If you put the effort in to gain more followers it will pay off because your content will go even further. Some things you can do are buy Facebook ads, send out promotional tweets, and run a contest to boost your email database. 

3. Optimize previous posts

Instead of creating new posts each day, you can update them to make them relevant to the present audience. These old posts still have value so don’t forget about them!

4. Optimize the calls to action

Adding calls to action to your blog is very beneficial because it can turn into a lead. The time you spend optimizing the calls to action will be time well spent! 

5. Conduct a comprehensive topic analysis 

Conducting topic analysis is important because you want to know what you readers like to read about. In that case, you can write about what you know will peak their interests. To conduct a topic analysis you have to sort all blog posts into categories then see what categories have generated the most responses. 

Thank you, Ragan’s PR daily, for this awesome blogging advice!

“Why I’d love for my daughter to go into PR”

I have always wondered if I picked the right major for myself. Yes, I do enjoy PR and my PR classes, but I always wonder what the future will hold. Reading this article “Why i’d love for my daughter to go into PR” made me feel relieved and assured that I will have the outcomes I want in a career. The author of this article, Arik Hanson, talks about how he wants his daughter to take up a career in PR, even though she is only six years old. This article is Hanson writing a letter to his daughter explaining why PR is the perfect career for her to go into in the future. His reasons are:

1) Everyday is different, no two days are the same

2) You get paid to think.

3) It’s a fun job to talk about at parties

4) You may meet famous people and visit place you’d never dreamed you would

Now, PR has much more to offer than just the four points but they sure are important! If I made a list of the reasons why I picked PR, those four points would definitely be on there. It is scary thinking about the future, but I am so glad that there articles like this one available to make me feel more comfortable. 

5 reasons women are effective PR leaders

While I was searching for an interesting article on Ragans’s PR Daily, I found something that did way more than just peak my interest. I found an article that has a title that motivates you, if you are a woman that is. This article was titled “5 reasons women are effective PR leaders” and, of course, I had to click on it as soon as possible. Being a young person in hopes of a successful PR career can be a very uncomfortable situation when you are thinking about what the future holds professionally. This article gave me sanity because I am confident that I have the 5 qualities discussed. So the moment you all have been waiting for, here are the 5 reasons women are effective PR leaders:

1) Women are active listeners.

2) Women tend to be more social.

3) Women are plugged into current events.

4) Women are more effective in group settings.

5) The “big-picture” is more in-focus for women leaders.

Now I am completely aware that men have these qualities as well, but it was quite refreshing to know that I can relate to this article in a positive way. This gives me, and should give many, a confident outlook for the future. Ragan’s PR daily was not discriminating gender through this article, they were just fascinated by the topic, as am I. They even admitted that they have more men in leadership positions rather than women. 

Useful Article for Professors and Students

Useful Article for Professors and Students

On March 17, 2014, Ragan’s PR Daily came out with an article titled  “what PR courses should teach undergrads.” This article explains how the world of PR has changed and is constantly changing as well. It puts an emphasis on 3 main areas: The realities of PR, media relations, and social media. When it comes to the realities of PR, there are several aspects that newcomers into the field MUST know. That is that you must always be yourself, constantly be updated on news, understand that PR is not “flashy,” and that the first years of PR will entail heavy document work. These are important lessons that not only professors should incorporate into their curriculum but for future PR practitioners to understand. According to the media relations side of things the important issues are researching reporters, writing a pitch, newsworthiness, how to talk to the person who you want to write a story, and distinctions between bloggers and reporters. Lastly, there is the social media side of PR. According to this article, social media classes should teach how to use different forms of social media (Twitter, Instagram, etc.), you don’t always need every form of social media, social media is built through trust and reason to care, and that social media calendar can be a waste of time. This article gave great tips for professors and students to share!

Chipotle’s New & Improved PR Tactics

On February 17th, Chipotle came out with a comedy series called “Farmed & Dangerous,” that satirically explores the world of industrial agriculture in America. Through this series, Chipotle is hoping that their values will be integrated by showing their commitment to serving high quality ingredients. Although this series may offend some farmers, it gives consumers a whole new outlook on the organizations objectives. Chipotle is taking their company to places where many companies would never dare to go. This PR tactic is not only useful for Chipotle but also aids individuals in how they make choices about where they get their food. Chipotle has also set up trivia for Farmed & Dangerous to give away free prizes for those who tune in. What a great way to market the company! Kudos, Chipotle…you have left me floored yet again, and not just with your burritos! Companies that are willing to go above and beyond to expand their influence are companies worth supporting! 

Putting a face to a name: Burson Marsteller

JMU PRSSA is taking on the “Big Apple” to learn more about PR from different organizations and firms. It is crazy to think that today was the first day I have ever walked into a PR firm; I am beyond lucky that this PR firm was the fabulous Burson Marsteller. From the moment you walked in the room, you could tell that the company culture of Burson Marsteller was vibrant and full of life. Perhaps the most amazing part of this visit was that we got to meet Mr. Burson himself! If he didn’t tell you, then you would never even guess that he is 93 years old! I will share the golden advice that Mr. Burson gave to the JMU PRSSA about coming into the field of Public Relations: First off, networking is key. Build your network as big as you can, the bigger the network the more better off you are. Make sure to always stay in contact with these networks! Next, always try to keep improving your writing and communication skill, both oral and written. “The ones who can write get discovered first.” Lastly, use your interpersonal skills to your own advantage; teamwork is the answer to every problem! 

I am still in awe after my visit with Burson Marsteller. The JMU PRSSA is very lucky and thankful for this experience! Below is a picture of myself and two other PRSSA members with our Mr. Burson shirts! 

Lesson in Social Media Writing Article

Lesson in Social Media Writing Article

I found this article to be quite useful and relevant since I just started my own blog. Not only is this article interesting for bloggers but for ANYONE, I guess you can say everyone, on social media. The reason we write things online is for people to see them and share them, right? Here are some tips from the article to help set yourself apart from the crowd:

1) Write as if you are addressing a specific audience.

2) Use all of your social media accounts (Twitter, Linked In, etc.) to get more followers. People only follow you if they have a reason to, so use those social media savvy skills. 

3) Show some personality and write about people…people love reading about people!

4) Lastly, make it shareable. Think to yourself, would you share this? If so, post it!

 

These are all very useful tips for anyone out there in the social media world. If you want to be “heard” on social media think about if you would want to read what you are posting. After all, it all begins with you!