Be bold, develop a brand voice and differentiate yourself: Lessons from my PR internship

When I interviewed at (W)right On Communications, I was asked, “What makes you different from the other candidates applying for this position?” I confidently answered the question because I knew others would see it as a temporary opportunity to get a taste of the PR profession. I, however, had no intention of treating this job as if it was just another internship, but rather, as the start of my career. Maintaining this mentality throughout my internship challenged me with opportunities that seemed intimidating, while I quietly observed and absorbed from this stellar team.

It would be easy for me to list all of the skills WOC has taught me, like drafting a formal press release, researching media contacts, or how the cost of a stamp actually matters when sending snail mail (I’m a millennial, give me a break). However, working here has taught me more than just technical things that I can easily Google on any given day. The best thing about (W)right On is the small team of PR pros that bring genuine passion and commitment to their jobs. The intimate nature of the agency allowed me to learn deeper, more valuable skills that a web search doesn’t have the capacity to. These are a few of the many things that WOC has taught me that I will cherish and carry with me as I grow in the PR industry:

  1. Be bold and dive in feet first: When we welcomed new Communications Coordinator Danielle Cobb to the team a couple months after my internship began, I was instantly drawn to how confidently she jumped into her new role. Her aura just fit in with the atmosphere of the agency as if she had been with WOC far before I had been. Although Danielle had just moved from the Bay Area, she was confident in her ability to talk about client partners in San Diego. As we got to know each other, she would tell me how she was making new friends using Meetup.com (a website that allows people new to a city to find others in the same situation and meet based on age and common interests). I was so inspired to be around someone who was not afraid to take initiative and be bold doing it. She wanted this job, so she made sure she was giving her all to it. She wanted to make new friends, so she used her resources to make that happen. Moving forward, I will always remember that if I want something, I have to be bold, put myself out there, and just go for it. The world isn’t going to hand things over to me, it is up to me to find the opportunities I want and confidently take them.
  1. Public Relations is a profession for people who think of others before themselves: One of the first times where I felt like a PR hotshot was when Communications Strategist Chance Shay asked me to collaborate on poster ideas for a client partners’ Halloween event. Although I shared some great ideas, they didn’t necessarily work because it wouldn’t appeal to the intended audience. The ideas I suggested included references that were a bit outdated for the target audience of elementary school students (the revelation of which prompted my mid-life crisis at age 22). Although my seemingly suave suggestions didn’t work, the lesson here was simple: working in Public Relations requires a person who can think of others before themselves. I had to step outside of Philip and put myself in their shoes to achieve success. Even when Chance asked me to search for media opportunities for potential client partners, I was reminded that constantly thinking about others is how you not only succeed, but also exceed, as a PR pro. After all, it’s when you have others’ backs that they’ll have yours.
  1. Every client has a unique voice; it is your job to make sure that voice is heard: My training as a social media guru commenced at (W)right On. Although some people may think that managing social media is equivalent to chillin’ on Facebook and Twitter all day, it is so much more than that. I was fortunate enough to work very closely with Communication Strategist Erica Schlesinger to manage a variety of different social media accounts. The only thing more fabulous than Erica’s insane shoe collection is her way with words and creative ideas. Training with her has taught me to speak as an ambassador. Social media is a very powerful technology; each client has different objectives and motives for using it. You must also be sensitive to the audience that is reading it. The verbiage used when launching a social media campaign for a medical center’s annual charity gala is going to be much different than one for a cool hotel intended for young bachelors. It is a PR pro’s job to make sure that the client’s voice is heard loud and clear, but in 140 characters or less…
  1. Find your differentiator: On my very first day at (W)right On, I asked my supervisor Molly Borchers the one piece of advice that she could give me as I started in my career. She said “Find your differentiator,” and those words have stuck with me ever since. I have learned so much at (W)right On because each of the people that I have worked with has something so unique and irreplaceable that makes them stand out in what they do. I know I have a bit more work to do before I find my differentiator and I am okay with that. As you move forward, all the little things you learn along the way will somehow come together and help you paint the bigger picture, and painting a masterpiece takes time.

I started day one of my internship intimidated, nervous, and reserved. However, I kept the “start of my career” mentality and took in as much as I could, allowing each lesson to crack my shell a little bit more. As I round out the last couple weeks I have left in San Diego, I am a much more aware and confident young professional (I have waited SO long to call myself that) ready to take the PR world by storm. Thank you (W)right On Communications, I’ve loved every single moment!

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Our picks for the top PR, marketing and social media campaigns of 2014

Top PR and Social Media Campaigns of 2014

As 2014 comes to an end, our team reflected on some of the best PR, marketing and social campaigns the year had to offer. Whether it was as extreme as Ebola or as casual as ‘Alex from Target’, here are the top five that made the cut (in no specific order):  
  1. Phillip Singh, Intern: AT&T #SummerBreak campaign
AT&T launched a social media campaign for Summer 2014 that followed a group of eight high school graduates as they spent their final months together before venturing off into the real world. The campaign was such a huge hit that AT&T launched a second campaign the same summer with a new group. The campaign was successful because it massively appealed to the target audience: teenagers. AT&T was able to combine the things that the teens of today can’t get enough of: reality television, cell phones and just about every social media platform out there. The “cast” of friends uploaded YouTube videos, Instagram posts, and Snapchats on the #SummerBreak account which garnered a huge following. It was extremely personal and interactive because followers were able to see the adventures (parties, roundtrips, beach days, etc.) in real time as they were happening, instead of watching an edited episode. This could very well set precedence for the future of reality entertainment and I think its genius. AT&T Summer
  1. Danielle Cobb, Communications Coordinator: Doritos #crashthesuperbowl campaign
For the past couple of years, Doritos has launched Super Bowl campaigns where customers can create their own commercial in hopes of it being aired during the big game. User generated content is always a win in my book. It’s a great way to have people engage with your brand, build awareness and source content all at the same time. Plus, people come up with awesome ideas that Doritos probably wouldn’t have on their own. Doritos
  1. Molly Borchers, Senior Communications Strategist: How a humble little ad became the world’s biggest marketing win
This isn’t actually a campaign, but an advertisement turned viral. Enter the MailKimp. MailChimp, an email marketing company, underwrote the first season of the podcast Serial, which is the most popular podcast in the world. (We’re rabid fans here at WOC.) The quirky little ad, heard before every episode, became a meme itself thanks to an adorable mispronunciation of the brand name (listen here: https://soundcloud.com/mollyfitzpatrick-2/mailchimp-promo-on-serial). Serial producers actually created the ad, getting people on the streets of NYC to read the lines. Then started the buzz on Twitter. Serial2 Serial Serial4 This humble little ad is the runaway marketing success of the year, with more viral success than many Super Bowl ads that cost millions of dollars to air on TV.  From Oct. 3 (the day the show premiered) to Nov. 21, 1,300 tweets mentioned the hashtag #MailKimp. More than 2,400 tweets mentioned Serial and MailChimp together, equivalent to about 12 percent of the 20,200 tweets related to the email vendor during the same timeframe. The ad even spawned a MailKimp Twitter handle and people are gushing about it on Reddit. How’s that for brand awareness?
  1. Julie Wright, President: Community Outreach for a High-Density Residential Development
This was my favorite (W)right On Communications campaign of the year. We organized a series of community open houses for a client with a 13-acre redevelopment project in a tight-knit, well established coastal community. Our team did a great job getting the word out and driving attendance. We coordinated closely with all of the project’s stakeholders—developer, property management, architect, traffic consultants, landscape architects, engineers—to make sure everyone was prepared to speak accurately on the project and answer neighbors’ questions. Traffic, construction timeline, parking, safety, density, height—neighbors had a lot of questions about how they would be impacted by the increase in density. At the open house, we provided visual displays and handouts, directed neighbors to online materials and invited them to attend a series of open houses. We followed up via mail to all neighbors, thanking those who attended and notifying those who couldn’t attend about the online materials and open houses. Overall, we created many opportunities and methods for people to learn about the project and provide their input. Several people came forward to say that they really understood how the project could improve and enhance the neighborhood. Community Meeting
  1. Erica Schlesinger, Communications Strategist: Lay’s “Do Us A Flavor” campaign
This year, Lay’s held their second “Do Us A Flavor” contest where fans were asked to submit their ideas for the next big chip flavor. It had a big enough “WTF” factor (read: interest) to create buzz past the initial “ask” – with flavors like Cappuccino, it was hard not to join the conversation. The campaign leveraged a number of popular digital mediums, especially social media, to get and keep the audience involved. It also built upon an existing popular campaign – sometimes, sticking with classics is the way to go. Lay's    

Don’t Be Guilty of the Two Worst PR Writing Habits

If I read another Tweet, Facebook post or quote in a press release that starts with “We are excited…,” I’m going to shoot myself.

There’s only one person in the world who is excited by your excitement, and that’s your mom.

What I need to know is why I should care. Why is this at least interesting to me?

Call it WIFM (What’s In It For Me) or just common sense, but your communication—be it 140 characters, a 10-minute speech or an entire campaign—must meet some basic need in your target audience for it to be effective.

The only sin worse than “We are excited…” or “We are pleased…” in a press release quote is to open your release with the awesomely redundant lede, “XYZ Company announces today that…”

A press release is an announcement so it’s quite unnecessary, Captain Obvious, to tell the reader you’re announcing something. That is assumed. Seeing this laziness makes me want to put a stick in my eye.

What if every press release followed this mundane structure? Then, I beg you, put two sticks in my eyes. (I’m sure journalists who look at hundreds of press releases each day feel the same way. If you’re a journalist, I’d love to hear your press release beefs in the comments section below!)

Sadly, a search of PRWeb’s news feed showed over 20 releases with quotes containing “We are pleased…” in just one day!

These are the bane of even mediocre, let alone good, PR writing.

So fight the urge to boast.

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Add a touch of creativity to stand out.

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And avoid stating the obvious.

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How can you avoid these writing traps? First, just try harder and think before you write!

If you are stumped, an easy fix is to pay attention to the verbs. They are the most important element of speech in your communications. What is the action you are announcing? Winning an award, reporting financials, signing a major contract, acquiring a company, advancing a cure for cancer?

Replace “announce” with that action so that the lede is focused on the newsworthy action.

Here’s another essential writing tip: Always put your audience’s needs first. This is the first commandment of good communication. And when you live by it, you’ll avoid the sin of self-serving excitement—a.k.a. press release masturbation.

Put your audience’s pleasure ahead of your own if you want a loving and lasting relationship with your target market.

This is particularly helpful when you must write about events of questionable newsworthiness but great C-suite excitement. These include industry awards, new executive hires or partnerships.

Try applying these strategies:

  • Does your news meet an emotional need in your customer? Share it in a way that makes them feel good or better. “Even Grumpy Cat nearly broke a smile when he learned about our Super Duper industry award!”
  • Tweeting about a new CEO? Rather than “Our company is excited to welcome…” try engaging your followers to welcome her. “What do you want new CEO Juanita Doe to know about our products and service? #welcomejuanita.” Share responses and show your new CEO that the company’s social media network is a source of important feedback and input from customers and employees.
  • Did you win an award thanks to the support of your loyal customers or the work of your dedicated employees? Make that your message and instead of saying “we are excited,” try “we are grateful.”

Instead of a one-off post about the award on social media, plan a series of posts over a few weeks that profile an employee or a customer who contributed to your success. Create a campaign to raise awareness about the honor as well as grow your community and build goodwill with your most important stakeholders.

This could work for a tech company’s Most Innovative Product award or a resort’s success in reaching #1 on TripAdvisor. Who helped you get there?

What creative or strategic approaches have you had success with?

Sometimes the challenge is convincing decision makers at your client or company that being engaging and interesting is more important and productive than chest beating. Ask them to share the news with mothers and then with their teenage kids. Somewhere between those two extremes is the true indicator of whether anyone cares.

I will concede there are times when your audience may be just as excited about some news as you are, and it’s valid to share in that. A San Diego company might Tweet, “We’re excited that the San Diego Chargers are going to Super Bowl.” That would be legitimately exciting to people in the local market.

Just resist the urge to Tweet, post or speak like a cheerleader—particularly if you’re cheering for yourself—unless conditions really call for a cheerleader.

And never, under any circumstances, announce an announcement. Announce your news.

By Julie Wright, President

 

Falling for Sequoia & Kings Canyon: (W)right On Rocks Latest Press Trip

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This month, (W)right On President Julie Wright and Communications Strategist Erica Schlesinger led a group of six writers on a whirlwind adventure of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and Yosemite National Park. The media familiarization trip, or “fam,” was our second this year. Along with client partner Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, (W)right On’s hospitality public relations team executes spring and fall media fam trips to introduce writers from far and wide to the beauty of these national parks and lodgings like Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, John Muir Lodge in Kings Canyon and Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia.

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The ladies of WOC’s hospitality PR team reached new heights at Sequoia’s Moro Rock

Media attendees included Cynthia Dial, a freelance writer who contributes to outlets including JustLuxe.com; Eddie Rivera, Living Section Editor at Pasadena Now; Anneli Rufus, Travel Editor at Oakland Magazine and Alameda Magazine and regular contributor to publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Huffington Post; Dana Zucker, a writer at TravelingMom.com and owner/editor at TriWivesClub.com and Mom’s Good Eats; TerriAnn van Gosliga, a writer at Tourist Meets Traveler and founder of the lifestyle blog Cookies and Clogs; and Sarah Pittard, a writer at TravelingMom.com and owner/editor at SoloMomTakesFlight.com. Between their main publications alone, the guests reach close to 5 million readers each month.

Group fam

Back row, left to right: Eddie Rivera, Kent Dial (husband of writer Cynthia Dial), Sarah Pittard, Julie Wright and Dana Zucker

Front row, left to right: Erica Schlesinger, Cynthia Dial, Frans van Gosliga (husband of writer TerriAnn van Gosliga), TerriAnn van Gosliga and Anneli Rufus

While past fams have drummed up great results in publications including VIA, Westways and city magazines as well as regional dailies and weeklies, this fall’s was uniquely successful in two specific ways – its social media engagement and the fact that WOC brought writers who lived not just out-of-state (Omaha, Nebraska), but out of the country (Toronto, Canada). The featured properties have accommodated a number of far-reaching writers on individual visits, but this was the first fam to host anyone not from “drive market” states like California, Nevada, Oregon and Arizona. It was a fantastic opportunity to expand reach and forge new connections. And, with a particularly social-savvy attendance base and the implementation of assigned hashtags, the fam secured 103 tweets, 112 retweets and 1,060 Instagram actions, to name a few key metrics. It was also amazing to see how many writers found a new side of themselves in the parks — take a look at how Anneli rediscovered her “Little Me,” Sarah got in touch with her inner nature rebel and Dana saw the beauty and tranquility she never knew she was missing.

From “roughing it minus the rough part” at the AAA Four Diamond Tenaya Lodge, relaxing in its LEED-certified Ascent Spa and dining in its upscale Embers Restaurant; to taking in the USA’s deepest canyon and getting a firsthand look at John Muir Lodge’s brand new look at Kings Canyon; to looking up, and up and up at the General Sherman tree – the largest living thing on earth – and marveling at the Sequoia stars… it was definitely a trip for all to remember.

Want to talk to Julie, Erica and the WOC team about achieving results like these for your properties? Connect at info@wrightoncomm.com or visit www.wrightoncomm.com to learn more.

In a Relationship-Based Industry, the Most Important One is with Your Client

On most agency websites you’ll see some variance of the old cliché “PR is all about relationships.” Successful agencies have strong relationships with journalists covering the beats relevant to their clients and with industry movers and shakers who can open doors. The best PR pros also have relationships with leaders at complementary organizations for collaborations that amplify their results. In PR, it is all about relationships, but the most important relationship to nurture and grow is the one you have with your clients. Luckily, there are easy ways to make sure clients feel the love and remember your name the next time their friend’s company is asking where to find good PR help.

First, don’t send follow up emails. We’re all guilty of the “just following up” notes. Some appreciate the friendly ping as a reminder that something is outstanding on their to-do list and it shows the agency’s ownership of a task. But does it really? Owning a task means you’re seeing it through and making sure you’ve done everything within your powers to achieve the objectives. Ask yourself, “Does shooting a follow up email help me achieve the goals of the project?” Your note might remind them that they need to take action, but what you’re really seeking is the result from their action. Instead of just following up, help them take action. If you just need the client to make a decision, give new insights or perspective to shake them loose. This will also serve as a reminder. If more is needed, for instance, when the client owes you a bylined thought leadership piece, take a first stab at it so they have something to respond to. Even if you missed the mark, it could help them visualize what they want to the piece to look like and they’ll appreciate you getting it started. Which leads to the next point…

Make sure you’re making your clients’ lives easier. PR agencies’ role in business is to help the client make more money. By promoting them, we provide them additional opportunities to do what they already do — whether providing more of their service, selling more widgets or making a larger impact for their cause. Everything we as PR professionals do can be boiled down to whether or not it made it easier for our clients to make more money. In the process of implementing your brilliant communications strategy, you’ll likely run into a log jam. In your eyes, the log jam is caused because you’ve taken a project as far as you can and now it’s in the client’s hands to take it across the finish. It’s true that sometimes it can’t be your face in front of the camera for the morning news segment. However, outside of physically being your client, I’m willing to bet that there is always something more you can do to make their life easier while staying on track with the strategy. Waiting for input on messaging and design for that campaign launching soon? Send them examples of effective campaigns along with a few that tanked and provide some context to better guide their thoughts. Companies and brands hire PR pros because they aren’t experts in communication, we are. Often they’re indecisive because they don’t understand the nuances that separate a good campaign from a great campaign. Make their life easier by helping them feel informed and empowered. A bonus outcome is that they’ll appreciate you for the campaign strategy and results even more.

One of the simplest ways to support a strong client relationship is to provide agendas at all meetings. Whether it’s a quick FaceTime chat on a new tactic or a strategic brainstorm with all the decision makers, providing an agenda tells the client there’s a purpose for the meeting. It’s subtle, but this reinforces agency value. Agendas remind clients why they are spending 60 minutes meeting with you instead of doing something else. Clients appreciate when you value their time and in return, will value yours as well.

Finally, make connections for clients. This is the most impactful tip as you could provide an additional bottom line benefit for their organization. When you’re networking, think about how each person you meet could benefit from connecting with your client, or vice versa. Your new contact might not be a prospective customer, but if it helps achieve the overall goal, (see paragraph one) your client will appreciate it. In addition to providing value, it also shows the client you’re thinking about them and their goals even when you’re not billing.

As Maya Angelou famously said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Be intentional with how you make clients feel and when you foster that relationship, you’ll set yourself up for success.

You only get one chance to make a first impresión

Spanish Learning language

Most people can agree that it is important to communicate with Spanish-speaking audiences – residents, shoppers, customers, patients, voters, and so on.  The demographics of California and the United States make that abundantly clear, but how do you do it?  How do you effectively communicate with Spanish-speaking audiences?

Too often, this is entrusted to employees of organizations who have a Spanish surname, assuming that since they routinely speak Spanish with friends and family, that they must also know how to write and professionally communicate in Spanish.  They were not hired by their organization to communicate in Spanish and often their formal credentials are just like most everyone else’s – a couple of years of Spanish in high school, maybe a couple of years in college.  Organizations often put their employees in the uncomfortable position of being Latino and speaking Spanish but having to admit or hide that they may not have the formal grammatical, writing, and rhetorical training to translate or communicate in Spanish.  Those organizations are sometimes asking their accountant to fix their plumbing, and the results can be embarrassing – jumbled translations in Spanglish that do the very opposite of demonstrating respect for the language and the very population that an organization is attempting to reach.  It is the same case with English:  the number of people who speak English far outnumber the number of professionals who are educated, trained, and skilled in grammar and the art of communications in English.

Professional Spanish-language communications begin with proper respect for the Spanish language and the audiences that choose to receive their news and information in Spanish, even if they might speak and understand English.  It begins with excellent grammar that respects the language of its audience, the kind that takes more than a few years in high school and a minor in college to develop.  Professional Spanish-language communications requires finding ways of cleverly communicating key concepts that if translated literally are literally lost in translation.  Online translation software is of little help here and is not to be trusted.  Professional Spanish-language communicators advise a client on the nuances of culture and language, not just to avoid an embarrassing faux pas (that might pass muster with online translation software), but instead to support an impactful connection that communicates a client’s message with target audiences.  Communicating professionally in Spanish includes advising a client on the appropriate media to deliver the message – television, radio, print, social media, and/or community events and publications.  Should your message air during the midday or the evening telenovela?  Should your earned media be on morning radio or in the newsweekly paper?  And finally, professional Spanish-language communications means being ready to represent a client on-air and in interviews with carefully crafted messages that hit the mark with the audience.

It is good that more and more organizations are choosing to include Spanish-speaking audiences in their communications.  But with this particular audience, just as with any other, you only get one chance to make a first impresión.  It is imperative that it is done well, professionally, and in a way that adds value to an organization’s overall communications.

By Susana Villegas, Hispanic Outreach Specialist