Chicago Blackhawks make the Playoffs

Congrats to you Nova on that game winning buzzer beater against UNC! But now that March Madness is sadly all said and done, it is time to focus on the most exiting post-season known to mankind. The NHL playoffs start TONIGHT! And what better team to cheer on than the Chicago Blackhawks?! Looking for another Stanley Cup the Hawks are facing off against the St. Louis Blues at 9:30pm. 

These two teams have been battling it out since the NHL was born.  If it’s not the unmatched speed and strategy of the defense and offense that both of these teams possess, it is the fire and unparalleled competitive edge that makes the games between these two talented teams so enjoyable to watch.

The Blues are out for blood and also favored to win the opening game which will be on their home ice.  But not to fear Blackhawks fans, Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Andrew Shaw are all expected to return after minor injuries towards the end of the season. This will be quite a series between these two teams but you can bet it will be entertaining as hell! Bring on the body check, high sticks, and smack talking from the benchs; let the games begin.

Ready, Set, Release

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Here are a few tips to writing a fantastic press release.

1. Pick an interesting topic.

People get sick of reading the same thing in the tabloids over and over again. Try to spice it up with something fresh and new for people to sink their teeth into.  This will give you positive feedback and also keep your readers asking for more.  And honestly, the more outrageous the topic the more people are going to want to read it and that’s the whole point of writing is it not?

1. Stay true to your voice

The reason people read your articles is to hear what YOU have to say. So, keep your voice fluent throughout your works so people can connect with your personality.  Words are a powerful thing and so being creative is key when writing constantly about things you believe in.

1. BE TRUTHFUL

No one likes a liar! No matter if you bend it or stretch it, it is NEVER okay to do anything of those sorts to the truth. You have an unspoken trust with your readers that everything you put in front of them is honest.  But once you break that trust, it is almost impossible to regain.  Plus, on the up side, it is always easier to write about the facts than try to spice up a story with falsities. So just don’t do it.

1. Throw a little color on it!

Do you ever feel when you are reading something it’s as if you can hear the voice in your head saying, “blah, blah, blah.” Don’t bore your readers with everyday plain-Jane words that are just written on the page.  Make your writing just as creative as you are.  Throw in synonyms of words that you wouldn’t usually use in your everyday vocabulary.  Readers love when the personality of the writer shows through their work.  It’s as if they are connecting with you on a personal level which is a goal to most, if not all, writers.

1. Back it up

Make sure you back up your facts. If it is a quote from someone in the field you are talking about or a stat that was recently put out to the public.  Readers like to know that what they are reading is current and reliable.  It also gives dimension to you as a writer.  Not only can you be creative with your words and intrigue your audience, but you can also show that you do research on the topics you are interested in enough to show your readers you care about the factual aspects of your work.

Connections are the Key to Success

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In the world of PR, there are no off days.  Not really knowing exactly what I want to do with my life is a scary thought but with all of this new technology and different websites you can look up basically anything.  Nothing compares to sitting down and talking with someone who actually lives a day to day life in the PR profession.

Barbra Rozgonyi connected with me a few weeks ago via LinkedIn and considering I am a PR major, this was super exciting for me!  And it gets even better! She reached out to me offering answers to any questions I have about her job.  This was the perfect opportunity to get the inside scoop on maybe a potential PR job I would have in store for me in the future.  So I jumped at that invitation right away!

My first question that I asked was what a typical work week like.  Barbra made it very clear to me that, like I guessed, there is truly no down time.  She was hopping on a plane to St. Louis that very next day to go speak about meeting planning.  She also was working on a project to help promote a client’s open house and she was already planning her next trip to Vegas to speak about Panoramic PR.  This was very enlightening because I love to travel and go to new places and this reassured me that I am in the right Major because all of the things she was describing was like music to my ears.

The next question I asked her was if there had been any specific project that she was specifically proud of and she was very quick to answer.  She helped promote the “Glen Ellyn Idol” production which led to the winner doing big things down in Nashville.  This was a singing competition for people that want to make a career out of showing their talent to large audiences.  The reason she takes so much pride in this is because she loved to see how she was helping change people’s lives.

I ended the interview with asking her the most important question that I personally thought would give me an edge over people within my field.  I asked if she could pick 3 tips for people starting out in the PR industry what would they be and she gave me 4 tips instead.  Her first tip was to know the industry you want to work for.  Research is key to have an idea of what you will be writing about and you don’t want to get bored.  The second tip was to be interested in social media, but that was a given.  The third tip she stressed was to “read, read, read.”  And the fourth and final tip was to Join PRSA and the industry trade groups that represent the industry you want to work in.

Going Up in Smoke

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Ever since we were tikes we have been told that smoking cigarettes is terrible for you.  That the things are like cancer sticks waiting to give you smelly breath, yellow teeth and well, cancer.  Over the years we have seen the tobacco companies being withdrawn from public advertising in the US because of the detrimental bodily harm that is caused by any tobacco product.  Marlboro did not let this stop them from taking their advertising to other countries, in a very unethical way.

Targeting youth has always been a go-to for companies that are trying to sell their products.  Marlboro, unfortunately, has done this in the past.  This goes against their code of ethics, which is totally against the rules by the way.  So why did they take such a risk? Well why else would a prestigious company like Marlboro put their neck on the line?  They are in it to make money and increase the number of consumers within this “exclusive smoke circle.”

But this does not make it okay to target the youth in to using something that can decrease the value of their life.  That would be madness!  The ad that I am talking about uses particular examples that infer that the use of their product will bring the answer ‘yes’ in to all aspects of the lives of their consumers.  In the ad they use the phrase, ‘don’t be a maybe.’  This encourages people to say yes to using their product.  There are other ways to get people to buy your product without violating your own code of conduct.

A company’s code of ethics is the most important piece of paperwork to abide by if you are trying to be reliable to loyal customers.  Having this organized list of what is expected from the employees of a company eases the minds of future buyers knowing the company they are giving their hard earned nickels and dimes to have similar morals as themselves.  But once those lines are crossed, all of the loyalty you have built up goes down the drain never to be earned again. Scary, right?  So stick to your code of conduct because sometimes money isn’t worth dirtying your company name.

News Flash

In today’s society everything is coming at you at lightning speed.   Whether it is the latest scandal in Hollywood or what the weather is going to be like tomorrow.  With all the new types of technology and apps that let you know the latest gossip in the blink of an eye it has dramatically changed the way we are informed about things, not only within the country but around the world.

Not trying to brag but today’s youth kind of has the upper hand when it comes to technology.   With the millions of apps you can download on your smart phone, the world is at your fingertips.  This is why PR today is dramatically different than PR in the past.  Back in the Stone Age, families would have to wait to hear about breaking news stories when it came on television at a particular time of day.  Weird right?! But now-a-days you just swipe a little screen, open that twitter app and you know down to that very second what is going on all over the universe! Ok, maybe not to that extent but pretty close.

But it’s not all smiles and rainbows when it comes to these minute to minute updates.  We want information right as its happening that there is a lot of room for error and miscommunication.  Lible is very prominent in today’s media when it comes to checking the facts of a story.  It is basically a fancy word that says you cannot publish anything that you know is false about an individual.  But you know the tabloids are always looking to butter up a story to make the whole worlds jaw drop.

Just thinking about the technology that has yet to come makes my head spin, knowing that our generation is smart phone obsessed.  This is just going to make the world of Public Relations that much more competitive.  So keep up to date with your best friend that never leaves your side, aka smart phone, and scroll those news apps because you never know what the next big story will be. Who knows, it could be you writing the next jaw dropping article that everyone is talking about.

 

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