So, you want to be a PR flack?

Even though EndGame PR has only been around as a company for less than six months as of this writing, I do semi-frequently get requests from new college graduates for jobs, internships, or tips on how to find a job. Public relations, I think, is a facinating career for anyone who likes writing, strategery, working to inform via the media, or other communications techniques.

Now, I didn’t actually start out in public relations. I spent the first seven years of my post college life in radio and television news. That work gave me the experience I needed to jump into a media relations job at a non-entry level. That said, here are the tips I usually give folks when they contact me:

*Do an internship: Unfortunately I don’t have the time capacity to be much help to an intern right now, although I hope to be able to be in the future. However, an internship with a corporate, government, or agency PR department is invaluable. Volunteer work for an organization that needs help with writing (any kind of writing) is also a great idea. Not only do you learn your trade, you make contacts. Unfortunately in public relations, as in many careers, it’s as much “who you know” as “what you know.”

*Put together a portfolio: In radio and TV, we asked for an air-check tape to show you weren’t just a pretty face. In PR, the equivalent is a portfolio. If you don’t have a resume full of PR experience, it’s good to have a stack of articles, releases, and other documents that show you can do the work.

*Buy a nice suit: This should be obvious, but to some folks it isn’t. A lot of college students don’t buy that “interview suit” for some reason, and either don’t dress appropriately for interviews or try to scrape something together on the evening before the interview. A lot of agencies these days allow their employees to walk around in shorts and flip-flops, but they still aren’t comfortable with their interviewees showing up that way.

*Know where to search for a job: There are entire books written on this subject. But, if you’re looking for a PR job there are a few key places to search. First, call all of the big and medium-sized agencies. I won’t mention the names of our local Richmond ones here because, well, they’re competitors, but do some research and learn who they are, then call them. You never know what a cold call will get you. Also, subscribe to Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com and set them up to send you all local PR jobs via the email. It’s easier than searching every day for the corporate jobs. Finally, if you’re in the Richmond, Virginia area (like I am) there are a LOT of entry level government PR jobs to be had. The best place to search for them is the state RECRUIT site, set up by the Virginia Employment Commission. All state jobs that are open to the public MUST be posted there. It’s easier than looking in the newspaper. A tip for state jobs that it took me a while to learn: When you see a salary range listed for a state job, the actual top end that’s available is likely somewhere in the middle of that range.

*If you’re still in school, join PRSSA: The PRSSA, or Public Relations Student Society of America is a great resource for learning your craft and making contacts.

*Visit your local PRSA meeting: Joining the Public Relations Society of America can be a bit expensive for your average recent college graduate. However, at least with our local chapter, you can visit their monthly meetings for only $30. That gets you lunch, a mess of networking opportunities, and usually some sort of lecture on a PR topic. It’s invaluable for a PR “newbie”.

*A little luck helps: As with anything, a bit of luck always helps. Being in the right place at the right time is key to any career. However, if you do all of your research and put yourself into the right place, good things are bound to happen.

Using RSS feeds for PR and SEO

There has been much debate by PR folk about how to use blogs to the benefit of our clients. In many cases, bloggers like to be “pitched” even less than jounalists, and unlike journalists they can sometimes get nasty about it in their writings. If they don’t like your company, they’ll say so in no uncertain terms on their blogs. Many of them feel that theirs is a higher calling, and that they don’t have to bow to the PR machine. This is true, but what I’m finding is that you don’t HAVE to pitch them.

Recently, I distributed a news release for my client, Shamin Hotels. It was about the company’s partnership with River’s Bend Golf Club on a golf package website. While we were hoping for news outlets to pick up the story and run with it (I did an email pitch to reporters, in the hopes that would happen) we weren’t really expecting it. However, we also weren’t expecting the response we got from the blogosphere. By writing a quality news release and posting it on a news release distribution site, you can get results these days. Most of the quality distribution services have their own RSS feeds (newsfeeds that bloggers use on their sites) and also have ways to get releases on other RSS feeds. Those RSS feeds were what helped us. If you go to Yahoo and do a search for “Shamin Hotels River’s Bend Golf Club” you’ll find SEVENTEEN PAGES full of links to sites that either posted the golf package release or linked to the version on the release distribution site! This is not only good for the visibility of my client, it’s also outstanding for their search engine ranking.

Is simply posting releases to release distribution sites going to replace strategic public relations practices like story crafting and cultivation of media contacts? Absolutely not. In fact, there are ways to pitch to the highest profile blogs that can get better results than just posting a release and walking away. However, the response you can get from a quality release, and knowing where to put it on the web, shows that there is more than one way to skin a cat!

Very, very, very busy … and that’s a good thing!

It’s been a nutty couple of weeks here at EPR. As you might have read, I signed a contract two weeks ago to work with Shamin Hotels. Well, work is the operative word. They’ve had me working a LOT … and that’s a great thing! In the past two weeks, I’ve written FIVE releases or advisories for them. Four of those releases were distributed this week! I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to post them all here or on the main website news section. Updated 6/16/06: The releases are now posted in the endgamepr.com website news section!

Surveys: Food for Reporters

I like to think of public relations as filling the belly of the news animal. That animal is getting bigger and bigger, with cable outlets, niche magazines, the Internet, and now blogs. Surveys are a great way to feed the animal and make sure you get the publicity you want. If you don’t have a strong news hook, such as the cost of health insurance, go quirky … the quirkier the better! Below is an outstanding example of a survey with a high “quirk rating.”

—————————

Toilet Issue: New York City Named Nation’s Cloggiest

Bathroom Obstructions Occur Most Frequently in Eastern Cities, SCOTT(R)
Clog Clinic Survey Finds

NEENAH, Wis., April 24 /PRNewswire/ — While nearly two-in-five
Americans have faced a blocked toilet, residents of New York City
experience clogs more frequently than other cities — earning it the title
of the nation’s cloggiest city. Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and
Philadelphia follow, according to a national survey commissioned by
SCOTT(R) Tissue and Clog Clinic. Residents of Seattle/Tacoma encounter the
fewest toilet obstructions.
The SCOTT Clog Clinic, an authority on common-sense solutions for
avoiding stopped-up toilets, sponsored the survey to help Americans
understand just how much of a nuisance a toilet clog can be and to offer
common-sense ways to avoid such toilet-paper dissolve-ability problems. The
release of the survey also comes as National Plumber’s Day is on April 25.
“Our Clog Clinic researchers have been studying toilet-plumbing
problems since 1996 and they maintain that clogs can be avoided if proper
steps are taken,” says Stu Schneider, SCOTT(R) Brand associate marketing
director. “And using fast-dissolving toilet paper can help prevent clogged
toilets. Both SCOTT(R) 1000ct and our new SCOTT(R) Extra Soft breaks up
four times faster than the leading brand and are septic safe.”
Clog Clinic researchers say toilet clogs frequently occur during heavy
flushing periods — like halftime of the Big Game and Black Friday, the day
after the Thanksgiving feast. The Clog Clinic says others most at risk of
clogs and plumbing issues include those with low flow toilets, a
septic-tank system, homes with older plumbing, and RVs or a boat with a
toilet. One-of- four survey respondents say weddings or other large parties
held at someone’s home come to mind for being the cloggiest occasions,
followed by the day after Thanksgiving, 19 percent; the Super Bowl, 18
percent, and Christmas, 13 percent.
The Clog Clinic survey found that 30 percent of respondents have
experienced a clogged toilet at a restaurant, 24 percent at work and 22
percent at someone else’s home other than their in-laws. Fourteen percent
experienced a stopped-up toilet while visiting in-laws and 11 percent when
entertaining guests at home.
In addition, many stopped-up toilets occur when nontraditional items
are flushed, including disposable diapers, facial tissue, paper towels or
napkins, cat litter, feminine-protection products and even a cell phone or
iPod. The survey found that 32 percent of respondents have disposed of
facial tissue in the toilet and nine percent have flushed feminine
products. Two percent flushed cat litter and one percent did the same with
disposable diapers. Asked the oddest items they have flushed, 12 percent
list a toy or ball and six percent say a fish. Two percent have flushed a
cell phone, iPod or other device, while one percent admit flushing money or
keys down the toilet.

Among other survey findings:

1. 37 percent of respondents say no one takes responsibility for
clogging the toilet in their home, while 33 percent say they do.
2. 57 percent believe men are more likely to clog a toilet than women,
while 80 percent believe children are more likely to stop up a toilet
than adults.
3. 17 percent have called a plumber to deal with a clogged toilet, while
87 percent have used a plunger to unclog a blocked toilet and
32 percent have just left the clog to sit for awhile.
4. 41 percent say their sewage and drain system can’t handle too much
waste at a time, and 70 percent completely agree that toilet clogs
“are a real headache.”
5. 14 percent have faced embarrassing clogs while visiting their in-laws

Here are the top 10 cloggiest cities, based on a survey of 2,500
Americans in the top 25 markets:
1. New York
2. Miami/Fort Lauderdale
3. Los Angeles
4. Philadelphia
5. Houston
6. Atlanta
7. Chicago
8. Portland, OR
9. Indianapolis
10. San Francisco Bay Area

The cities with the lowest clog rating are:

1. Seattle/Tacoma
2. Denver
3. Minneapolis/St. Paul
4. Orlando Area
5. Baltimore

On behalf of the SCOTT(R) Brand, the Ketchum Global Research Network
commissioned a survey to determine the cloggiest markets in America.
Specifically, the survey sought to quantify:
– Cloggiest & least cloggy among DMA cities and C&D counties
– Americans’ experience with clogged toilets
– Feelings about clogged toilets
– Type of items flushed down a toilet
– Perceptions of clogged toilets
– Knowledge about clogged toilets

Call on the Clinic
SCOTT Brand officials urge a “Call to Action” to address what its
researchers consider a clogging crisis, by visiting
http://www.SCOTTClogClinic.com , where consumers can find a wealth of
information and helpful advice concerning clogged toilets.
“Why SCOTT Tissue? We’ve been bringing consumers common-sense solutions
for more than a century,” said Schneider. “None of us like it when true
toilet terror strikes and, by providing practical solutions to avoid clogs,
we help ourselves and our plumbing community.”

About SCOTT(R) Products
SCOTT Products, including bath tissue, towels and napkins, is one of
the largest manufacturers of tissue-based products in the world. It is part
of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation family of global brands, which play an
indispensable part of life for people in more than 150 countries. Every
day, 1.3 billion people — nearly a quarter of the world’s population –
trust K-C’s brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health,
hygiene and well-being. With brands such as KLEENEX(R), SCOTT(R),
HUGGIES(R), PULL- UPS(R), KOTEX(R) and DEPEND(R), Kimberly-Clark holds the
No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with
the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company’s 133-year history
of innovation, visit http://www.kimberly-clark.com .
Survey methodology: The Ketchum Global Research Network worked with
Braun Research to conduct the consumer survey. A total of 6,000 interviews
were conducted using a telephone panel methodology. One thousand interviews
were conducted among a nationally representative sample of adult Americans
and 100 adult respondents were interviewed in 50 markets.

SOURCE SCOTT Bath Tissue

###

Big Client Win for EPR!

I’m VERY excited to announce that EndGame PR has been selected to provide public relations services for Shamin Hotels.  Shamin is the largest hotel management company in Virginia!  This is huge for a new firm like ours.  Here’s the release we put out earlier this week:

——————————

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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