Posts Tagged ‘Journalist’

PR Week: Hack V Flack Experiment

The similarities between the roles of journalist and PR professional are explored in an experiment conducted by public relations bible PR Week.

The age-old tension between PRs and journalists is well documented, says the magazine.

PR Week set up the experiment to find out what would happen when a ‘hack’ and a ‘flack’ swapped roles for a week.

What would a PRO think of a journalist’s deadlines, being on the receiving end of pitches and deciding on stories in the news meeting?

And how would a journalist cope with managing clients, pitching to other hacks, and having to make those dreaded follow-up calls?

PR Superstar aka senior journalist and PR professional Jill Kent is highly experienced in both journalism and public relations with a 20-year media career, and can relate to the similarities and differences between the two - perhaps the job swap, as demonstrated in PR Week, should become more commonplace to help bring about greater understanding and better relations between the two professions, that do need each other let’s face it.

Tags: , , , , , | Posted in PR Comment July 29th, 2010

An Inconvenient PR Truth

PR Superstar applauds a controversial campaign – An Inconvenient PR Truth – aimed at highlighting and reducing the vast swathes of irrelevant press releases sent every day to journalists and bloggers, which fail to generate much-needed publicity for PR clients.

As a journalist-run public relations agency, led by qualified senior journalist turned seasoned PR pro Jill Kent,  PR Superstar welcomes such campaigns that support and encourage good practice in the PR industry, which doesn’t have the best reputation let’s face it.

PRs need to better understand the needs of journalists and Editors, it’s about giving them what they want, rather than what PRs want to give them; this would be better for everyone concerned, especially clients who of course want results.

The campaign has already fuelled much debate, both for and against, within the industry and has won support from Francis Ingham, Director-General of the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA), as well as from other leading luminaries in the PR world.

Decide for yourself here: http://inconvenientprtruth.com/

Tags: , , , , , | Posted in PR Comment February 8th, 2010

Hiring a PR Pro — What to Look For

Here are PR Superstar’s top 5 tips:

* Hiring a public relations practitioner who’s worked as a journalist is always an added bonus. They make a great PR operator; poacher turned gamekeeper and all that. As an ex-journo, my press releases are frequently published word for word in the press.

* Size isn’t important! A skilled PR consultant can most definitely compete with the ‘big boy’ PR agencies and in many cases deliver infinitely better results for a tiny fraction of their big-money fees.

* Important qualities in a PR pro: dedication, energy, charisma, persistence, creativity and innovation; a multi-tasker with a flair for writing and a ’nose for news,’ a lover of deadlines!

* Someone with a minimum of 10 years experience is not only going to be highly skilled and experienced, but undoubtedly passionate about/committed to their art, and in the public relations game for the long-haul.

* Ask at what level they’ve worked? Is their experience purely with the local press or have they achieved coverage in the national media, on TV and radio? Have they written the odd press release or orchestrated integrated and influential public relations campaigns? PR people can specialise in particular sectors, such as technology, literary, healthcare, finance, etc. Try to match your PR person’s experience with your own business sector.

Hope these pointers help… :-)

Tags: , , , , , , , , | Posted in PR Tips December 23rd, 2008