Short & Sweet - Final Blog

Hi all,

I have now completed my 20 days at the Heart Foundation and can’t believe it’s over already. I feel as though my skill set has been improved dramatically as I faced many challenges during my time. When I first walked into the building I was less than confident in my ability to produce “quality’ public relations work. My nervousness soon passed and I was surprised at how comfortable and confident I became with the work I was involved with.

Over my internship I had several media releases published both locally and regionally, I learnt how to effectively communicate with editors and journalists, I even learnt to juggle multiple tasks without losing focus.  This placement taught me so many things about PR that just does not come across in three hour lectures. The experience I received from this internship was invaluable and I graciously thank the Heart Foundation for having me.

I hope everyone benefited from their respective placements too!

Thanks for reading.

Miles

  

Published Coverage!.... 3200km Away

Hi all,

Thought I would share with you a Heart Foundation Doorknock Appeal article that was recently published in the Kimberley Echo Newspaper. The circulation of the Kimberly Echo spans from the West Kimberley (Broome) to the East Kimberley (Kununurra). This article was a direct product of a media release I wrote approximately two weeks ago and it is a good feeling seeing the hard work paid off. The media release also included interview quotes I sourced from Kununurra local Bridget Parish.

 

(If you wish to see my media release process I have been conducting, see my second blog post titled ‘Media Releases, what a process!’.

 

Thanks for looking, Miles

 

Doorknock Appeal starts! - A timely update!

Hey everybody,

My internship is going smoothly and I have now completed 12 days at the Heart Foundation. The days have been passing quicker and quicker as I have become comfortable with the work I have been doing. The Heart Foundation Doorknock Appeal has now started and media releases are flying left, right and centre. To date I have sent approximately 6 media releases to community newspapers within regional WA to include places such as Karratha, Albany, Kununurra, Port Hedland, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie. The Perth metropolitan suburbs have also been targeted with releases going out to the Western, Eastern and Northern Suburbs of Perth.

The most interesting work I am currently working on is a media release for the UWA staff newsletter and a paper in the Western Suburbs. I am writing a media release on a Winthrop Research Fellow/Professor who is currently involved in a research program regarding ‘Regulators of fat metabolism in lean and overweight women’. I interviewed him a few days ago and it was certainly a great experience hearing what he had to say.

Another positive lately was seeing a published article in the Examiner Newspaper from one of my first ever media releases. We have an external media monitoring service that will pick up any media coverage nationally and give you statistics regarding the reach, audience and dollar value of that free coverage. (However I don’t believe you can really put a value on free coverage)

Well I might leave it there, I need to do some editing and update my final report.

Hope everyone is enjoying their internship.

Miles

Media Releases - What a Process! - Blog 2

Hi all,

It has been eight days now at the Heart Foundation and it certainly has been busy. The last few days I have been working alongside the media and communication manager to help promote the 2012 DoorKnock appeal. You may be familiar with this campaign; it entails an army of 120,000 volunteers (nationally) “Door-knocking” in order to raise 5 million dollars to help fund life saving research and promote community health.

The campaign begins in WA on the 3^rd of September and finishes on the 22^nd.

Last week I officially sent my first media release to a local community newspaper and it was a good experience. (I believe I have sent three or four now) I am glad I remembered what we were taught all those moons ago in the PR media techniques classes. It is surprising how your desk phone becomes an extension of your body, especially when calling journalists and gathering quotes from volunteers.

The whole process of sending out a media release can be quite time consuming as detailed below:

1)     Source a volunteer who is willing to interviewed and photographed for a local paper and has a personal connection with heart disease. (harder than it sounds)

2)     Interview them over the phone to generate quotes to incorporate within the release.

3)     Once typed, send the quotes back to the individual for approval, alongside a media exposure consent form.

4)     Call the local paper and find the appropriate journalist for the media release.

5)     Wait for the approval forms to come back, and then input them within the release.

6)     Send the completed media release to the journalist and hope it will be used to generate a story in the local newspaper.

That is roughly the process, however there is often a spanner thrown in the works somewhere along the lines.

Recently I was also lucky enough to sit in a PR meeting in West Perth within a firm named Devahasdin PR, regarding the ‘smarter than smoking campaign’ running this year. The meeting was conducted with a PR team who were certainly on the ball and very professional. It was great to escape the office for a little while and see how professional PR people conduct business behind closed doors.

If you anybody is interested in learning more about the DoorKnock Appeal or even donating!, Visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/doorknock

Thanks for reading, Miles

 

    

 

First few days! - PR Internship at the Heart Foundation

Hi all,

I am a commerce student majoring in PR and will graduate this year.

So far I have worked a total of six days here at the Heart Foundation located in Subiaco and I am enjoying the challenges and tasks that are coming my way. I have decided to write about the first four days in this blog to keep each blog individual and a little more interesting.

The Heart Foundation was established in 1959 with the goal of aiding cardiovascular research, supporting health professionals, developing promotional activities and assisting those affected by heart disease. The Heart Foundation is a not for profit organisation and heavily relies of the generously of corporate sponsors, the public and the government.

Most people are familiar with past campaigns, however the majority of people recognise the Heart Foundation tick often located on cereals, spreads, certain meats and other grocery goods.

It certainly is a game changer joining the ‘real world’, firstly you dress the part (no more casual dress and messy hair), its now elegant suits, silk ties, cuff links and superior grooming. The office atmosphere is certainly something strange yet interesting at the same time. Here at the Foundation you have your own typical office cubical with all the office amenities shining under bright lights.

My first few days were quite busy with many things to quickly learn such as using the network drives, using outlook, working out the cisco phone and building an excel database for the current 2012 Door-Knock campaign. Overall things are much more settled and productive now.

I shall leave it there for my first blog entry, next blog will discuss the Door-Knock campaign and the work I have been doing.

PS: Does anybody find parking in Subiaco ridiculously hard and strict?

Talk to you guys later, Miles.