Joshua Massaro's PR Blog

Crisis Management in Public Relations

joshuamassaro — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 03:16:02 +0000

My corporate public relations professor asked each student to review a chapter in our textbook. My chapter was Crisis Management. I learned many things about this issue, but I would like to highlight three points.

Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. I learned that a crisis situation will most likely happen to each and every PR professional. One can’t predict when these are going to happen, but one can prepare for when it does. Preparation will help the damage to be minimal and end quickly.
Tell the truth, tell it fast, tell it all. It is important for a PR professional to tell the truth and to never lie to the public. Also, it is very important to tell the whole truth. If a professional tell part of the truth or withholds fact it can be detrimental to the company. If a PR professional doesn’t tell the whole story fast and complete then someone else will tell it for them.
Control the message (don’t let it control you.) Dont let the media or the public tell your story. Make sure to be honest, but be smart. Don’t overconfess and DO NOT say “no comment.”

I hope this helps!

10 Things I Learned From My Corporate PR Class.

joshuamassaro — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:52:38 +0000

I learned a lot this year in my Corporate PR class, but here is my top 10 list.

#1 Networking is important: Whether is the traditional face-to-face handshaking way or the newer social media way, networking is important for a PR student. PR students want a career and the only way to get one is to know people who can help you get there.

#2 Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Preparation is something I always have known the importance of, but it seems that it is such a vital aspect in Corporate PR. If you are not on your toes and prepared for anything, then you are only making it harder on yourself and your company.

#3 Blogging. I learned the importance of blogging. Not just fluffy blogging, but actually writing meaningful substance that is meaningful to the readers.

#4 Importance of Social Media. Before this class I thought social media was just for talking to my friends, but know I know it can be used as a valid tool for PR.

#5 Podcasts are Helpful. The only podcasts I had ever listen to before was the occasional sports talk show, but I listened to many PR podcasts and they seem to really help me comprehend PR ideas.

#6 Interview Professionals. Sometimes as a college student it is tempting to think you have everything figured out, but after interviewing a PR professional I learned I had a lot to learn.

#7 How to Produce a Small Campaign. This semester I had the opportunity to help in a campaign for the new Sprint 4g service. Our group put on an event and it was helpful to learn the ins and outs of event planning.

#8 Writing is Essential. After talking to a few PR professionals I learned that writing is essential in the PR world.

#9 Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions. I didn’t know much about Corporate Pr going in to this class. I learned to swallow my pride and admit I didn’t know some things. I learned the importance of asking questions.

#10 Enjoy What You Do. I have learned that I really love public relations and I feel that it is something that I would love to do.

PR Resume Writing Tips

joshuamassaro — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:16:19 +0000

I hope this video helps you in your quest for writing a quality PR resume. I know as a PR student myself I’m very interesting in finding a job in the near future. Again, I hope this video helps a little in that process.

Challenges and Opportunities in the World of PR

joshuamassaro — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:26:13 +0000

Public Relations is an up-and-coming industry. It is projected that public relations will be the one of the top ten fastest growing professions in the years leading up to 2016.

PR is more important now than ever and is being practice all around the world.

Challenges:

Backing up words with actions.
New communication technologies.
Globalization.
The media in general.
Building trust.
Survival

PR is a field that has limitless potential. The more the world grows and the more technology grows, the more opportunities will be available for PR professionals.

Source: Reputation Management.

Public Relations Consulting

joshuamassaro — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:06:52 +0000

PR consultants work in firms that offer communication services and advice to clients for fees.

The Triple Squeeze- Clients, employees, owners.

Tips for Managing Client Relationships:

listen before talking or acting.
know client company’s industry.
be supportive of client’s service or product.
be true to your client.
communicate as much as possible.

Hope this helps.

Source: Reputation Management

Site Stats

joshuamassaro — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:03:49 +0000

As I check my stats on this WordPress blog I learn a lot of things about the nature of my blog. I learn how many people view my site on any given day. I learn why they came to my site and what they viewed. I can see if someone referred a viewer from another site and I can see how people found me on a search engine. These are all important facts that a blogger should know about their site. When you become aware of these stats then you can cater your site to them. It will help you know who’s helping you and what people are wanting to read.

I think it is important for a PR professional to check the stats of their company’s website because it can help them in the things I mentioned before. Knowing who you’re talking to is very important. Analyzing stats lets you do this very thing.

I have been blogging for about two years now and I can’t remember many things more important than analyzing my stats. One good thing about WordPress blogs is that the stats are built-in. This makes it much easier because you don’t have to go to an outside source for your stats.

Another thing that I would like to add to this post is the value of Google alerts. This helps alert you when your name is mentioned somewhere online. I recently used the name of a PR podcast name Coming Up PR. They contacted me about my post. I am located in Lakeland, FL, and they are located in Canada I believe. This just shows the importance of Google alerts because people so far away can see when they are talking about each other. This helps in networking as well as company awareness.

I hope you can how much I believe site stat analyzing is important. I hope it helps you.

Public Speaking

joshuamassaro — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 04:07:03 +0000

In the field of PR, as in most professional fields, public speaking is one of the most important aspects of being professional. Knowing how to speak well in public is a skill than can greatly help a person their career. I would like to share some tips that I have found to help me in my public speaking.

#1 Be prepared. Nothing is worse than going into a speech unprepared. This can lead to an unorganized speech that does not hold the attention of the audience. Everything runs smoother in a speech when the speaker is prepared for what he/she is presenting.

#2 Know your audience. It is very important for a speaker to know who they are speaking to. A speaker wouldn’t want to speak about something that would relate to a younger crowd when speaking to an elderly crowd. It is important to relate to your audience so you can connect with them.

#3 Dress to impress. It is very important to look the part when you are speaking in public. Appearance is the first thing people will notice about you. Make this first impression count. It may make or break your speech.

#4 Speak up. Having a clear voice is important during a speech. Make sure to speak loud enough that everyone can hear what you are saying. If you put a lot of time into the speech then you want people to hear what you are saying.

#5 Make on outline. DO NOT read your speech word for word. This can be a huge turnoff while listening and it can seem very unprofessional. Make a shell of a speech and go off that. In doing this, you can sound more impromptu and professional.

#6 Be passionate. Be passionate about what you are speaking about. Even if you are not originally interested in the topic you have to train yourself to be. This will make it much easier to learn about the topic ad present a quality speech.

#7 Use PowerPoint in Moderation. Don’t put your whole speech on PowerPoint slides. If you are using PowerPoint make sure to put only a few words on the screen. Also, don’t use too many pictures and keep the font away from the extreme looks. Only refer to your PowerPoint.

#8 Practice. I have found practicing can be one of the most helpful things when preparing for a speech. The more times you recite the speech the more smooth it will go.

#9 Be genuine. You will never connect with a crowd if you can’t make them think you are genuine about what you are talking about. This can be key in persuasive speeches.

#10 Relax. It can be very scary speaking in front of people, but remember its just a speech. Don’t let the fear grip you. Think of something that calms you and attack the speech with everything in you.

Corporate Responsibility

joshuamassaro — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:35:28 +0000

Corporate Responsibility- meeting the expectations of stakeholders beyond philanthropy and legal compliance.

Who are stakeholders? They are customers, employees, and investors. They also can be media, policymakers, and international organizations.

Best practices of Corporate responsibility.

Demonstrate responsibility.
Get the facts.
Engage the critics
Earn credibility
Be transparent.

To name a few……

Source: Reputation Management

A Look at Crisis Communication

joshuamassaro — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:42:10 +0000

After speaking with many public relations professionals I have found that there is no typical schedule, week, or even a typical day. I have found that there is one thing that a PR professional can count on is dealing with crisis situations. This is something that a PR professional has to prepare for and something they have to react to very quickly. Responding quickly is not enough. The response that is given is most likely going to be scrutinized, so the response must be correct.

There are many things to do during a crisis and also many things not to do in a crisis. The way a PR professional handles the crisis will reflect on the company.

When a crisis happens the story must be told. Do not stay silent. There is a really good reason for this. If you don’t tell the story somebody else will. The media will speculate on your “no comment” response and put words in your mouth. The next thing is to tell the “whole” story immediately.

Do not let the truth leak out slowly because this will cause problems for you and your company down the road. It will look like you were withholding information from the media and this makes companies look bad. Let the publis know that you have given them all the information you know at the time and that you will inform them on new information as soon as you are aware.

So to recap my points:

Tell the whole truth.

Tell the whole truth fast.

Don’t withhold information.

Don’t lie.

If you prepare for a crisis it will not be a way to avoid them. Crisis is a real part of public relations and it is something that you will have to deal with on a regular basis.

This is just some information I have come across during my studies. I hope it helps.

Crisis Communication

joshuamassaro — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:20:04 +0000

There are things to do and things not to do when a crisis happens in the world of PR.

Don’t:

Ignore the problem
Tell half-truths
Over-confess
Shoot the messenger

Do:

Tell the whole story.
Tell the whole story fast.
Tell what you are going to do to solve the problem.
Control the message (don’t let the media control it for you).

One thing you can do before a crisis is prepare, prepare, prepare. You don’t know when a crisis will strike or how it will strike, but one you care be sure that it will.

Source: Reputation Management