Data on the Motrin Mom Crisis

In Dr. V’s PR class we discussed the Motrin Mom crisis and how twitter and blogging escalated the crisis.   The following blog post analyzes data and provides graphs about the disscussion of the crisis on Diggs and Google.  Two pieces of advice that the post gives  that I found correlated with our principles of crisis communication are as follows:

• Apologies are cheap and can diffuse a crisis if caught soon enough

• People go to search engines when a crisis breaks out so monitor these sites as well as other online discussions

Data is a way to show that your PR efforts work and these graphs show that Motrin’s PR efforts diffused the discussion the crisis in a matter of a few hours.

Blogging

I came across a very interesting post on blogging and what makes a good blog.  It is in interview format which makes it a very easy read and I found the advice useful.  The interviewee, Penelope Trunk, gives advice to new bloggers, what to write about, how to write and the importance of blog headlines.  Check out this interview I think that you will enjoy it too.

PR Portfolios and Resumes

Brett Turner, PR Director for Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions, was the guest speaker for the Clemson PRSSA meeting on PR Portfolios.  He spoke to us about resumes, interviews, and PR portfolios.

• The most important ability of a PR practitioner is WRITING!
• PR practitioners are master communicators.

Rules of Resumes

• Include a cover letter with your resume. This is the most important thing to include with your resume.
• The cover letter is what separates you from other people.
• Do research about the company.
• Connect how your experience can tie in and help with the clients at a specific company/firm.
• Write well. Don’t not have mis-spellings in your resume, cover letter, etc. Spell check does not catch everything.
• UNDERSTAND THE AUDIENCE THAT YOU ARE TALKING TO. Know the company’s niche.
• Re-contact the company and be assertive. This will let someone know you are serious.
• Don’t forget to write a thank-you note. (handwritten- most company’s are lead by older generations)

PR Portfolios

What should a portfolio do?

• It is to gain attention. It is for someone to remember you.
• Stimulate interest. A portfolio needs to pull the employer in and engage them. Make someone look further and want to delve in.
• Build a desire.

What needs to be in a portfolio?

• Don’t fluff up a resume.
• Include writing samples.

Styles of PR Portfolios

• many styles: 3 ring binder
• start with a very general cover letter (where your from, what you have done, what you enjoy, etc.)
• next resume.
• keep its in a chronological order from earliest to latest.
• showcase your writing skills, if you did an event, etc.
• Include references. Usually 3.
• make it easy.
• you don’t need a lot.

Interviews

• Ask questions to the interviewer. Smart, thought out questions.
• ex: Are the people I am going to be working with here today and can I meet them?
• ex: What skills do I not have to be successful in this job?
• ex: What is going to be my day to day role? What is a typical day like?