Two broadcast journalists visited the BYU PRSSA meeting on Oct. 7, 2009 bringing with them their experiences and advice for PR practitioners on how to work effectively and develop relationships with broadcast journalists.
Caroline Christiansen was a news anchor with KSCG in St. George, Utah and is now a graduate student at BYU. She has been nominated for several regional Emmys and started a cable news show while a student at BYU getting her bachelor’s degree. Caroline shared her top eight suggestions for PR people to have good relationships with broadcasters.
1.Be credible 2.Be presentable – have good grooming habits, take a few seconds to look in a mirror before going in front of the camera, less is more, simple is better 3.Be conversational – tell the audience a story, you only have one chance to get your message across, look at your interviewer 4.Be concise – many times you won’t have more than 15 seconds 5.Have confidence – do your research and know the answers 6.Show emotion – demonstrate passion for what you do, be engaging and exciting 7.Post-game analysis – ask for feedback and criticism to always get better 8.Have fun, be nice and be good to work with – broadcasters want to help you if you are nice and easy to work with
Jen Stagg is a news reporter for KSL in Salt Lake City. She came from reporting a story to share her advice with BYU PRSSA. Jen gave her top ten tips for public information/affairs officers when working with broadcast journalists.
1.Be accessible – answer your phone, return reporters’ calls, be willing to meet with reporters anywhere and understand their deadlines 2.“You help us, we’ll help you” – when you cooperate with broadcasters they are more apt to help you 3.“Anything you give me is better than nothing” – reporters hate “no comment,” find out what you can say to give them something because it is better than nothing 4.Press releases are not the same as a sound bite 5.Don’t use language that is foreign, obscure or hard to understand for news watchers, don’t use legalese 6.“We know you have an agenda, we do too.” – give the reporter the news, don’t make the news secondary to your organization, make your organization part of the story 7.Don’t worry if you mess up – it can be edited, most good reporters will not take advantage or your mistakes, ask if you can do it again 8.Write press releases like a story – find the story 9.Don’t make things harder than they need to be. 10.Understand the beast – know how broadcast news works, understand the deadline and sound bite Final thought: Build good relationships with media, embrace reporters, they have a job to do too.
PRSSA members also had a chance to practice their skills in front of a camera while being asked questions and be critiqued. Thank you to Jen, Caroline, Trent and special thanks to Lauren for organizing the event.
Congratulations to all the new Executive Board members:
Abram Jones, President Kevin Earl, Vice President of Public Relations Hilarie Laukat, Vice President of Professional Development Michelle Treasure, Vice President of Membership Rebecca Croft, Vice President of Community Relations Laura Peers, Vice President of Fundraising Ryan Bytheway, Vice President of Finances Lauren Lytle, Editor-in-Chief of "The Professional"
BYU PRSSA has won a few awards in the past few weeks. The Bateman team won Honorable Mention for their hard work with their campaign. Congratulations Allison Barker, Carolyn Haynie, Elio Valenzuela, Kate Evans and Nicole Miller! Angela Fischer, a PRSSA member, won the Richter7 PR Student of the Year Award, congratulations to her too! Don't forget to check out the Scholarships & Awards tab to see upcoming deadlines, you could be next!
I'm grateful to belong to a chapter that is so active in providing opportunities for members. I have participated in many chapter events that have helped me to gain a deeper understanding of public relations. PRSSA has also provided some valuable hands-on experiences that I will never forget.
But all of these events and opportunities cost money. In order to provide such a high-quality experience to members, our chapter participates in a unique fund raising program: the Student Group Partnership. A part of the money collected from the BYU Annual Fund is dedicated to support student clubs and organizations. Instead of just giving the money to clubs, the Annual Fund allows students to write thank-you letters to donors in exchange for funding.
The money raised from participation in this program forms the majority of our chapter's budget. Without the help of students each semester, the chapter could not function successfully.
I will be visiting PR classes next week to solicit participation. I hope you seriously consider helping out. You may even get some extra credit!
If you have any questions or would like to participate, feel free to contact me.
After exploring the different aspects of public relations I found my love was in event management. From the time I was little, I was planning events, setting up parties and fun things with my family and friends. I was always told I had a knack for coordinating and I knew it was something I loved. When I found this major and learned of the many opportunities that are available in this field I was ecstatic. I decided to begin my search for event management opportunities to really find out what it was like.
My first experience began with my involvement with the Stadium of Fire. Through networking I was able to get a job position working for the production team, Baruch & Gayton Productions, based in California. As you can imagine, this was a great experience that helped me to really see first hand what it takes to work in events. I have continued working with them for the past two years and am going on my third this year.
I also recently finished an internship at Thanksgiving Point Institute working for the events management team. Working for a non-profit organization is a very different experience when it comes to events. Funds are low and a lot is required of you as an event manager. I learned the ups and downs of event managing and have often asked myself if this is really what I want to do.
Internships and experience is the best way to figure out if that type of lifestyle really is for you. While event management is really fun and rewarding it has it's downsides. The hours are crazy--some days you will be putting in 10-15 hour days getting ready for an event, running the event and then taking down the event. It is exhausting and requires a lot of time away from home, particularly during the night time hours. Organization and a love for this field is essential to succeed and enjoy this type of industry. These experiences have helped me narrow down what I want to do, what kind of company I want to work for and what kind of lifestyle I am willing to have.
The best advice I can give is find something you love, something you are really passionate about and go into that industry. Get experience early to learn what works for you and learn to enjoy every minute of it!
If you missed PRSSA and the Love Communications tour last night, you missed out big time. It was great. Thank you, thank you to Love Communications for making this possible. We were invited by the University of Utah chapter to join them, thank you for thinking of us!
We got to see the sweet layout of Love's offices and studio and then had a great Q&A session with two of their PR people: Kelly and John. The questions ranged from how to get that first internship to how to make the most of your education. We also discussed what to expect your first few years in the PR field and how to be prepared for them.
The insight given was invaluable and the networking between students and Love Communications was just as good. Kelly and John have had years of experience and know what it's like to enter the field. They had first hand advice about how to make yourself marketable. They also shared some great success stories of PR campaigns they have worked on gave pointers on how students can strengthen their PR skills now so they will be more valuable once they enter the field.
Again, thank you Love Communications for hosting us and thank you to the University of Utah of putting the event together.
For those of you who attended, what were your favorite parts? What were some takeaways you would share with people who missed out?
It’s the New Year and it’s the time for new resolutions. As you are planning your path to graduation and preparing yourself for a career in public relations, don’t forget to add BYU PRSSA’s Interlock mentorship program to your list.
There is a lot to be said for learning in the classroom and even for learning outside of the classroom—think BradLab or PRSSA’s chapter clients—but there are some things you just won’t learn unless you ask. So why not ask someone who has been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt? Here I go. Maybe you’ve heard me make my spiel for Interlock. Maybe not. Either way, I’m about to make another shameless pitch. Interlock is a program designed to pair students with professionals to better prepare them for the ‘real world’ of PR. What will life in an agency be like? What skills do I need to make me competitive? What should I include in my resume and how should I format it? What will employees look for in my portfolio? How do I get started if I want to end up (insert hypothetical career destination here)? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions (or if you should be asking yourself these questions) the Interlock mentorship program is for you.
Local professionals from all walks of PR—agency, corporate, design, entertainment, high tech, international, non-profit and sports—eagerly await the student with whom they can share their experience and expertise. Trust me, they’ve told me so. Interacting with your mentor may be as simple as a phone call, a lunch meeting, or an office visit. Whatever it may be, it will make a world of difference.
“Great. You’ve sold me. Now how can I get involved?” If you’re interested in getting involved, e-mail me at prssa.interlock@gmail.com and I’ll send you our Interlock application that asks a bit about you and what you want out of the experience. I will pair you with a mentor that can best meet your needs. It’s then up to you to contact your mentor, meet with them as much as you like, and then report your results back to me so we can share your success story, and yes, it will be a success.
So instead of buying that Gold’s membership you’re never going to use or wasting time with low-cal, low-carb meals you’re not even going to like, apply for BYU PRSSA’s Interlock mentorship program and make the most of your 2009.
Hi everyone! We, as a board, are so excited about this upcoming semester. We have lots of big plans and lots of ways for members to get involved. Some things to look forward to include the Crisis Challenge, Reverse Mentoring, the Etiquette Dinner and the Golf Workshop.
Our goal in PRSSA is to provide "tomorrow's experiences today." We do this by making sure every member has a chance to be involved and help run our chapter. PRSSA provides a variety of hands-on experiences for its members and the beginning of a new semester is the perfect time to find a way to be involved. Please check out the committees page and if there is something that interests you, let us know! PRSSA is run by its members. We have amazing, dedicated and passionate members that make up an amazing chapter.
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