BLOGGING IS THE NEW BLACK

If you have a computer, a phone, a tablet or any devise that connects to the Internet, I can almost guarantee that you have stumbled across some form of blogging. It is even rumoured that there is no longer a count for how many blogs exist in cyber space these days as the number is so great and increases so rapidly it would be too hard to keep track.

We need to remember that Blogging has expanded past the traditional forms and has expanded into Micro Blogging such as twitter and Video Blog just for a few examples.

I know that I personally have been aware of the existence of blog for a while now and do even read and follow a few myself. However, I have never truly realised the true potential and value that a blog can hold.

During the time I have spent at my Internship I have come to realise how much of an asset a Blog can be, but even more so, a relationship with a Blogger. It may not be the case in all industries but for the Industry I have been involved in Bloggers are the new Media power player. They have taken such a large role in influencing certain publics and can have very strong and loyal followings.

A large aspect of my Internship is Media Relations, so in the beginning I started to build a media guide of the outlets I felt were important the company builds relationships with. I followed the traditional paths of newspapers, magazines, journalists, reporters but it was the blogging world that really attracted my interest the most. With page upon page of Blogs that focused on my industry not to mention located locally in Perth, this became a large aspect of my research.

I have found that Bloggers are actually a key media for this industry and any company within my industry. The particular target market that we aim to reach really values the opinion of bloggers within the industry so to have this segment on side became of key importance in the companies media relations planning.

Blogging really has become an outlet to watch, and one to make sure you do not forget when it comes to whom you want to build your media relationships with. Considering current trends and the amount of people moving from paper to the Internet, I can only see their presence getting stronger.

Just because individually they may each be just a little fish in the big sea of the Internet, combine them all and that is a great amount of power you are not harnessing or that could be ultimately working against you.

Find out if people blog about your industry today, you will be surprised about what you find.

Happy Blogging!

My First Client

My First Client

My first client experience was somewhat daunting but very satisfying at the same time. I mentally prepared myself for what was my first attempt dealing one-on-one with an actual client. As I was placed in charge of the publicity campaign for this client, it was imperative that I addressed all objectives for the publicity campaign and asked relevant questions that would aid in my research.

I sat down at the local coffee shop with Public Relations Director Lauren to meet with our client. As we waited, I had a million thoughts floating through my head about whether I was prepared, had I thought through what I should say? Have I actually learned anything from my degree that I could put into practice? Will the client appreciate my ideas? As I contemplated all of this the meeting began.

Our client was amazing and the meeting was a breeze. Aside from learning valuable communication skills between client-consultancy relationship I also learned the importance of client confidentiality and the risks that are involved with this in the workplace that can be detrimental to your career. Finally, it dawned on me that confidentiality in the workplace holds great importance, something that I had never thought about in detail before this meeting. 

Communicating directly with clients through email and phone is also something I have had to adapt and learn to do confidently on my own. I soon realised how imperative it is to always keep the client happy and updated but to always maintain a strong and positive relationship with journalists and to have a sound understanding of the media world and its inner workings.

I am now well aware that the media relations industry is much more diverse than I initially thought and is quickly moving into a more complex and ambiguous world for public relations practitioners. 

Please see On Deadline Fourth Edition by Carole M.Howard and Wilma K.Mathews for more information. 

By Georgia. 

Getting the Pitch Right!

My internship at Devahasdin has gone by so quickly and I have been lucky to learn and experience so much about public relations and working in consultancy.

Over my placement I have worked on a range of different tasks for various clients but one task I have been doing regularly for the client Waterford Plaza is pitching stories to the local community newspaper, The Southern Gazette. I have had two pitches; one for Burger Edge and their fundraiser for paralympian Nigel Barley and the other for Supa IGA’s International Food Festival appear in ‘The Fast Lane’ section of the paper.

More recently I was responsible for preparing a pitch for Mo’s Mobiles Waterford Plaza and their ‘Recharge and Reach Out’ fundraiser that was running from June to August. First I had to contact Aloysius the store manager and conduct a brief phone interview to gain further information about the fundraiser which he was more than happy to provide knowing the coverage from the local community newspaper would encourage more shoppers to get involved and help reach the fundraising target. From there I compiled the information and prepared a short pitch, which was approved by Kat my mentor before I sent it off to the journalist at The Southern Gazette.

The pitch was successfully picked up and the next stage was the fun bit - attending the photo shoot at Waterford Plaza! I really enjoyed overseeing the pitch, which turned out great appearing in this weeks Southern Gazette:

Writing a pitch was new to me when I first started my internship and I was surprised to know that I only had to write a couple of interesting sentences with all the key facts. At first I found it challenging to achieve less is more with the pitch as I was used to writing longer media releases for university assignments. After a few attempts and edits by my mentor my pitches were good to go!

From being responsible for pitching stories I quickly learnt the importance of media relationships and respecting the journalist’s time and deadlines. It is always best to pitch earlier in the week and if a journalist responds or asks for further information always provide it promptly otherwise they will move on to another story which means your client misses out and that journalist may be reluctant to pick up another one of your pitches.

My internship is fast coming to an end but I am sure there will be plenty for me to do and learn before I finish up!

Caitlyn