The New 9-5.

Public Relations is a newer field of study and practice when compared to the professions of engineering, and science, so it would only make sense that we are making strides to change the workplace 9-5. Companies all over the country are changing their business routines to more leisurely office models. One example I got to experience for myself was The Frontier Project of Richmond Virginia. Nestled in the upcoming neighborhood of Scotts Addition, The Frontier Project is a collaborative company that is hoping to inspire others to join their ways. (check out their website here https://www.thefrontierproject.com/)

Well, what are their ways, you ask? When I walked into the frontier project I was expecting what I have seen before when visiting PR agencies around town. You buzz in to be greeted by a secretary, to then be escorted to a meeting room to await the tour of estranged offices. But this was not the case, one because they live in a safer part of town their doors were not locked so I walked right in, leaving me less frazzled and confused to find the call button. (sounds like a personal problem because it is). After walking in I was greeted by the cute wet nose of a chocolate lab (much better than a secretary in my opinion) The frontier project has resident dogs that live in their office to raise morale and build a sense of home you can feel when you walk through the doors.

The next thing I immediately noticed is that there aren’t any walls? It was a huge open space with tables, couches, and living room-esq pop-ups galore. When looking up and around I noticed there are multiple lofts hidden away in the vaulted ceiling. When touring we were told the middle loft is used as a safe meditation space for employees to get away. You take off your shoes and spend some time with your thoughts. (are you ready to apply yet because I was)

Employees of The Frontier Project are meant to feel at ease. They want you to be your best self so you can produce your best work, which is something rarely found in the workplace. At The Frontier Project, employees are allowed to choose wether they would like to work from home or the office on any given day. That is why their office has so much living space and a casual atmosphere, to replicate a sense of home away from home. They also offer unlimited vacation. They realized that employees use their sick days to spend time with loved ones on holidays regularly, so they decided to just let them be with their loved ones instead of having to lie. If employees want to take the weekend of the fourth of July to be on the lake, they are allowed to do that without questions asked.

This exciting workplace really mirrors their name and image “the frontier” because it is new and developing to become something great! Unfortunately they do not accept any applicants fresh out of school so I have a snowballs chance in hell of getting a job there. But I think more companies should adopt this model to replace the days of the 9-5. With superior ratings, self-sustaining practices, and high morale, I think The Frontier Project is an unstoppable force. Other companies should be looking to them to change their day-to day-practices.

Travel in the Public Relations Industry

 

Traveling is something that is very special to me! I have always loved seeing new places, experiencing new cultures, and being out of my comfort zone. Travel is very expensive and time consuming, and with most jobs wouldn’t be plausible on a regular basis. I would love to find a job that allows me to travel through work and experience the world. That is why I am diving into the hospitality and tourism industry, specifically the public relations sector of it.

Hospitality and tourism is a very popular sector of public relations. Travel and hospitality public relations is usually used to help promote tourist destinations. This could mean working for the hotel industry, or even an airline.  In an interview with Nathan Kam he said that young people who are interested in the PR sector of hospitality and tourism should go for it because they get an opportunity to travel, live the experience, and meet new people they never could otherwise (http://apps.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/10740/1097/Never_Stop_Exploring_5_PR_Pros_Talk_Travel_and_Tou#.WgNLHBOPKRs). Kam is the president of an integrated communications firm, so while his company is not strictly public relations he says PR really is the glue that keeps the different parts working together to disseminate information to key publics.

Many of the agencies working in this industry are functioning more as integrated communications than strictly PR. This allows them to control all aspects of a campaign, and communicate internally to achieve good results. The industry is also full of individuals who are talented creatively. Whether it be photography, videography, or writing, creative skills are essential when you are trying to “sell” an experience.

An interesting article I came across while looking for information talks about 6 lessons learned from the PR and marketing travel industry. At the end of every break down is a PR lesson learned from the industry challenge. Some of them include: “be prepared for “what if” situations by thinking ahead and crafting a plan B” “Don’t do it alone, seek help from experts” and “Don’t let a bad situation get the best of you” (https://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/6_PR_and_marketing_lessons_from_the_travel_industr_47129.aspx). All of these statements mirror the actions of any PR professional.

 

Public Relations Writing

 

Writing is something we learn from an early age and develop throughout our lives and careers. For me writing has always been a sort of passion. With school came research papers, informational essays, and even anthologies. This type of writing that was forced and not done on my own time made me dread sitting down and flushing out my thoughts on to paper.

Now that I am delved into my major, the days of writing horrid English papers is over. That doesn’t mean Public Relations doesn’t require a lot of writing, because it does, it’s just different than any other kind of writing making it fresh and fun for me! Throughout the semester I have had many writing assignments in the form of case studies, analysis, and simply just writing ROPES models. This flat, direct style of writing, really soothes my soul (strangely) and I often feel at peace cranking out PR writing, so that’s why I want to explore it a bit today for my blog post.

 

One of the biggest things to recognize about PR writing is that while it is different from journalism it is derived from a style of writing meant for news sources. This source helped me remember the nature of PR Writing (https://osu.pb.unizin.org/stratcommwriting/chapter/the-role-of-writing-in-public-relations/) Because the news media is a common outlet for releasing information to the public, PR writers must tailor their writing to this style. The key difference between news writing and PR writing is that news writing is written in an objective voice, while PR is speaking from the voice of the company they are representing. Another secondary difference is that journalists write to one audience while public relations professionals write to reach as many relevant publics as possible. This blog helps extrapolate the differences in PR and Journalism Writing (https://www.blonde20.com/blog/2014/10/30/five-ws-five-differences-between-journalism-and-pr/)

 

These factors, in addition to the plethora of message types available to PR professionals, is what makes PR writing so versatile. Some of those messages/materials include but aren’t limited to…

 

• The common News Release
• Social Media Captions
• Features
• Speech Writing
• Presentations
• Brochures/Pamphlets
• Blogs (Wink, Wink)

 

The chance to write to so many people, in so many styles, under the alias of a company or business is fun to me! It’s almost as if you are personifying the company into a character that is speaking and influencing publics. PR writing is so interesting and versatile, and I hope to gain experience as a PR writer in the future so maybe one day I could land a career in the field.

Blogging on a Budget

It’s hard being a blogger in the fast paced world of media today. Competing with visuals made by expensive programs like adobe suite can be intimidating, but there are resources that you can use for little to no money to make competitive graphics for your own media content.

It is important to create your own graphics today. When your content is your own it does nothing but improve your skills, keep you practiced, and let you express your creativity. No one cares more about what you are doing than you. This gives you the potential to create graphics that can pull at your emotions, and effectively communicate your message.

This semester I have really been exploring the options available online such as Canva (https://designschool.canva.com/blog/graphic-design-tips-non-designers). Canva offers a vast amount of template options ranging from Instagram Formats to Resume Formats. You can create fonts, add your own, or choose from a variety they already have. They also offer templates for your text so you can enter your own words to their template. The best part is that Canva offers a tool similar to the smart guides offered on adobe suite. You can use these tools to align and guide images, text, and white space.

Video is increasingly important for creating content on social media. Video is fast paced, eye catching, and entertaining most of all. Still pictures mashed together can also create a “video effect”. IMovie is an app that comes on most apple products (https://support.apple.com/kb/ph14687?locale=en_US). It is a user-friendly tool designed to create videos. Like Canva it offers set templates that can be used to make videos, but I prefer to start with a blank canvas. Over the generations it has become easier and easier to use. Editing tools, filters, text overlays, and transitions are ready to make any video a visual masterpiece.

For my class I used I Movie to create a short still picture video or my nonprofit All Awear. I hope to remake some using their products, as I just used a sweater from my closet. But it shows what you can do with a sweater, camera, and little time! Check it out here…

Public Relations and Fashion

 

 

I decided to talk about fashion PR for my blog post this week! I was inspired by April Auger the founder of local non-profit All Awear (http://allawear.com/).  April started he career in Public Relations, specifically in the fashion sector. She loved fashion but had a lot of concerns about the industry. With fast fashion taking on more speed than ever, consumers are drawn to the price tags of items, but don’t really ask how it was made to have that low of a price.

That’s where All Awear comes in. April’s non-profit strives to educate and enlighten those who are interested in asking those questions. She knows people are busy and don’t have the time to research where there shirt was made, how much the labor costs were, and what fabric and dyes it is made from. She provides information on brands and clothing items she has already researched, to make it easier for others to buy ethically. To learn more about her and her work as a solo non-profit entity please check out her on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/allawear/) and Instagram (@all_awear)

April combined her love of fashion, public relations, and philanthropy to create a job tailored to her wants and needs. When I graduate I want to be able to combine what I love to make something special for me. Writing these blogs helps me to explore the possibilities I hadn’t even considered. I am always shocked to find articles on these very niche style careers, but it gives me hope that I could be a part of one someday!

When researching fashion in the Public relations industry I was shocked to see so much information. There are entire firms who do work SOLELY in the fashion industry. I just find this so special and interesting. When I think of a firm I think of many random businesses as their clients. Tailoring to one industry really could give a competitive edge, as seen with fashion PR firm Michele Marie PR (http://michele mariepr.com/). This firm has a lofty amount of clients ranging from Banana Republic to Coca-Cola Brand clothing. They pride themselves on having a fresh bi-coastal outlook to create editorial, press driven content in the fashion industry.

If you are a newbie to the world of fashion PR I would highly suggest checking out PR Couture (http://www.prcouture.com/). It is described as a vital resource for anyone entering this niche industry. They post job listings, how-to advices, and keep you up-to-date on PR fashion culture. Here is one of their pieces giving the 411 on what publicists do in the fashion industry. (http://www.prcouture.com/2010/04/fashion-101-so-what-do-fashion-publicists-do/)

Public Relations Niches

 

“Do one thing everyday that scares you” – Eleanor Roosevelt

With graduations dates looming I have to face the reality that I have no earthly idea what I want to do with my public relations degree. I lack real experience that some students have gained through internships. Having these experiences can help guide you to decide what you like and don’t like about the field. While landing an amazing internship in the niche of public relations most suited for me, this is the best-case scenario. This is an article explaining how specialization improves the functionality of Public Relations firms. http://www.prnewsonline.com/find-your-niche-building-a-specialized-pr-agency/

 

My first initial thought when doing the PR track was that I have so many questions and so little time to answer them. I immediately knew I was interested in the opportunities to incorporate social media into every day PR work. Thankfully we have this class to help us understand all of the elements behind the work that is published to our feeds. There really is a lot of methods, tools, and resource I was unfamiliar with prior to taking this class. Article discussing agencies that use Niche marketing. http://mashable.com/2011/04/28/niche-marketing-agencies/#G3LtBjWI.aqE

 

Because I am new to the field/school/ and major I often feel as though other students have made more connections with peers and professors. Sometimes it makes me nervous seeing standing connections between others when I feel like I haven’t made any yet. In this industry it is important to “PR” yourself according to Alex Honeysett of the Muse. You have to spend time-sharing PR related content, monitoring the hot-button trends, and you have to join and attend industry specific group functions. She says this is especially important if you are newer to the community (which I am). Here is an article where she talked about it. – https://www.themuse.com/advice/pro-tips-for-finding-your-pr-specialty

 

Networking and putting yourself out there seem to be common bits of advice I get from PR professions, so it must be right! Following her advice and getting involved can only help me to better think and discuss my own options in the world of PR. Thankfully through my classes I am being pressured to move outside of my comfort zone and network. Tonight I am even going to a Richmond PRSA cocktail hour to mingle and socialize with other PR professionals.

PRSA Richmond Networking Event

https://prsarichmond.z2systems.com/np/clients/prsarichmond/event.jsp?event=3209&_ga=2.52493480.1815504687.1507733910-1458914941.1507733910

 

While I am still exploring the niches inside of public relations, I am hopeful for my future in the profession. All facets of Public Relations may be different but they all have one thing in common, which is the need for networking. The more I push myself to experience the more I will be able to understand the community and what it has to offer me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Relations Photography

 

 

Because of the rapid growth of social media in the recent past, the appeal of visual content has also risen dramatically. Quality photography really can make a difference when audiences are increasingly viewing content with shorter and shorter attention spans. While bad content could have adverse effects, deterring viewers to other, better content.

Public relations photography is a profession I believed in but had never looked in to. You see professional photography all of the time whether it’s on a social media campaign or within a press release. PR/press photographer Jonathan Pow describes the profession as a form of commercial photography with a news angle. According to his website, he has worked many jobs of diverse nature through the field of PR photography.

PR photographers are often working on commission, job to job. They are curating images for individuals and organizations to use publicly. Unlike personal photography where you can freely express your style, PR photographers work to express the style of their clients.

Although it is closely related to advertising there are key differences between the two. Unlike advertising, which buys their space, public relations photography needs to create a story through an image worthy of the attention that news gets. Further more it is a way for companies to share their current news through photography.

PR photographers really need to understand what message they are conveying before shooting. The research behind the shoot shows the correlation with the skills used for other PR professions. I think this proves the amount of soft and hard skills required, making it a very well rounded job. A good knowledge of public relations photography could help you land a job, get noticed by and editor, or captivate a wide following. Essentially it a skill that could boost any resume.

Photography has become an integral part of social media and PR. While I am generally interested in expanding my photography skills I don’t currently have the finances for a professional camera. I think learning more about photography would help boost my résumé and make me a better candidate for jobs I will be interested in in the future.

Links to Jonathon Pow and information on public relations photography

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-pr-photographer-jonathan-pow/

 

http://jonathanpow.com/photography/editorial/published-press-photographer/

 

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

For my first post, I wanted to give a general overview of who I am, and what my mission with this blog is! My name is Laurel, and I am a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University majoring in Public Relations and minoring in Business. While Public Relations was not my first major it was something I knew I wanted to do as soon as I really learned about it. In my journalism class we briefly studied the basics of public relations and I knew that I was in the wrong field of communications. While journalism writing is something that is valuable in any profession, I knew I wanted the skill set of a Public Relations Practitioner too. I want to learn how to communicate with audiences on a deeper level than the boundaries of journalism holds and that’s why I’m here!

Over the duration of the 2017 fall semester I will be posting here weekly with content relevant to my Social Media class at the Robertson School of Virginia Commonwealth University. In class we are getting a lot of authentic experience communicating through different mediums: from this blog, twitter, and instagram, to a campaign for a local non-profit organization. While keeping up with all of the tasks is trickier than expected I am excited to do the work and learn from the tasks.

Through this medium, I hope to connect some of my personal passions with what I am learning through my studies as a Public Relations major. Connecting my passions with my future profession will hopefully help me learn more constructively what public relations professionals do in areas of the business world that interest me. I know Public Relations is a versatile field with continual changes in methods, mediums, and tactics. I hope to explore the less recognized niches of public relations beyond working for a firm/ corporate.

All in all I am excited to explore the world of public relations through my own personal lens. Through this blog I hope to broaden not only my readers understanding, but my own! Tune in weekly for some interesting content!

Keep up with my other social media pages for class by following me!

Twitter: @gateslb95

Instagram: gateslb95

Here is an article discussing the broad scope of PR:  http://www.prcrossing.com/article/900020350/The-Scope-of-Public-Relations-Today/