I’m off to LA this weekend, which after the craziness of Sundance and the citing chill of New York is a welcome destination. Though I do miss staying still in one place, I kind of like traveling by myself. Seeing new places and meeting new faces is one of the many PR girl perks, and I have to say that being a PR girl helps tremendously with the usual travel woes. Here are a few ways that being a PR girl helps when you’re on the road:
You have a kind understanding of the stress airline customer service has to deal with
You are one of the swiftest through the security line (you know how to accessorize efficiently)
You are happy to wait at the terminal outside Hudson News reading plenty of magazines
Taxiing does not bother us – a quiet moment in the middle of the day when we are not allowed to look at a computer screen?! We’ll take it!
Once we arrive at our destination, we are able to make new friends or connect with friends of friends through our network
We appreciate the sights and landmarks, and take in the personality of each city (“for consumer research”)
What are some of your favorite PR girl perks of travel?
Last night, M and I hosted our second Twitter Party. For those of you who haven’t been able to join, our Twitter chats are run very informally – we take questions that you tweet us and try to answer as many as we can! If you couldn’t tune into last nights, don’t panic. Below find a recap of some of the most frequently asked questions. We look forward to the next one!
@zoeytopper: To work at an agency, should we apply to internship postings or entry-level positions if grad in May?
The harsh reality is, you’re probably going to have to start with an internship and work your way up. Even despite already having internships under your belt, entry-level positions are generally given to those that have already interned out of college.
@SocialAvery: I don’t have a minor in marketing, advertising, or GRDE but a minor in French. Yay or nay?
Yay! Any language skills are looked at as extremely beneficial. Minors don’t account for much.
@HauteWriter: I’m confused about whether or not you should follow-up after submitting a resume.
You definitely should. Email first and then try calling if you don’t get a response. Being persistent is key.
@lydled: What’s the BEST way to get a feel for a firm’s personality/”fit” if you can’t visit in person?
A list of the firm’s clients to see if any spark your interest. You can usually find this on the company website or through Google searches.
@champaigngirl: Does everyone in PR have to be super outgoing?
No! We were both shy when we started, but eventually you learn to break out of your shell and feel comfortable speaking up.
@DeonnahDavis: Do you think it is a smart idea to go cross-country for an internship?
If you can, go for it! It would be a once in a lifetime experience that will surely be worth it. Once you intern in a big city, you can intern anywhere!
@Halle_Byrams: What are some non-typical skills that would be beneficial in PR?
Any language, video & photo editing (Photoshop) and social media skills are extremely beneficial. Also having a niche passion for a certain topic (i.e. you love the food industry and would be a great fit for a food client).
@mhslowikowski: Most are the most common mistake made when applying for internships?
No research on the company, no personalization and tons of spelling errors!
@itsvee001: When do you encourage people to apply for summer internships?
Now! Most companies are already looking and filling the positions.
@tedjakokoneshi How would you describe the life of a woman in the PR field in 3 words?
Fast-paced, exciting and rewarding.
We also got a TON of tweets asking about cover letters. Expect a post in the future, but in the meantime, check out our guide and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @nycprgirls xo
Even PR girls need to treat themselves every once in a while. I was super excited to partner up with one of my new favorite brands, Eberjey, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Whether you have a honey or not, I like to use February as an excuse to get a little something special for myself. You’ve been working your butt off in the new year and kicking ass on those resolutions, so why not?
If you’re not familiar with Eberjey, take a look on the website for yourself – I think you’ll find it’s a girl’s dream. Just unique enough to be different and express your personality, but luxurious as well!
Eberjey is offering one lucky nyc PR girls reader a piece from their collection online. All you have to do is fill out the widget below! And don’t forget to follow Eberjey on Facebook and Pinterest. We’ll be in contact next week for you to pick out your prize. Good luck!
It happens ever so frequently. We get inundated with work and turn into a monster we don’t want to be. We get restless, snappy and just don’t want to be bothered. Dare I say it, we turn into mean girls. Becoming a mean girl in the office and losing your cool can come with some major consequences. From someone who has dealt with coworkers giving attitude, here are the top 10 reasons you should never be a b*itch in the office.
You quickly lose other coworkers respect
Your coworkers will not want to approach you…for anything
You’re not viewed as a team player…crucial in PR
You won’t come off as professional
You could lose opportunities that would otherwise be presented to you
You’re coworkers will say exactly how they feel about you in your review
You won’t be put on new teams
The PR world is small and everyone talks
It could affect you from getting hired elsewhere (I’ve seen this happen)
Karma will come back and bite you
Share with us some other reasons! I’m sure there are more…
M and I are thrilled to be PRofiling a girl we’ve been following on Twitter religiously since the day we started this blog. Marigo Mihalos (@MarigoPR) is a fellow PR girl who started her own PR agency and recently became the Associate Talent Producer at the Wendy Williams Show. Her story is inspiring and I’m sure you will find it that way too!
1. How did you get started in public relations and what attracted you to the industry?
From a young age I always knew I had this zest for life. I had a constant yearning to know everything, be involved in everything, and make things happen on my own. I was so intrigued by celebrities and the entertainment industry. I was captivated by the constant integration of celebrities, their products, their brands… I was obsessed with how their empires grew, piece by piece, deal by deal, product by product. I knew that I needed some part in it. I also watched one of my mentors Lizzie Grubman on Power Girls and thought to myself, I REALLY need to work with her, alongside her.. Something. I needed to be in this business.
I was a freshman at Fordham University at Lincoln Center and in the hustle and bustle of NYC. I knew I had a purpose, and it was beyond learning about Picasso’s paintings in my intro to Art class. A family friend of mine knew I wanted to be in PR, so she recruited me, believed in me and gave me a chance to help her at Soho Fashion, the outerwear house for Baby Phat, Coogi, Steve Madden, Honee , Rocawear and other private labels. She told me to run the press closet. I had no idea what that even meant but I pretended and ran with it.
After six months of brainstorming how to get our jackets into the magazines, I started cold calling market editors and little by little these high brow editors were coming to meet me, the intern, in my showroom. It was honestly awesome. In six months my boss was so impressed that he told me he wanted me there full time. I was dumbfounded, because my response was… I’m a full time student. He didn’t care. So off I went to run the entire press department for the company, went to school full time, had a few interns while living in subways and taxis. I made it work. I knew this was it and I knew it had to lead to something.
After four years of college, I graduated with a double major, Communications and Business. My boss told me I had bigger things to do and accomplish, and he told me if I didn’t go, he would fire me (on purpose of course). I didn’t get it, but now I sure do. I started going on job interviews, but in 2009, at the height of the recession where was I going? People were offering me jobs that paid peanuts. I made more in college. So I sat my parents down and told them that I had decided to start my own small PR company until the next big thing happened.
From there MSM Public Relations took off. I started networking HARD. Facebook, Twitter, started going to events, and luckily I seemed to always be at the right place at the right time. It was like God was always watching out for me when it came to my career. I started getting clients, started doing events, started doing freelance work for agencies…even started to do some projects for TV stars. It was amazing. But it was a ton of work. A little while later I was introduced to Bonnie Fuller, who was the former Editor-in-Chief of Us Weekly, Star Mag, Marie Claire…the list goes on.
From there I went to represent not only Bonnie Fuller, but all of her websites. We started to really hit the broadcast waves and we kept running. Bonnie and the team were doing TV hits nonstop, sometimes everyday, sometimes a few times a day. I am really proud of that.
Almost two years later, I also had other clients as well including RichRocks and Zara Terez.
Later I was presented with an opportunity to enter the TV world as an associate producer at The Wendy Williams Show. I fell in love with the adrenaline of the TV world. Now in my second season at the show, I have become the Associate Talent Producer working with the Talent/Booking Dept. My PR career, skills, contacts and network have allowed me to make this transition and I am so thankful for it.
I knew I wanted to focus on the TV world, which is a full time gig. So right now I live and loving the TV world.
2. What is your average day like?
Before I was at the show, it was a ton of research. You always have to be in the know, what editor is where, what producer is in charge of what, what segment producer can pitch your client. You have to get back to people, respond to emails…Create the lane, figure out where you want to be, and do everything you can. No day is the same, that’s the beauty of the business. I would get a call for Bonnie to do TV and everything stops. You could have a fashion editor call that needs RichRocks product asap for a shoot. You are always running, you have to be able to handle it.
Now at The Wendy Williams Show it’s a lot of calls. I am old school. You have to know how to work those phones and be able to pitch. Not just in TV…this comes from PR. An email only goes so far. Be assertive, we have to go after the talent we hope to book on our show. It’s a ton of following up, but I love learning from my boss who runs the department.
3. What’s your favorite part of working in public relations?
I look at it like Lego’s, it’s the thrill of building. What can I do next? What can I make happen next?
4. What’s the best PR advice you ever received?
Always follow up. Always be in people’s faces, but be gentle enough to leave your mark. Always make people remember you. Always be in the know and always be 10 steps ahead.
5. Any advice for those looking to get into PR?
Start from the bottom up, but find every way to be noticed. Let people realize how passionate you are. Find the thing that will set you apart from the rest. Always smile, always be positive and again, always be in the know. Engage on Twitter and social media. Create an image you want for yourself and tell the universe what you want. Nothing is completed until you have given it 150 percent, pay attention to every detail. Let people want to work with you.
As you guys know by now, I’m headed to Sundance this week to work a celebrity suite for a client. This time last year, I was still getting used to traveling for work and learning the ins and outs of living from a suitcase. I was absolutely obsessed with avoiding checking a bag (which is sometimes a good thing), never prepared for changing temperatures on the airplane and would almost always forget a daily necessity (I once left my hairbrush behind when traveling for a new biz presentation with a hair client). I’d like to think that I have the hang of it now, but I’m always interested to hear how others pack for travels and thought I’d share!
How to pack: Your Suitcase
First, decide if you can manage in a carry on or need to check a bag. My rule is, if you’re going to be gone more than two or three nights, check a bag. And if you have multiple events, definitely check a bag
I also always make a list of outfits I want to wear. Work trips are not the time to bring hoards of clothes and figure you’ll decide what you’ll wear when you get there. Think of the events you have, and plan your outfits in advance
Think through your daily routine and what you need. Sometimes I make my packing list the day before I leave while I’m getting ready so I don’t forget things like my razor, hair mousse or floss
In the suitcase, I always put shoes on the bottom, and fill the crevices with accessories (bags and belts) and underthings. Shirts, pants and dresses can be neatly folded on top
If you think you may need something soon when you get off the plane, like a sweater or coat, be sure to keep it on top
How to pack: Your Carry-On
I recently found Lo & Sons bags, and I am obsessed. I am one of those people who need the littlest things at a moment’s notice while traveling, and these bags have great pockets and compartments to keep everything stored
One of my biggest pet peeves is dry lips or dry hands. Hand lotion and lip balm is a must, and plenty of water to drink
I always carry important devices on my person – computer, cell phone, chargers
I usually have a book (no, no Kindle yet! I’m old school) and buy plenty of magazines at Hudson news at the airport
This trip I’m bringing Emergen-C to shake into my water, with the flu outbreak and the amount of traveling I’m doing I need to stay on my game
Sunglasses and gloves if needed
I pack a small makeup bag just for my carry-on, in case I have to go straight from the airport to a meeting or (heaven forbid!) my luggage gets lost
I now always wear layers on the plane. That means a breathable top, a sweater, and probably a scarf. Usually I like to wear shoes that can slip on or off easily, but this trip I’m wearing my most comfortable boots
M and I are excited to announce that we’ll be hosting another Twitter Chat a week from now, Wednesday, January 23rd at 8 p.m. ET. We had so much fun tweeting with all of you in October and can’t wait to do it again. Make sure you’re following us on Twitter at @nycPRgirls and including #prchat in your tweets.
M and I will answer as many questions as we can. We’ll be talking about finding summer internships, tip for getting into PR and much more!
Be sure to join us and feel free to tweet any questions you have. Looking forward to tweeting with you! Xx
Growing up in New Jersey, my mom used to take me into the city on occasion and it would seriously be the highlight of my life. We would go to Broadway shows, eat at fancy restaurants and shop in Soho. More specifically, there was one jewelry store in Soho my mom would always have to shop in.
Fragments is a small jewelry shop on Prince Street between Grand and Wooster. The store sells one-of-kind handmade pieces from over 60 designers. While prices are high, there are also some reasonably priced items any PR girl wouldn’t mind splurging on – especially us. I mean, how cute is that skull bracelet?!
#1. Coralia Leets Moonstone Mini Stud Earrings, $148
This week is a little hectic for me. Aside from having mountains of new 2013 work to get started, I’m only in the office three days this week before I head to Sundance to work a celebrity suite for a client. While I’m excited to go back again this year, leaving the office for travel is intimidating on its own without the pressures of new projects and needy clients.
So it goes without saying, I’m a little overwhelmed this week. We’ve talked about stress and time management multiple times on nyc PR girls, but I think it’s always a good idea to take a step back and look and what you can do to help yourself and your team when the workload gets to be too much.
Schedule your day, down to the minute – Set specific times for specific projects, so you cannot avoid doing the work or procrastinate. If you need to, block off your Outlook calendar so other team members can see you are busy working on assignments. Make sure to schedule in a Starbucks run to keep your sanity.
Put details in writing – ESPECIALLY if you’re going out of town or will be unavailable at events, etc. You may have discussed your work with your team and supervisors at countless meetings, but it’s always a good idea to send an email with an outline of the work you need done in your absence (or what you’re working on currently). When I first started, I thought this kind of team reporting was a waste of time, but its incredibly helpful to have your team on the same page.
Take your time – Though you might be rushing to get assignments finished, don’t let your work suffer because you have 500 other items on your plate. Give yourself time to produce quality work. Your supervisors will be much more thankful for a well-thought out press release rather than a rough outline with a million edits.
Admit when it gets to be too much – I have a bad habit of taking on more than I can handle, and it makes me nervous when other team members do the same. Make sure you tell your team when you need help. It is SO much worse to miss a deadline or turn in messy work than to ask for a hand. That’s what a team is for!
As an aspiring or working PR girl, it’s important to learn many of the terms that are thrown around the office. For Part 1 and 2, we covered some of the basic acronyms and abbreviations. We recently received an email from a reader asking us to elaborate on some of the more basic PR daily tasks we mention. Take some notes, below are just a few.
Media Monitoring (or charting): Looking for a mention of your client’s brand or competitors in online, print, broadcast and social media. This can be done through Google searches, Google alerts and outside vendors that track print, broadcast and social coverage. Factiva for print, Critical Mention for broadcast, Cision for print and broadcast and Radian 6 for social to name a few. Any mentions are then compiled into an Excel chart also known as a coverage chart (usually done on a month to month basis).
Media List: Easily created using CisionPoint, a media list is an Excel grid with a list of media outlets and contact information for each relevant to your client. For example, if you work for a beauty brand, your media list would consist of magazine beauty editors, online beauty writers, beauty bloggers and more.
Media Outreach: All of your pitching efforts and communications with online, print and broadcast media.
Fact Sheet: Used alongside media outreach, a fact sheet is a one page document outlining details about your client’s brand, product or service (price, availability, features, etc).
Media Briefing: A session, done one-on-one or at an editor event, in order to provide detailed information about your client to media. Those that attend can also sometimes meet with your client, receive fact sheets, photos or additional press materials.
Call Agenda: Pulled together and generally sent to a client before a meeting, the call agenda includes short bullets of what will be discussed on the conference call.
Brainstorming : A creative way of getting ideas from your colleagues on a given topic for your client. For example if your client is looking for a new campaign idea based on a specific goal, (i.e. ways to drive traffic to their store) you would host a brainstorm or e-storm (through email) to get ideas from others.
Lead Time: The deadline for submission of articles that reporters have. It’s important to know the deadline for reporters articles, especially for those you’re contributing to.
Any other PR terms you’re confused about? Comment below!
Also, today’s the last day to enter our Coterie giveaway. Be sure to enter Xx
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