There's More To Life Than Twitter

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Every time I browse the latest PR-related blog posts and articles, the one reoccurring theme throughout almost all of them is social media. After reading some, it seems that having a smart phone in hand and being Twitter savvy is all you need to succeed in PR. However, I did find a blog post, which of course spoke about traditional vs. social media, but also touched upon a subject that many PR pros seem to forget. It is not only about keeping up with the latest technologies, media outlets and trends, but holding on to strategies and values that were around in, dare I say it?, the old world of media.

Rohit Bhargava explains in his blog, Influential Marketing Blog, that one of the oldest and most important PR strategies is how a PR executive interacts with journalists and other members of the media. He makes it clear that just like print media, social media requires an interaction between a PR person and a journalist, editor, blogger, tweeter or whatever it may be. In Rohit’s blog post What All PR People Should Know About Journalists, he explains this interaction from a journalist’s perspective. He describes what journalists are really saying about PR and pitching.

The first and most blunt being: “Your BS is obvious.” The next and harsh reality is “Timing trumps all.” I have experienced the importance of timing first hand when contacting the media for story placement. Social media outlets help to almost eliminate this timing issue that, at times, seems to be a toss up. Most members of the media have Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn (many have all three), which allows for information about proper pitch timing.

With the help of the Fusion team and my own personal research, I am now able to understand and at times already know about the topics being discussed in blog posts and articles written by esteemed PR and marketing pros.

Social Media’s Impact on PR

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Bob Geller, SVP, as well as social media wiz and avid blogger, held a very informative social media educational session. Prior to the session and my time at Fusion, I only knew the bare minimum about social media outlets. (I actually just created a personal Twitter account two days ago. As I have still not decided on a direction to take my Twitter postings, I did finally decide on a user name.) Thanks to my parents, my name is extremely common. So common that every single username combination was already taken. After about an hour, I ended up going with samevans24, which is equally (not) original. Now I can finally say: you can find me @samevans24!

Anyway, back to Bob’s educational session. What I found to be most interesting and relevant to my time and work at Fusion was Bob’s explanation of social media’s relationship with public relations. He described the inordinate amount of social media users and outlets today as creating a lot of “noise” in which “anyone has a megaphone.” He explained because anyone can post a blog or engage in social media, there is an increase in “noise,” which at times questions if PR remains a necessity.

PR professional’s role in the media spectrum continues to be extremely important because they are among the very few who are formally trained to understand the media and of course, social media. Their understanding leads to the successful story telling of a brand in these spectrums. This means, PR pros have not only perfected the way to tell a story, but when and where to pitch it, all depending on the subject, target audience, and other variables. Therefore, only without PR expertise, can content can drown in the “noise” of social media.

PR for Dummies

By Sylvia Ogilvie, Intern (@sylviaillini)

As the battle between traditional media and social media heats up, a lot of questions are being raised about what effect the outcome of this contest will have on industries beyond the news media realm. One industry of particular relevance to this discussion is public relations.

In the past few weeks, a lot of terms such as “If I can create my own media, why do I even need a PR firm?” and “I could do this myself” have been thrown around. For the sake of Fusion and for my own future career path, I was eager to have some answers and ideas to combat these accusations.

Bob Geller, SVP, engaged both me and fellow intern Samantha Evans in an educational session concerning this very topic. So the question at hand is really this: what does PR bring to a client that the client could not get themselves? There are actually quite a few things, and while it may be true that clients could hypothetically do everything themselves, the level of quality would never even come close to that of a PR firm (or at least a good one, anyway).

First off, the amount of time and effort that goes into generating a buzz for a company and getting its name out there is immense – there are press releases, calls to publications, briefing documents, meetings, spreadsheet building (just to name a few). The PR industry exists for a reason – clients are too busy simply trying to run their companies and stay afloat to even think about how to promote themselves. Just because the option now exists to do it yourself, it does not make it any easier at all to do so.

So now let’s pretend that a company has taken a DIY approach and is going to be self-sufficient, what is the level of quality for that work going to look like? PR firms are completely based around the notion of promoting clients and spreading positive messages about them, in other words – they know their stuff and they know it very well. This talent and skill doesn’t just come with the territory, it takes a lot of time to get to that point of expertise and knowledge. On top of that, over the years PR firms often build relationships with certain reporters, editors and analysts that are essential to making things happen for their clients and getting out the good word.

Not only does it take time, but in order to be successful in PR it takes a certain kind of personality, and a passion for being influential and persuasive. Deciding one day to do your own PR for your company is akin to waking up and deciding to be an NBA player (well, you get the picture). Basically, it’s not the kind of thing that you decide to do and then you can automatically do it well, it really does take time, experience and, most importantly, the inherent ability to work in public relations. So before companies decide to pick up a ball and try to make a half court shot, they need to remember who the real pros are and what it takes to do that.

Never Forget the Past

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

Ibrey Woodall began her blog post, From old media to social media: Survey reveals the essential elements for today's newsroom by stating, “Traditionally, the term “media” referred to mainstream print publications and broadcast stations. However, the rise of social media has shifted perceptions and some now consider traditional media as “old” media.” Most people are claiming that these “old” media outlets will see the end very shortly. The Bad Pitch Blog even titled one of their newest blogs, Michael Jackson’s Dead: Now Comes the Mainstream Media’s Death. Many of us have foreseen the death of print media for a very long time. However, it is one thing to acknowledge the death of “old” media, and another to fully embrace the new social media spectrum.

It is a good thing Fusion PR teaches its interns about social media every day. Regardless of educational sessions and meetings about social media, the pure fact that I am even writing a weekly blog says enough. I am not only writing my own, but following others PR bloggers as well. Throughout my blogging experience I have learned more about the public relations field than I ever did in communication classes at college. I guess it is true what they say; you can never truly understand and learn about something, until you experience it personally.

However, there are those who continue to reinforce the importance of “old” media and traditional PR. Just because social media is on the rise, does not mean we can completely count traditional media out. The Legend of Aerocles blog explains that a successful public relations strategy should include a balance of traditional and social media tactics.

The article For Social Media & PR -- Integration is Key… For Projects and Employees states, “Traditional marketing & PR tactics must be used in congruence with an online approach in order to capitalize on any successful social engagement on behalf of the brand or company.” Fusion focuses on all types of media, both online and print outlets. I have ordered numerous print hard copies of newspapers to send to clients. As a matter of fact, throughout most of the weekly client meetings, the client continually asks, “I see all of the hits online, but where am I getting coverage in print?” Fusion addresses the dilemma of traditional vs. social media head on, and no matter how big social media gets, they will never forget their roots.

The Pursuit of Happiness

By Samantha Evans, Intern (@samevans24)

I never expected to feel as comfortable after only four days, as I do here at Fusion Public Relations. I am not only thrilled with my high comfort level but I am also extremely relieved that I have finally found an internship I am happy with. This is in most part due to the staff at Fusion PR. They have been extremely welcoming, and made me feel right at home from the first minute I arrived at the office in the always exciting Times Square in New York City.

As I began writing this blog, my first ever, I began to make a mental list of all of the things I have been doing the past four days. However, after doing so, I came to realize that the question I should really be asking myself is, what have I not been doing? I compiled media and analyst lists as well as briefing documents, engage in research about media outlets, publications, award and tradeshows and will eventually dive into composing press releases, editorial calendars and monthly activity reports.

While completing all of these tasks, I am learning about the latest technologies, a topic that I typically stayed clear of in the past. Those who know anything about me would be shocked to find out I am interning for a tech savvy public relations firm. Just as Bennie Sham, an account executive here at Fusion, and now one of my co-workers (yes, I can call her a co-worker) said during my interview, “we are extremely tech heavy but still fun!” I truly am having fun and learning something new every single day. I am excited to be spending ten weeks here, not only having fun while learning and growing, but I am even lucky enough to receive hands-on public relations experience.

Field Trips

By Bennie Sham, Internship Program Lead (@beesham)

I can't say it enough but it's been an great semester with our current group of interns. Lisa Langsdorf, director at Fusion, organized a few field trips to the Reuters, AOL and the NY Times offices over the past few months. I've never been to any of the offices and was glad that I could join the outings.

At Reuters, we met with an editor who took the time to show us his offices and explain how a newsroom works, where our press releases go and how the editors collaborate on stories. At NY Times, we learned another side of public relations, where the VP of their corporate communications department explained the differences between corporate PR and agency PR. Our meeting with AOL's senior communications manager may have been my favorite. He scheduled meetings with the editors-in-chief of AOL Television and AOL Music, as well as the senior VP and director of corporate communications, where we learned about consumer and entertainment public relations.

Each meeting brought a different view on PR but they all had the same advice: know your industries, know your clients, know your reporters and be honest. Their main pet peeve is an uneducated PR professional.

Are You Fine-Tuned?

By Leilani Needham, Intern

Writing is an essential skill to have in public relations and it is a skill I have yet to develop. Being at Fusion has given me an opportunity to draft press releases and learn AP style writing. I feel I am improving but can always be a better writer.

It is really important to fine-tune your writing and, most importantly, editing skills. Suzanne McGee, director at Fusion, gave us some great advice. She stated, “If the only thing you gain out of this internship is editing skills, it will be one of the greatest assets to you.”

Coming to Fusion has really helped me to understand AP style. It is difficult to break habits and stop writing like I’m in class, but it is possible. If you are not familiar with AP style, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times are great examples of publications that follow this writing style.

The AP Stylebook is a great tool that I have used often. Get it and use it in your papers and classrooms (unless your professor dictates a different style). If you’ve decided to pursue PR as a career because you were trying to avoid writing, it might be a good idea to rethink a different profession.

Introduction to PR

By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)

My internship at Fusion PR has been both very exciting and very hard for me. Going into it, I honestly had no clue what to expect. My only knowledge of PR work prior to this internship was “Introduction to PR,” a course I took at my college. I have to say that this internship is the best introduction of PR that anyone could ask for.

My duties as an intern differ day to day; from doing research charts to drafting press releases. In actuality, I have only done two press releases for two different clients, and learned a lot from both of them. Sometimes I work on monthly reports, which aren’t as bad as they sound. A monthly report is a detailed document on all the work we have done for a client in that particular month. It includes things such as what publications picked up a press release, what reporters we have contacted and describes the research we have done.

My favorite thing, of course, is any writing assignment, like this blog, or press releases and bios.This week we had a great "Brown Bag" meeting with our VP Steve Andrews. A Brown Bag is when we bring our lunches into the conference room and a Fusion executive teaches us about an aspect of PR. Steve delivered a very good session on the importance of PR planning. It was very informative and noteworthy. The main thing that stuck with me was that, in a sense, a PR plan can make or break a company. It should be the backbone of a company, and it is very important to follow. If companies don’t have goals and or set a plan for PR, the less successful they’ll be. The brown bag meetings are one of my favorite things about this internship.

My goal for this internship is to learn all that I can about public relations. I want to be able to go back to school and teach my professor something new about PR. I want to become more familiar with AP style, and be able to catch my grammar mistakes before others do. I want to make contacts so that in the future I can use them for referrals, recommendations and to find other jobs. I want to get out what I put in and hopefully more.