Comments on: Seven Keys to Unlocking Great PR

By: Katherine L.

Katherine L. — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:59:20 +0000

This is great advice. The first key really caught my attention because as humans, many of us tend to be lazy, and this usually calls for us to be reactive instead of proactive. But what a difference we could make if we were proactive in every situation! I feel like I should be anticipating every move that lies ahead in order to prevent the worst-possible situation from happening, or at least to be prepared when an overwhelming situation arises. Do you have any specific tips about how to become proactive, other than knowing about what is going on and retaining the basic information needed about a situation? What should be my first step in averting crisis when the agenda I have set doesn’t go as I plan? I’m always looking for ways to be one step ahead of the game when I begin my career, so any and all advice is appreciated. I hope to be implementing your tips soon when I start my internship this summer!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:39:01 +0000

Oh archives. My main problem with public relations right now is the first step in the door. People want experience, but we are still students. How is very much experience expected right now?

Your list is helpful. I feel like with blogging we are all “in the know” more than we were before this class. I have also read several things that have helped with the job hunt. I just wonder if these self-help kind of tools will really pay out in the end. Call it my frustration with even finding an internship outside of our little “loveliest village,” but I feel like I’ve done them. I have set high goals for myself. I would never go into an interview without google “newsing” the company. So, while I appreciate your wise words, is there really one specific thing that companies are looking for? People person, check. Focused on results, check. Identify your position, check. I’m sure you get my drift.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:21:29 +0000

I saw where some of my classmates have stopped by and commented in the last couple days, so I thought I would catch up on some of the archived readings as well. These keys seem like they would be common knowledge, but sometimes it nice to just be reminded of what it is that we need to strive for in our profession.
I was always told that since I am a “people person” I will be great in this field, but Im glad you have outlined why it takes more than being just a socializer. Number 2 and 5 really hit home for me. I like to focus on my results and aim high. Also, my pet peeve is when people are uninformed about anything that they should know about. It especially bothers me when someone asks about current events and people don’t know what is going on in the world today.
Just as being informed about the company you are applying for or the person you are interviewing is important, it is also important to know how outside events will affect your company or the subject of your story. Thanks for all the great advice!

By: Dana

Dana — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:36:17 +0000

I thought all of these keys were very good at pointing out what all goes into PR. The one that stuck out the most to me was key #5 Be in the Know. In class, we are constantly reading about new technology and other new concepts in the PR world. Our teachers try to get us to keep up with the changing time so that we will be a step above the rest when we graduate. However, the education won’t stop once we get our diploma. Especially in the PR world, things will always be changing and if you don’t keep up you will fall way behind. Companies don’t want PR practioners that are stuck in the old days. They rely on you to be keep yourself educated to better represent them. I don’t think students my age realize that the education will not be over once we graduate. We are entering a business that will always require us to read, read, read and understand every detail to be able to relay the message to others.

By: Derek T.

Derek T. — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:24:38 +0000

Dave,
Stephen Covey’s book, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, gave us direction as a general population; I love what you have done by taking it a step farther. One of the ‘habits’ that stood out to me was 4: It’s about Relations. This is obviously important because someone put it in the name. But for some reason since it’s in the name, we don’t always feel like we have to pay attention to it. It is my view as a student that there is not a lot of emphasis on the relations side of the game because it is harder to measure the productivity of relations. But like you said, you can pitch, pitch, pitch and write a million press releases but without the relationships you will rarely be successful. Thanks for the advice.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:09:42 +0000

As I looked through the archives of Marcom, I was glancing by the enrty titles to find something I thought would be useful. If I ever see a list of things that will make me a great PR professional I am drawn right to it. I would love to attend a PRSSA event to hear someone speak on these things to be able to understand them better. It’s easy to read things, and not quite apply it correctly. The key that I want to apply to my professional life, is the Raise the Bar. I feel that if I strive to do my personal best and be fliexible to change when needed. It’s great to have motivation from people in the real PR world. Thanks for posting.

By: lance

lance — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 18:57:28 +0000

I look down this list of the 7 keys to great PR, and then I think about all the hard work and late nights that I and three other students from Auburn put in to run a PR campaign for Snickers, and I think one of these keys stands out - collaboration. Recently we spoke to Auburn’s Business Advisory Council, which consists of 30 of the most successful graduates from Auburn University in the college of business. They were extremely impressed with our campaign, and all the work that we had put in, and it was obvious that it paid off because we not only beat Bama in the competition, but we stomped them. Now to the point. SEVERAL of the big rigs that we had the privilege of meeting said that the campaign that we ran is as real as it gets, and that we would not face anything in the real work world that would be much different that that. Upon their saying so, several of them mentioned to us that we had to have great collaboration! Funny enough, that is probably the greatest strength of our team. Each one of us maximized the knowledge, networks, time, skills and talents that we possessed, and it was the reason why we won the competition with flying colors.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 22:46:13 +0000

Thanks for the post, Dave. I agree with Wes, I wish we could have had you present it for us. Reading the post is helpful too, though. Even though I had heard some of these before, I still got something new out of them. I think repetition is important, especially for something like this. I don’t think that we, as college students, can ever get too much good advice.

I especially liked number one. Being proactive can really give someone an edge on things. Reacting can take some time, but if you are prepared in advance things can be much easier. I also liked four and five. It’s called public relations for a reason. People need to remember that and try to build those beneficial relationships the books talk about. And, of course, you always need to do your homework. Research is important to any project. I don’t think going into anything blind is a good idea. I have been there, trust me. It didn’t go well. Thanks again for the post. I just hope I can remember it when it counts.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 21:46:04 +0000

Dave, thank you for this wonderful post. All of these points have been drilled into our brains in all of our pr classes. This will definitely benefit the students you are presenting to at the American University.
Along with what other students have said, I think point number four is important. Public relations is all about relationships, all the time. The client must be able to trust you and the work you are producing for them. Just like you said as well, you, the pr practitioner, must know everything there is to know about your client. This does take a good amount of time, but the better you know your client, the better you will be able to serve them with the product they want.
Public relations is also all about connections and who you know. It’s about building these relationships with others and maintaining them also. Relationships with clients and other pr practitioners can benefit you later on. Most importantly, keeping the clients happy and maintaining a positive relationship with them so they will come back to you for more service.

By: Lara

Lara — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 21:27:51 +0000

I feel like I have heard many of these points before, but I feel unless that are reiterated to us we won’t fully understand them. I especially like point number 1. I think that it is so easy to just be a bystander rather than being proactive. Being proactive will not only prove yourself to your co-workers and boss, but will also help you stay ahead of the game.

Public Relations can be such a time-consuming profession that being proactive is not something that should be taken lightly. Although, I believe all of the points are important and applicable for us, I believe that being proactive is one of the most important. As a college student, it is so easy to stay out of any extra-curricular activities, but with that you miss out on a lot. The same goes for when you are in the real world. It is tempting to do enough to get by, but it won’t take you anywhere. You will never stand out, so how could you accomplish any of your goals and get that dream job we are all striving for.

I think the post you made is extremely helpful and the students you are speaking to will truly benefit from what you have to say. We are so lucky to be able to read the bulk of your presentation without actually being there, so thanks!