A Week in the Life of a Communications Officer
There is a saying in the public relations world - there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ week. Even though I work in the disability sector, for me this definitely stands true. Although there are certain tasks I do each day, I generally work on something new each week.
As mentioned in my last blog post, I’m completing my internship with NDS WA where I am the Communications Officer. Because NDS WA is a small not-for-profit organisation, my role also involves public relations and marketing initiatives.
The constant in my role is writing, I do a lot of writing every week. From internal documents such as event management plans to external documents such as media releases, every week is different. It really is true what the tutors say, you do need to have strong writing skills to succeed in public relations.
Keeping an eye on the media is also a very important part of my role. This week, for example, there was a lot of negative media coverage on a particular topic regarding disability. As the peak organisation for the sector, it’s important to be aware of what the media are saying.
As a mentioned, each week varies...
Last week I was working on an email promoting a training event using MailChimp. For those of you who haven’t heard of MailChimp, it’s a great website for designing and sending emails, newsletters, invitations and so on. Not only that, you can share your creation on social media, integrate with services the organisation already uses and track your results. And the best part is - it’s free to sign up!
This week I’ve been working on a publicity project which involves a training program that NDS WA manages. I spent the day at one of the sessions to find out more about the program and a newsworthy angle for my media kit. I spoke to people with a disability, support workers and other people who work within the industry. It was very interesting to hear their perspective and insights about the program and other experiences.
And next week I’ll be writing articles for an external newsletter and assisting with an event.
I hope this provides you with some useful insights into the role of a Communications Officer for a not-for-profit organisation.
Until next time,
Jess Fuimaono (14557626)
2 comments:
Totally agree with you Jessica! Writing skills are so so important! At my placement the bulk of what I'm doing is re-writing previous pieces and making them up to date and also creating new pieces that have to be interesting. It’s great to think of your own writing as good but then someone else checks your work and you’re not so sure anymore. It's fun but also challenging isn't it.
Hi Jessica,
In PR, there definitely isn't a typical week so you've got that right! I can imagine it varying for different types of PR such as consultancy to in-house but for the most part I think you're right.
There is always something new, novel or newsworthy that will come up, completely changing your weeks plans whether it be a new event or something simple like a story that needs to be published ASAP. Writing is definitely key and I think university provides the foundation necessary to be able to tackle all of the other things that you've mentioned.
I have found at my in house placement that there are my routines of different writing tasks but this can quickly change with new initiatives or some form of news that requires me to draft up releases and other marketing collateral.
I have never heard of MailChimp so I'll be sure to look it up. My placement purely uses InDesign which is actually a gift from God when it comes to making any sort of document from employee CV's to newsletters which also assist with the company's branding when it's kept in uniform templates. Definitely something you could also look into.
Regards,
Ashleigh Kinder 14866856
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