Of course after finishing a release, you edit, edit and edit again, making sure it is errorless, attention-grabbing and to the point.

Here are a few ways to be certain your news release stands out from the bulk of others:

1. Get quotes from a third-party person. They expect words from someone within the company or organization, so reach out for an other’s opinion.

2. Since most everyone is involved in the social median realm, provide links to your social media family in your release. Give them opprounities to read deeper into the story if they desire, and make it easier for them.

3. Include artwork. Whether it is a photo, graph, survey, PowerPoint, video, sound byte, etc., these enhance the news and grab attention.

4. Broaden your story’s appeal, while remaining truthful, to be sure the reporter and media are interested in your story.

I’m sure you’ve already heard all of the hype concerning Tiger Woods recently, and if you haven’t, I encourage you to visit www.espn.com, www.tigerwoods.com, or simply Google his name.

I am not going to take any time giving my opinions of the matter and explaining the situation, however I am going to bring up some good PR points we can establish from this case.

First and foremost, as we surely know, be honest.

Because Woods and his wife, Elin Nordegren, stay out of the spot light as much as the greatest athlete in the world can, the smallest act will be amplified in the media to gain exposure.

Disregaurding the accused affairs, the public relations problem was the fact Woods was not honest immediately after the accident last week.

Whether it was his publisist or his own instinct, simply telling the facts of the wreck outside his home would have kept much of the drama and rumors from taking place.

Moral of the story: keep TRUTH and HONESTY at the top of your to-do list!

I recently learned, from an article, how to effectively use social media to master public relations tactics in three steps.

1. Go platform agnostic.

You must realize social media is far more than your followers on Twitter. Although success with this outlet is booming, entertaining, captivating and a great networking tool, if you want to use social media to its fullest potential, dig deeper.

Blogging is key. Facebook fan pages can help overall with building your web community.

2. Be ready for a long term commitment.

“You’re going to engage in continued tactics over a long period of time.” says Adam Singer in the article, http://bit.ly/6jI1Ce.

In other words, don’t expect to create a Twitter account or a blog, use it steadily for two weeks, forget about it and then reap positive results.

You have to continually use these communication tactics to implement goals and objectives.

3. Don’t Forget the SEO Intersection

“There is a nexus between PR, social media and SEO, and savvy PR agencies activate connections between all three, making them play off each other for increased visibility on multiple fronts.” says Singer.

If you participate in social media with your PR goals in mind, you’ll build your brand image and grab attention of other web users.

Let me begin by giving you the definition of a survey.

A survey is a systematic approach to collecting data, numbers and statistics from a population of interest.

Surveys are quantitative, and give us important details with numbers. They aim to collect specific information from the sample population in which the results will represent a larger population within a degree of error.

Surveys are most often conducted through a series of structured and specific questions.

There are many advantages to conducting a survey. They can be completed within a short amount of time, they can be done electronically, in-person, mail, telephone, etc., and specific questions minimize any biased opinions.

You’ll want to follow certain steps when conducting a survey also.

• Clarify the specific purpose of the survey.
• Decide on the methods.
• Write up the questionnaire
• Collect your data/give the survey to the chosen sample population
• Analyze the results
• Interpret the results
• Take Action!!

As exciting as the new era of communications and social media is, it may bring strife to the PR world if certain things aren’t taken into consideration.

It has been pounded into our heads to build relationships over time and be precise about establishing positive ones. Our strategy has also been to use words and writing to tell our stories, not visuals.

Barri Rafferty, senior partner and director, Ketchum New York, asks, “Can we now maintain our role as reputation protector while we convince our clients to take risks?

The answer can be yes as long as we redefine our role in the changing media, which won’t be a cake-walk.

“If you are in this industry today and you don’t feel stretched trying to learn new ways of doing business, you should be concerned,” says Rafferty.

You should challenge all staff members and employees to go beyond comfort levels to master their social and new media skills. If you are all on the same page you’re chances of success are higher and you’ll offer more expertise.

Rafferty also says to attract young talent who have been a part of the technology for most of their lives and who thoroughly understand it. (For juniors in college like myself, this is good to hear!)

“The agencies and corporations that aggressively embrace the transformation and are working to embed digital and social marketing into the discipline will help to earn a well-deserved seat at the digital table,” says Rafferty.

Karen Lee, Warren Miller and Nicole Marostica have all had years of experience in sports and entertainment PR and offer tips, pointers and helpful advice.

First, you must know that every situation is different in the world of sports of entertainment.

Lee is proof that not everyone is a Twitter addict, including her. “Twitter is not my friend!”

She explained that when artists use it their first answer is emotional which is not usually a good thing.

Another point the panelists made was to treat media correctly. Don’t ever think they owe you.

When working with famous people you must be sure you aren’t a fan nor a friend. Keep your relationships strictly professional and do not give your opinions to them. You must keep a balance and maintain your role.

The key is to be honest when dealing with celebrities as the press that will cover them.

They also talked about working as a team. Lee said, “The client is only successful if the team behind them works as a team.” And although you may think you have a one great idea, its possible its not the right idea. Therefore, consider all your opitions and do appropriate research.

Lee talked about how she pushes her celebrities to be involves with community activities and with charity. Keep them clean and remember that not everything is publicity driven!

Miller pointed out that your  number one goal should be to be successful at the end of everyday. He closed with, “Every day is different. You have to have a plan and you have to be prepared to work under the gun.”

Mark Lorimer and David Anderson work together in exclusive event planning for their company. They spoke at the 2009 PRSSA National Conference in San Diego last week and offered members helpful advice to assure a successful event.

They started off by telling us the better pre-planning you do, the better your event will be.

You first want to establish the basics of your event.

• Purpose
• Who is it for?
• Objectives

Second, you’ll profile the event.

• Guests
• Event history
• Budget
• List of event elements

You’ll then move on to specifically defining resources such as; where to have it, when, etc. and then you decide the design and theme.

The men said you want ta clear picture of what you’re working with, and a clear picture of what you want your finished product to be.

Decorations, food and beverage planning, favors and such will follow as well. It is important to be as detailed and tedious as possible when planning an event, if you wish for success.

Helpful websites:

www.groupsite.com

Google Docs

www.Doodle.com

www.BizBash.com

They ended by saying, “Learn as much as you can, identify yourself in teh profession and find a mentor.”

At the PRSSA National Conference in San Diego, CA, a Sports and Entertainment PR roundtable featured:

• Rita Tateel, President, The Celebrity Source
• Harry Medvet, Head of Public Relations, Fandango
• Bill Shaikin, Sports Writers, LA Times; and others

The panelists encouraged students to build credibility and not to be afraid to take on a new adventure.

The entertainment and sports pr industry is different from others because you don’t have to convince people to like movies, teams or celebrities. They are already going to have an opinion about them. Therefore, their responsibilities are somewhat different.

The professionals took time to give PRSSA members several helpful tips, which included:

• Start in non-profit pr, you have the opportunity to do many tasks and take on many projects
• You HAVE to learn how to write, and be a great writer.
• INTERNSHIP & VOLUNTEER
• If you’re interested in sports pr, begin in minor league baseball.
• Find a passion, something you really love, and focus on what area you really want to get into.

They closed  in mentioning mistakes young professionals sometimes make and what you don’t want to do:

• Nothing about enthusiasm gets on their nerves, but lying will.
• It is a mistake to have young pr professionals get on the phone and pitch an idea to a significant person, unless they know the subject and story extremely well.
• Do not work for a firm that requires you to get on the phone, people prefer email!
• You need to have a professional email address, correct contact information and very current resume.

If you’re into fashion apparently you should know mustache shirts are in, in, in! And by mustache shirt I mean a big graphic-printed mustache design on a tee. Thanks to  guest speaker today, we now know the new trend.

Crosby Noricks, founder/editor of PR Couture and www.PRcouture.com, spoke to PRSSA National Conference attendees today on the fashion public relations industry.

“Fashion PR specialists and publicists help apparel companies and retail stores build and maintain a favorable public image,” Noricks explained.

As a fashion PR specialist your main goal is to get client’s merchandise, clothing, accessories, etc. in magazines, on celebrities, on TV and just seen.

Timelines are important when working with magazines because of their deadlines, which can be months ahead of time. Therefore, you must think ahead and into the future.

Another tip Norick gave was to make things as easy as possible for editors, go above and beyond pitching itmes and go the extra mile to prove to them the products you are dealing with matter.

She then went on to explain how social media has changed the fashion industry because lines and products can be leaked so easily. Fashion Week and other events have become unexclusive because of technology. This means the PR department has to work harder and think outside the box to gain attention for their cleints.

She provided us with websites that can be used to upload a client’s line, create look-books, online boutiques and more.

www.polyvore.com; www.smashingdarling.com; www.stylehive.com; www.lookbook.nu; www.twig.com

In closing, she informed us Charlotte Russe clothing is often featured in the CWTV drama Gossip Girl. If you’re anything like me, that’s GREAT news!

“You’re never fully prepared without a portfolio.”

The Indiana State PRSSA Chapter presented conference attendees with helpful tips and information on how to use portfolios to their fullest potential.

In the ever-changing new media society, you can use two types of portfolios; print and electronic.

A print portfolio is an excellent tool to have for interviews to present to the employer. It gives them concrete evidence and showcases your talents and abilities.

A good portfolio will show the professional you are willing to go the extra mile and put in valuable time and effort.

The portfolios can be versatile, changeable and tailored to the specific job you’re applying for.

You must remember to keep your portfolio up-to-date!

The portfolio should include:
1. Resume
2. Personal Code of Ethics
3. Table of Contents
4. Public Relations materials (examples of your work)
5. Research
6. Examples of Creativity (designing)
7. Additional Writing
8. Awards & Achievements

An e-portfolio is basically your personal/professional website. You use it as a branding tool for professionals to get a feel of who you are as a PR person.

It will help to market yourself for career searches and identify your career interests.

Some of the top free portfolio sites are:
http://www.webs.com/
http://www.leadyou.com/
http://www.visualcv.com/
http://www.wix.com/
http://www.weebly.com/

Now all you need to do is choose a username and begin assembling!

Establishing portfolios can be a tedious process and something you should put hard work and a lot of effort into. You want to be proud to show yours off to professionals in the field.