OZ Harvest, media releases and first days

Hello Everyone! This will be my first blog contribution for PR Internship unit. I cannot believe I am already on my second week of internship. Time has truly gone so fast. I was going to post something on my first week but then decided I will complete the full week first and then reflect on what I have learned and experienced so far. So here we go. It feels like it was just yesterday when I took the elevator up to the second floor to start my first day as an intern at Professional Public Relations (PPR). For those of you who do not know PPR is one of the biggest public relations consultancies in Perth. On my first day I was beyond nervous. Hundreds of thoughts were running through my head as I was getting ready in the morning, I was worried about fitting in, curious of what I will be asked to do, even worried if what I was wearing was going to be appropriate and most of all nervous if I would be able to complete all the tasks given to me. As I stepped out of the elevator doors into the office I was instantly greeted by smiles and a warm welcome from everyone. Straight away I felt a sense of relief and I knew that most of my worries were unnecessary and the next month was going to be a fantastic opportunity to really learn how a public relations consultancy works. On my first day I was lucky enough to attend an OZ Harvest event with couple of colleagues in the city centre. One of the previous PPR workers is now working for OZ Harvest and some of the team went to support her by attending the event in Forrest Chase. The outing was a fun way to start the working week and gave me an opportunity to get to know the people I was going to work with for the next four weeks.

Think Eat Save today with @ozharvest 👏🏻 #thinkeatsave

A photo posted by PPR Social (@pprsocial) on Jul 24, 2016 at 8:59pm PDT

During my first week here the receptionist was still away on holiday so part of my day included filling in at the reception desk. This was a great opportunity to get to know everyone better and it also helped me to understand how the company works and the amount of clients they have. I got to learn how to interact with clients who met me as a first point of contact when entering the building. I think this extra experience really made me understand the ins and outs of the company a little bit more. Other than the reception work I had a range of different tasks on my first week. I got to do everything from interviewing people for news stories to writing pitch emails to journalists to gathering and researching communications materials for a variety of clients on various topics. One of my tasks was also to write a media release for a new medical smartphone app announcing their nominating for an award. I found the whole process of research and writing very interesting. Overall I have really enjoyed my first week. I have learned a lot about the people who work here and how they got to this point and also I have learned a little bit more about how a consultancy works. I have learned that it can be very much an up and down cycle. At times everyone is very busy and it can be incredibly fast paced but then the next week it can switch and everyone will have a lot more time in their hands. I am positive there is still a lot more for me to learn and I am excited for the next three weeks. I cannot wait to see what new tasks and jobs I will be undertaking and what else I will get to be part of. I hope everyone who is already completing their internship is having an amazing time and is making the most of it. It is such a great opportunity to really get to know the industry and be part of it. And for those of you yet to start your internship all I would like to say is just relax and be friendly and do not be afraid to ask questions when you need to. I was very intimidated when I first started but now after being here a week I can see my worries were unreasonable and I should have just been more excited than stressed about little things.

Four days in and lots to share

Hi everyone! Welcome to my first blog post as part of my Public Relations internship. 

Having completed four days of my internship, I wanted to fill you in on all of the things I have done so far. I thought I would start, however, by explaining how I went about securing my placement. 

A month or two ago I decided to sign up for the Curtin Public Relations Students Chapter (PRSC). As I am in my final year of university, I wanted to take advantage of all the resources available. As a result, I started receiving emails listing internship opportunities; one of which was with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).

The responsibilities of the role listed media releases, speech writing and liaising with the media among many diverse tasks. Initially, I was hesitant to apply, lacking confidence and concluding that because I had no previous experience in such an environment, I wouldn’t have a chance. After a bit of thinking however, I decided to give it a go. 

To apply, I had to write a cover letter explaining why I wanted to intern with DFES and what skills and experiences I could bring to the role. With this, I attached my résumé and sent in my application.

About a week later, I received an email asking if I could come in for an interview. Extremely nervous but equally excited, I went in with a collection of works from different Public Relations units, and with a notepad of notes and questions. 

Two weeks later, I found out I had been selected. I was so excited! And with that, I had organised an induction and was preparing to get underway with my first PR internship.  

My role is with the Media and Corporate Communications team. For my induction, I got some great insight into emergency communications, with a fire igniting just a few kilometres from the DFES site. From seeing the fire alert prepared and posted to the website, to the recording of the alert for people to access via the information line, it was a great learning experience and an indicator of the processes undertaken when incidents occur. 

Another aspect I got involved with was the WinterSAFE campaign. An email went around the office asking for potential slogan ideas regarding key messages such as tying items down in bad weather. 

As it was my induction day, I was a little bit nervous to make any suggestions. But with a ‘why not’ attitude, I plucked up the courage to send through my ideas. That afternoon, I was told that three of my slogans were going to be used. This was another great way to realise the importance of just having a go.  

On my first day the following week, I was given the opportunity to start writing a media release and two speeches. These materials are for the upcoming graduation ceremony for the latest Western Australian firefighter recruits. Although the formatting was unique to the Department, completing media releases and speeches in Public Relations Techniques has been valuable learning that I have been able to apply.  

With the speeches, it was interesting to note that both of the readers have very different layout preferences. Not only reinforcing the different ways that speeches can be written, these tasks have also taught me a new speech writing technique. This follows a three point structure, with three key messages making up the body of the text. 

On my second day, with some key feedback, I continued working on and developing these documents. In addition, I got extra practice recording, editing and publishing alerts. For an incident unfolding in the Kimberley that day, requiring advice to be disseminated, I recorded the information which was published to the emergency line.  

The following week, I sorted through speeches from the last six months to determine some relevant events that the Minister could discuss in his graduation address. I had a quick lesson with email responses, looking through some public inquiries and the processes undertaken to respond. I also helped another staff member with some work regarding the new Bunbury based RAC rescue helicopter; completing a one-page backgrounder with up-to-date statistics regarding the incidents it has attended so far.

For my fourth day, I drafted a message for the graduation booklet that will be handed out at the ceremony. I finalised my media release and was given feedback on both speeches. With this, I spent some time making the suggested changes and filling in features like the acknowledgements. In addition, I helped to source some videos for a Media Training Presentation that will work to highlight what to do and what not to do when liaising with the media.  

Overall, I can confidently say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my first few days at DFES. Considering the diverse learning I have attained in such a short period of time, I am looking forward to developing my skills in a variety of new tasks and hope to apply as much of my learning and knowledge. 

Although I am yet to experience the full intensity of emergency communications, I hope that this learning, in line with my crisis communication experience and Public Relations knowledge, will allow me to assist in testing situations. 

In addition, I hope that for anyone reading this who might be looking for an internship, the importance of just giving it a go is reinforced. 

For those applying for positions, take a look at the cover letter and résumé template from Career FAQs. I think they will be really helpful for those of you looking to update your résumé or who, like me, had never written a cover letter prior to looking for an internship.

Good luck! 

First Steps

It’s been great to finally have a break from the stresses that come with #unilife, but for me it’s time to hang up my bikini and take my first steps into the ‘real world’.

The day is finally here.



I’ve been up all night trying to decide what outfit will most effectively portray the fact that I am keen to learn, professional and above all capable of what they are about to throw at me (even if that include ‘I’ll get a skinny long mac topped up- no sugar’.

I’ve taken my first steps into the office with the social precedent of the word intern hanging over my head, and excitement running through my veins. I keep thinking ‘all I’m going to be doing is filing, getting coffees and running errands- I’ll be fine’.  Boy was I wrong.

I thought that wearing the intern paper crown meant doing the slug work, yet in the first hour here  I feel as if I’ve been thrown into the deep end, and I can honestly say that I’m loving it. The work that I am doing is challenging, interesting and it gets me thinking. It’s a great change from my usual boring 9-5 retail job. I get to apply what I’ve been learning at Uni in a real life situation where it’s actually all starting to make sense now.

Media releases, blog posts, ‘what’s happening’ research, social media- you name it, I’m doing it!

I’ve found myself having been thrown into a world of events and public relations that I honestly love doing- and I’m being intellectually challenged every day I’m here, having to push myself and feeling like one of the head honchos and actually contributing to the team and the business operations.

I had the stereotype in my head that an intern will be placed in the corner, doing silly work that doesn’t make a difference in the businesses success, rather just helps them out with jobs around the office. The tasks and to do lists being passed my way include researching client content and Event/PR topics to include in media releases, event listings and blog posts. I’m liaising with companies and clients and surprisingly I'm actually implementing the skills I’ve learnt at University.

Being thrown into the deep end is an understatement to say the least. 

I’m so happy that an Internship is included in my degree as it really has opened my eyes to the sides of an Event Management and PR organisation that I didn’t realise were so crucial to raising business awareness, gaining momentum and reaching success.

Having a large amount of previous Event Management experience I was already aware of the planning and organising that is contributed towards achieving an event- so that to me was no surprise. Yet what has actually been a surprise to me is the work that is done behind these events that have the potential to make as business great, or give them the image as just another Events and PR company. Of course I knew these things existed in businesses, I just didn't realise how crucial they actually are in all aspects of any business- not just PR and Events! It comes in portraying your business and selling yourself to your desired public's and demographics.

I’m realising how important components like social media, marketing and client management are to the success of an emerging organisation in the market, and I know I will definitely embrace these elements of running a business when I embark on my own adventure. It's definitely relatable to me and what I want to do.

The day is coming to an end and I feel like in one day I have already learnt so much. I was required to do research such as content and image publications to be comprised into promotional material for the business. I never realised how significant components such as promotional and informative e-book’s (electronic material) are in showing your public's what you’re made of and what you can offer client's. These are elements of owning your own business that I didn’t realise mattered as greatly as they do, and I can confidently say that I will definitely be implementing this into my own business path and my career.

I’m actually quite surprised at how easily I found I am fitting in to my new environment. I feel like what I’ve been learning at University I am easily able to apply this into what I am working on. The experience from just one day is extremely surprising and I'm gaining experience that will help in making my own path.

Some could say I'm pretty happy where I am right now, and for some odd reason working for free or slave labour as some might say isn't actually as bad as it sounds.

HOW TO WRITE A GREAT MEDIA RELEASE!

How to write a great media release!

Writing a media release is something that we all do a lot of at university; however, writing in the real world is very different. Contrary to the formal language and strict format we are taught there is a lot more room for creativity. Here are my tips for writing a cracking media release.

1.     Grab their attention with a punchy headline!!

It doesn’t have to tell them everything, but it does have to make them want to read further.

2.     Is their anything unique with your story?

Once you have worked it out you can highlight this to set yourself a part from the rest.

3.     Grab attention in your first paragraph!

Your first paragraph should grab attention with exciting language as well as simply telling them what they need to know.

4.     Supply images

Attach a couple of images that a journalist can use.  Anything visually pleasing or that will make their job easier is a good idea.

5.     Provide extra information

It is important to provide all your contact details as well as links to your website and/or social media sites.

6.     Provide text that can be copied

When attaching the media release as a pdf paste the text in the bottom of the email so the journalist can easily copy and paste quotes and other information.

7.     Don’t restrict yourself when choosing media

Make sure you think outside the box when creating your media lists. Are there more than just the average local newspapers that you want to target? For instance bloggers, TV shows, news programs, magazines and directories for what is happening in Perth.

8.     Track attention and build relationships

Keep an eye out for who picks up your story. This is a great opportunity to build a better relationship with these media people by thanking them for the cover and making sure to shortlist them for any future correspondence.

Remember: there are no two ways about it! So find your own style and do some research. Here are some examples of how other people write their media releases:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zach-cutler/press-release-tips_b_2120630.html?ir=Australia

https://publicrelationssydney.com.au/tips-for-writing-a-great-media-release/

Best,
Gemma

What's on my mind? Status content creation

At its core, Public Relations is the management of the face of an organisation and their visible behaviours; managing their public actions in business. Traditionally, this has been achieved through the creation of media relationships - the writing of media releases, media alerts and other relevant information. While these items remain vital to operation in contemporary practice, another medium is on the rise. We’re talking Social Media...and Social Media is talking back (well, sometimes anyway).

These past few weeks in my internship have highlighted the extent of the importance of social media to Public Relations.

It's not that I don't understand the importance of posting current and engaging information about a business, or that I don't appreciate how it can affect public perception. I've studied it in theory and even maintain a social media presence for a local café in Perth. However now I’ve had the opportunity to see real, long-term planned social media undertakings on the scale that's necessary for large organisations. So I've shifted from writing social media for a café in a Word document each week to writing 13 weeks of social media content, 4 posts per week, in an Excel spreadsheet where text, image and links are all detailed.

Writing week to week, the task is a lot easier – each day there is something to talk about that's happening then and there, be it a new menu item or wine tasting. Now, compare that with writing 13 weeks of content in one hit for an organisation where you have limited information to go on. Significant difference. I think I'm developing a personal relationship with Google. It's become my workday friend. I use it to search everything, from industry news that might still be relevant in 13 weeks to random points of related interest to searching #inspo on Pinterest.

I've had a couple of interesting moments in my content creation journey. One piece of content writing I completed for a client organisation's social media was deleted because it asked the audience a question – so it involved a response. I was genuinely surprised by this as my understanding of social media is that audience engagement is desirable and might result in more individuals discovering the page. But as it turns out, that was both its strength and weakness; it required engagement. If the audience didn’t respond it could be seen as a failed post and if they did respond it would require further action which might be a drain on human resources or the action might not be positive.

From a PR perspective, the ability to maintain and control social media is vital in modern day business because it's all about controlling the message. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more - they all provide avenues to portray desired images and present an array information of varying degrees of interest and importance. Social media is great for launching products and announcing events but it isn’t just a method of information distribution, it is also an important method of maintaining a presence and nurturing an ongoing relationship; 4 posts a week over 13 weeks is a significant commitment to that relationship. Planned, created and curated with care, social media is all about the success of the message and, for many businesses, that success is often determined simply by the size of the audience.

Logging out

Bella

Unfamiliar Territory

I must admit, I found the very idea alone of an internship incredibly scary. What will it be like? Will they like me? Am I prepared for this; am I good enough; will I be able to do what they ask of me? Not content with that challenge, I decided to double the fear factor...and undertake my internship in Sydney. On my own. So here I am, blogging from Surry Hills, Sydney in my own tiny house/room in a long stay hostel. I say house/room because literally everything I need is right next to me; my bed is touching the desk, my bathroom is two feet away and my fridge is two feet away from that! Compact living at its best (or perhaps worst?).

I arrived in Sydney on a Sunday night, primed to start my first day in the PR field the next day but it was safe to say my nerves kept me awake a good portion of the night. Location of said internship? Zadro Agency – named Top 5 PR and Marketing Company by Spice Magazine. Just to add to the pressure right?

Before arriving at the agency, I was told by my contact Debbie that the week I arrive would be quite busy due to multiple members of the team being on leave. She wasn’t wrong. I arrived at the quaint townhouse that had been converted into an office, to staff furiously typing away. Debbie was the first to stand and greet me, introducing me to Jacqueline who would be my contact for the next month. I was then introduced to each member of the office, a team of 15 people in total working in the areas of public relations, marketing, digital and social, design and internal communications. After a quick tour of the office area and receiving my Zadro goodies (including Zadro rock candy!), I was put to work straightaway.

My very first task was a media release. I couldn’t believe it. My first thought; this is a dream come true. My second? When is the last time I actually wrote a media release? Turns out these learned hypothetical skills do stick with you and, just in case they don't, there are thousands of other examples on the hard-drive or as we call it here, the Z-drive (clearly, I am an early-adopter of office lingo). Luckily I’m not the first intern to have been dropped into the real world of PR at Zadro Agency, with Jacqueline easing my nerves in saying, “it’s okay, we don’t expect you to know everything yet - the real world is different to uni”. With the aid of the Z-drive and a bit of a Google background search, I completed my first media release and sent it back to Jacqueline. From there it was edited twice, once by herself and then again by Debbie. I was rather surprised at the editing stages of a single media release; you expect it to be edited of course but I had never stopped never to consider the time that goes into the entire process especially in the workplace. This editing process is the norm for all work at Zadro Agency as they strive to provide the best for their clients. Hopefully, I can rise to the challenge and provide my best for the Zadro team as I progress throughout this internship. 

Bye for now

Bella