Hello there, talented journalist!

I’m often approached by print and broadcast reporters and editors like you for tips on transitioning into a career in public relations. After years—even decades—of researching, reporting, investigating and doing your best to file balanced, accurate and timely stories, you’re contemplating making the move to the dark side.

Congrats! You’re really going to love it over here. That is, unless you take a job you have enough years, but not the experience for; assume you are still going to see your name in the paper; or negotiate a salary that does not take into account the overtime you’re about to give up. Yikes!

Never fear, I’m happy to help. Here are the pitfalls and pick-me-ups you’ll need to remember in order to rock out your new career:

Your decade of newsroom experience does not equal a decade of communications management experience.

Public relations isn’t rocket science, but it is a learned skill set. Just like “talking to reporters” everyday doesn’t make me a great journalist, “talking to PR people” doesn’t translate into mastery of project management, strategy and proposal memos, event planning, running a client’s budget, dealing with corporate bureaucracy and crafting and implementing a media relations campaign.

If you walk into a room of experienced PR folks and declare that although you’ve never done their job, you’re awesome at it, they will turn on you so fast it will make your head spin. And you need those flacks because you’ve never done this before…

Accept that you don’t know what you don’t know—then, seek out an employer who understands that.

Take a job at a public relations or public affairs firm that understands that although you come with a highly-valuable skill set, you must be trained in—and given time to learn—the actual craft of public relations.

I strongly encourage you to NOT make your first communications gig a “Communications Director” for a company, or any place that expects you to be a one-woman show. Read More…

I was thrilled when Lisa Byrne’s DC Event Junkie profiled the DC Flacks Two Year Anniversary happy hour. The feature brought us several new members and tons of exposure on Twitter. Who could ask for anything more? So, when a Washington Post photographer decided to cover the event after reading about us on Lisa’s site, it was a double bonus! Thank you, Lisa, for enabling this fabulous coverage of DC Flacks’ second birthday:

DC Flacks Two Year Anniversary featured in The Washington Post! (September 3, 2011)

Read More…

This morning, I had the absolute pleasure of informing six talented, young DC-area communications professionals that they had been selected as finalists in the Washington Women in Public Relations 2011 Emerging Leaders Awards (ELA). As a WWPR board member and Chair of this year’s ELA’s, I’ve been working towards this day for months; this morning’s announcement makes it so real!

Please join me in congratulating these amazing young professionals who have already made significant contributions to the public relations field!

2011 WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards Finalists

Veronica Brown, Gibraltar Associates

Jennifer Mastin Giglio, Ogilvy Washington

Katie Lilley, Hillenby

Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Mopwater PR

Judy Lubin, Public Square Communications

Tara Silver, SilverStrategy

The final three winners will be announced the evening of July 26 at the ELA cocktail reception. Please join us! If you’d like to learn more, volunteer or sponsor this event, email me: ela (at) wwpr (dot) org. Read More…

{Today’s guest post is from my new friend, former newspaper guy and current communications pro, Mike Diegel. In this post, Mike offers up a fabulous addendum to one of my more popular posts, “Four Ways to Be Successful in PR.”  Numbers three and six are my favorites; share your preferences in the comments!}

When I read Margie’s advice about how to succeed in PR—good stuff, by the way—it reminded me of a profile Q&A I was asked to participate in nearly five years ago for the Potomac Flacks blog. In addition to the usual bio/how-did-you-get-started questions, I got one related to being successful.

I sent the post to Margie just for kicks, and she asked me to share my answers with you. So here goes, modified only slightly from the original.

What advice would you give to people wanting to advance in PR?

1. If you can’t cope with deadlines, please do everyone around you a favor and find another line of work.
2. Don’t stress out over today’s coverage. Learn from it. Tomorrow is another day, another story, another chance to tell yours.
3. Your integrity and credibility with reporters is all you have to sell. Protect it.
4. Tell the story, tell it straight and tell it better than anyone else. If you want guidance, read Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetoric. Some things never change. Read More…

{Today’s guest post comes from Susan Hart, a Tennessee-based PR pro who pens one of my favorite current events blogs: EveryDayPR. I don’t write about current events here on FlackRabbit, nor comment on them in a public forum; but I love reading about them. Especially when folks’ views are relevant, quick reads that make me think. Susan’s blog fits that bill. In this post, she talks about what set her on the path to blogging and how she’s stayed true to herself along the way.}

My New Year’s resolutions for 2009 were to read the Bible and learn about social media, two completely unrelated goals or so I thought.  The two goals actually couldn’t have been more related.

So I became my own client. I immediately set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, et al.  I also started my EveryDayPR blog to have a venue to express an experienced public relations take on industry topics or current events. I was confident that people were begging to know what I thought about things.

This brings me to the single most important lesson of blogging: Be yourself. If you can’t be you, then who are you going to be?

I never started EveryDayPR to grow Hart Public Relations. The reality was that I was opinionated, a decent writer and a thinker. In my experience, effective public relations leaders from the C-Suite to department heads want thinkers on their team. Thinkers equate to problem solvers. Problem solvers mean happy clients and employers. I am rewarded on a number of levels when happiness happens. Read More…

If you want to advance in a PR firm, non-profit or bureaucracy, you must know how to craft a stellar strategy memo.

Showing your peers, clients and bosses that you can transfer your out-of-the-box, creative thinking into a practical, actionable strategic plan will set you apart from the rest. It also gives you a chance to think through your tactics while proactively addressing known obstacles and potential critics.

I love a good memo. So, it hurts my heart when I hear folks say “oh, I don’t do memos.” Well, friend, let me tell ya: I’m chalking up your memo-aversion to your lack of critical thinking and writing skills. I’m not impressed, and I’m not alone.

Thankfully, many of you are averse simply because you don’t know what makes for an effective memo. Well, I’m more than happy to help! Give these three memo-writing tips a twirl:

1. Think like a consultant: Strategic plans from young professionals often read like permission slips. There is just enough information to pique someone’s interest, but not too much excitement, for fear that it might scare folks away from signing off. On the other hand, a smart consultant’s memo conveys complete ownership and authority while inspiring the reader. This is because consultants want your money you to know they are the experts; that you can trust they know what they are talking about, even if it pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you can’t escape the feeling that taking charge–even on paper–is “not your place,” it might help to approach it like the consultants do! If someone reads your memo, would they want to “buy” what you are “selling?” This perspective always helps me create a more impressive document.
2. Address doubts head-on: Will the higher-ups question the return on investment, staffing capacity and/or relevance of your idea? Well, of course they will! That’s why you’re writing this memo. In addition to your goals, tactics and measurements of success, your document will need to tastefully acknowledge the reader’s skepticism. Folks have the right–and frankly, the responsibility–to question your proposal. Addressing their questions head on is a mature way to calm the nay-sayers, while showing you’re proactive and thoughtful. Read More…

Are you a member yet?

If you know (or ARE!) a young woman in the DC-area who is making stellar contributions to the communications field, Washington Women in Public Relations wants the world to know her, too! Nominations are open for the 2011 WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards.

As a WWPR board member, I’m co-chairing the second annual ELA’s. If you know a deserving flack, please tell me about her! And of course, self-nominations are welcome!

Here are the rules:

• Candidates must be female professionals between the ages of 21-35 as of June 3, 2011
• Candidates must work in one of the following disciplines: Media Relations, Crisis Communications, Event Planning, Social Media, Website Communications, Strategic Communications, Community Relations, Internal Communications, Speechwriting, Public Affairs, Marketing Communications, Government Communications, Investor Relations Communications, Consumer/Lifestyle Communications, Branding, and Writing/Editing

I’m looking for the best of the best–will you help me find her?