Confessions of a PR Intern: How To Spend Your Summer as a SHIFTer

By Lexie Bowser

@Wowser_Bowser

For the past three months I have interned at SHIFT Communications in Boston, MA. If I were to describe my first day, or month, of work in one word it would be: intimidating. Seeing as this was both my first internship and first experience in PR, I was not sure what to expect. I was frequently dodging terms, such as b-doc, clipping, media list and other various jargon words, while trying to maintain my composure.

However, after learning from my remarkably patient team and the mistakes that I can’t pretend I didn’t make, I started to get the hang of things. I worked on a team whose clients were mainly tech and social tech. Three months ago, I would’ve had no idea what that meant. Even after conducting my own researching and scheduling a briefing session with my team, I wasn’t remotely close to being comfortable with what the clients do. If I had never immersed myself into this internship, I never would have known what phenomenon’s like BYOD and cloud computing were.

Most college students would be fine with never knowing what these tech-y terms mean and I have to admit that I was one of them! But instead of staying in my comfort zone and dealing with concepts and situations that I was familiar with, I was determined to master an entirely new set of skills, which is a critical take away for any intern experience. Whether it’s technology, finance or bio-chemistry, learning about a new space, and becoming comfortable with it, is an imperative life skill.

Before I knew it, I was monitoring for coverage and drafting clients’ tweets like it was second nature. I created and managed media lists, found potential events for clients and performed various administrative tasks. When I was asked to do research on a prospective client, I had the confidence to jump right in. SHIFT fostered an environment for me where I wasn’t scared to ask for help, but I was also assured that I had the ability to do the tasks asked of me.

As the summer comes to a close and I begin gearing up for school, I am realizing the impact this experience has had on me. Instead of being terrified of what the “real” working world has in store for me after graduation, I am excited for the options I can explore. I am so thankful for the opportunity that SHIFT gave me to learn the ins and outs of Public Relations and I can’t stress how much this real-world experience has helped me learn. I will miss being at SHIFT, but I would not have wanted to spend my summer any other way!

10 Things We Didn’t Know About PR

By: Rachel Huxley-Cohen

Entering the real world is scary. Something that’s even scarier is when you’re bombarded with weird, office jargon that leaves you feeling incompetent on day #1. We spend four years in college, preparing for the “real world” and learning the ins and outs of our chosen fields, but sometimes (okay, MOST times) that just isn’t enough. And you quickly learn that nothing beats real world experience.

Something I have found either insanely embarrassing or very hysterical are the simple things (buzz words, daily tasks, etc) that I didn’t know about PR before entering my first big kid job at SHIFT. So, in an effort to not feel like a total misfit, I reached out to my colleagues and together we have pulled together a “Top 10 List” of funny, embarrassing and sometimes insightful, things we did NOT know about PR before entering the field.

1. I never realized how many people don’t understand what PR is. No I am not in advertising, living the life of Samantha Jones or lying on behalf of clients in order to get coverage. Other than that, PR can be just as badass and as fun as you think it would be. – Mallory Cloutier, Account Manager
2. The PR world is small. Everyone knows everyone. – Katie Boucher, Account Executive
3. The phrase “off the record” really means nothing. NOTHING is off the record! You can be quoted as a spokesperson for any client, any time. – Ann Marie Gorden, Account Executive
4. I didn’t know that I would, in addition to various PR skills, become an administrative wizard. Scheduling calls, rescheduling calls, combing calendars for availability, setting up dial-ins, corralling people into conference rooms, and here and there, fighting the good Go-to-Meeting fight. Also, typing an email while looking at your colleague over your desk is like throwing a dart at the target while wearing a blindfold. If I don’t misspell something, I feel awesome. – Amanda Guisbond, Senior Account Executive
5.  I didn’t know that I could get so many emails in the span of one bathroom break. – Emily Wienberg, Account Coordinator
6.  I get to sign up for all the social sites I otherwise would be too embarrassed to admit using.  “Me on Pinterest?…ughhh yea, it’s only because I use it for work.” – Scott Baldwin, Account Manager
7. Databases. Galore. – Denise Bertrand, Account Coordinator
8. I didn’t know just how much jargon the PR industry has. You start off not knowing what’s in a client’s “wheelhouse” or how to “circle the wagons” and vowing never to use these phrases. And then one day you find yourself referencing “bandwidth” and “get your ducks in a row” in a team meeting…  – Sarah Bergeron, Account Executive
9. I didn’t know I would require skills in psychology. So much of the work involves counseling, giving advice, and being a good listener.  – Danielle Mancano, Senior Account Manager
10. My family will never understand what I do day to day. “No, Grandpa Albert. I don’t plan and attend parties every day.” – Ciri Haugh, Senior Account Executive

Why SHIFT Clients Rule: Pizza, Cookies & Praise

By Amanda Guisbond, @agbond

A couple of very important things happened this week at SHIFT’s Offices in Newton:

First, there was an unexpected delivery of baked goods.

Second, there was a just-as-unexpected delivery of Chicago deep-dish pizzas.

Why, you may be asking, were these considered significant events?  No, not because us SHIFT-ers LOVE free food (and we do) but because both were edible “kudos” from different clients wanting to congratulate their SHIFT account teams on a job well done.

First up the Rapid7 PR team delivered some INCREDIBLE media results as part of a rapid response pitching opportunity, resulting in coverage in the Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Reuters (just to name a few).  As a “thank you” Rapid7 sent the SHIFT team a basket of cookies and brownies.  Mmmm!

The next day, the HIMSS PR team received a shipment of four individual Chicago deep-dish pizzas from their beloved client contact in – you guessed it – Chicago.  There was no specific reason for the delivery, per se, except that HIMSS wanted to recognize “all the great work” the team had accomplished over the past year and in lieu of being able to take everyone out to lunch in Boston.  Awww…

It’s no surprise – heh – that this kind of recognition makes our day as PR representatives!  When clients go the extra mile to make us pause and reflect on the great work we’re doing together it only inspires us to want to kick even more butt on behalf of our partners-in-crime.

Thank you to Rapid7, HIMSS and all of our clients who appreciate, encourage and support us and our PR efforts – and understand the fastest way to our hearts is through our stomachs!

Thank you Rapid7 for the basket of cookies and brownies!

Thanks to our Chicago HIMSS contact for the Chicago deep-dish pizzas! What a surprise!

Intern 101 with Mich Wells

Starring @itsamich, Produced by @MadelineWillman

SHIFT San Francisco’s Mich Wells gives some great intern advice all while having fun! Hear about what she loves about SHIFT, what’s she has learned so far and the two tips she has for incoming interns – she also dances with Cowboy Todd, leaps through the halls, flirts with Edward Cullen and more –  so check it out:

The Real Winner of Super Bowl 2012: Social Media

By Dave Finn (@DFinn0711)

We all know how quickly social media has changed the way information is shared and consumed. Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and all the rest transcend boundaries and are now used as key outlets for foreign governments, Major League Soccer teams, media publications, school districts and everything in between. Simply put, social media provides individuals and organizations a microphone that projects their voices across the globe.

The host committee of Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis is the latest example of an organization using social media to consolidate and project its voice and the information it has to share. Raidious, an Indy-based digital marketing firm, has put together a team to manage all Super Bowl-related social media activity. With at least 70,000 fans in town to watch Giants-Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium yesterday and thousands more in the area to enjoy Super Bowl Week festivities, the team’s mission was simple: get the important event information out efficiently.

This was Indianapolis’ first crack at hosting a Super Bowl – and as far as I know, Indy isn’t a popular tourist attraction – so it’s likely that most visitors to the city knew absolutely nothing about it.

That’s where the social media team came in.

In addition to monitoring key words and trends contained in the countless number of Super Bowl game-related tweets, the team used social media platforms to share parking, ticket, event and facility information as well as directions to restaurants and bars, complete with drink deals.

Downtown Indianapolis’ layout is very condensed, so traffic was a nightmare all week. But the social media team didn’t let that fall through the cracks. On Friday, @SuperBowl2012, the team’s official Twitter handle, responded to an Indianapolite (Indianapolan? Indianapoler?) complaining about the gridlock:

Because of the social media team’s efforts, visitors to the capitol of Indiana experienced one-stop shopping for all relevant logistical information – and that’s the key. This brand new effort by the Indianapolis host committee demonstrates social media’s ability to unify a variety of different information in one place. The people running Super Bowl XLVI’s festivities certainly had a lot to say, but social media platforms afforded them one voice with which to say it.

With so much to do and see for fans during Super Bowl Week, this new age task force did its best to minimize aggravation and maximize the enjoyment of one of America’s biggest spectacles. They did it by using social media.

By many accounts, Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis was a huge success. And to think we’ve barely talked about the football game.

Dear SHIFT…

By Leslie Grant

Dear SHIFT,

Nearly one year ago, I made the decision to take a chance on you. At the time, I was living in sunny San Diego working a career in marketing and needed a change. So you’re probably wondering, why you? I mean, you weren’t exactly convenient. To be perfectly honest, I really just needed to get my foot in a door, any door – even if that meant moving across the state for an internship.

Lucky for me, I learned rather quickly (at least once I figured out that awkward mustaches weren’t actually a normal thing around here – thanks, Movember) that you were a pretty good door to have opened.

Over the course of a year, you have taught me everything there is to know and love about life as a 20-something living in SF – from wine tasting in Sonoma to summer Fridays, ice skating in Union Square and team bonding sessions at Sapphire (you know, the cheap dive bar down the street where fellow SHIFTers are known by first name) – I’ve learned that the key to happiness and success in the world of PR is good company and the occasional happy hour.

Oh, and then there’s the work part (how could I forget). I must say, you sure do know how to pick ‘em. Not only are SHIFTers super creative and dedicated PR rockstars, they are also eager to show the newbies how PR is really done. The opportunities to expand my knowledge of the industry and grow in my career have been endless and I’m constantly impressed by everyone’s hard work and most of all, passion.

Looking ahead, I’m excited for many more opportunities to learn and grow in the industry and for all of the fun activities that you have in store. I feel lucky to be a part of the SHIFT experience and can’t wait to see what the next year will bring.

Until next time,

Leslie

The Best PR Advice I’ve Ever Received

Between managing different clients, media relationships and now social media channels, PR can be a delicate balancing act and a crash course in how to be efficient while still keeping a smile on your face. We recently polled a few of the SHIFT-ers to see what the best PR advice they have ever received was  – check out their thoughts below!

 

“Act like a duck…stay calm, cool and collected on the surface (to clients, the media, team members, etc.) even if you’re paddling like crazy under water (i.e., drowning in work load, working with clients, etc.).” – KT McGraw

 

“‘Be authentic. That’s the only way you’ll sustain any success in this industry.’ – Geoff Livingston, the Principal of Livingston Communications at the time and my first internship. I’ve taken this advice to heart every day of my PR career. Geoff solidified in me that your moral code never needs to go out the window when you’re representing a client.” – Andrew Waber

 

“The best PR advice I ever received was also some pretty good life advice!  A former boss asked me to send her some information and I did, but neglected to include an upfront recommendation.  My boss started firing back questions until we both got to my own opinion about the information.  She then said ‘That’s what I was looking for!  Remember to take risks.  It’s OK if sometimes you make a mistake, but I want you to tell me what you think about something, what your opinion is, what’s your recommendation.  I’m paying you for your BRAIN, lady.’  To this day I think, my team mates and leads aren’t looking to me to be an administrative robot, they’re looking for my creativity, point of view and expertise – my BRAIN.  It’s something I think about whenever I’m writing a press release, crafting a pitch or taking part in a brainstorm.” – Amanda Guisbond

 

“PR is not brain surgery. When you get worked up about a deadline or stress about an error, just remember people’s lives in are not in our hands. Hiccups or challenges will work out, or it can wait until tomorrow. Breathe a little easier now.” – Ciri Haugh

 

“An AE once told me that a subject line should be no longer than eight words, because “it’s a ‘line’ for a reason. No one reads an email if the subject line is a novel.” – Sarah Bergeron

 

“Think of every way possible to make your client’s life easier. When you start thinking like this, the creativity just follows.” – Mallory Cloutier

 

“‘Go for it!’ – Sofiya Cabalquinto, at the time Media Relations Manager at the Boston Museum of Science. This was in relation to an admittedly wild idea I had for a promotion for an upcoming black holes exhibit. The result was the creation of a “Black Hole Burger” at the famous Eagle’s Deli in Brighton, MA that simulated the voracious (and eventually slowing) appetite of black holes and an event to debut the concoction. I drove the creation and much of the publicity for the event, which gave me some much appreciated on the ground experience.” – Andrew Waber

 

“I always come back to… ‘Always SMILE!’” – Erin Albright

 

What’s the best PR advice you have ever received? Let us know – we would love to hear your thoughts!

Pressing the Press: Meet Andrea Salisbury, GateHouse News Media New England

By Matt Trocchio (@Trochman)

Although communication strategies for clients continue to evolve with the growth of social media and online publications, there is one area of news that continues to remain constant for audiences: the local news.  Are you treating these outlets like the key targets they are or as secondary thoughts?  Despite the fact that many consumers still turn to their daily papers and broadcast news for their updates, we in PR sometimes forget the power they wield.

The problem with this is that people sometimes don’t respect these outlets in their outreach efforts and the result can be sloppy pitches or poor relationship building.  As part of our ongoing “Pressing the Press” series we speak with GateHouse News Media New England’s Andrea Salisbury who is the Editor of the Dedham Transcript and the Norwood Transcript & Bulletin.  Andrea shares with us her journey to focus on local New England news and how PR professionals can best work with her and other local outlets to give their clients some “home town love.”

How did you get started in journalism? 

That is a loaded question. The easy answer is I fell into journalism. My freshman year of college a professor encouraged me to “get published,” so I signed up for the newspaper and basically never left. After I abandoned the idea I would become a movie critic, I learned the true power of the press and how the written word informs and can change a community. After college I attended graduate school and, again, stumbled into a job on the copy desk of a daily newspaper designing sports pages. Five years later, my company decided I would make a good newspaper editor and gave me two papers to manage.

What drew you to the local news scene?

Community news is, in my opinion, where newspapers thrive. Everyone wants to read about their kid’s Little League game, school play or what’s happening in town government. Local news reporters hold town officials accountable and help to inform the public as to what is going on in their own backyard. As I said before, I fell into the local news scene, but I’ve fallen in love with it. I am there writing stories about breast cancer survivors, and crying along with them as they share intimate details. The local paper is there when the town celebrates the vote to build a new school. These moments that define a town are what attracts me to local news.

As editor of The Dedham Transcript, what are your main responsibilities?

Newspapers are a changing industry. In the two years that I’ve been the editor of the Dedham Transcript my role has shifted. I assign and edit stories for print and online, manage the daily Wicked Local website, design and proof the weekly print edition, take pictures, edit video and write stories. As a side note, I do this for two papers. I recently became the editor of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

How does it work to be a part of GateHouse News Media New England? Do you operate as a separate entity, or do you share information and act as one large outlet?

A little bit of both. GateHouse News Media is huge, there are hundreds of papers across the country, in my newsroom alone there are over 15 weekly papers printed. Editors tend to work within geographical regions when planning stories or assigning reporters to events. Basically, I work right next to editors of surrounding towns.

Can you tell me about one of your favorite stories that you had an opportunity to work on?         

This is an easy one, the Goosebusters. My assistant editor couldn’t get a photographer to accompany him on this story, so I got to tag along as the shooter for the day. Somehow he tracked down this family that had a very strange occupation, they were professional Goosebusters. Basically, the husband and wife team, along with their three border collies went from public parks to private businesses chasing away Canada geese. They have contracts with towns (including the Boston Common) and businesses to make the area uncomfortable for the geese. Twice a day this guy drives around with his dogs looking for geese. So, on this assignment, the family (including their two children), the dogs, my assistant editor and myself piled into the minivan and drove around looking for geese. It took 5 hours. But in the end, we had a fantastic local story, a fun video and hundreds of photos. This was perhaps one of the best days I’ve had “working.”

What do you look for in a good pitch from PR?

A good PR pitch is a local PR pitch. I get a call with a local family, a locally owned business, a local student and I am game for covering that story. On the other hand, if I get a call about a chain business doing something in my town with people from four towns away, I never pursue the story.

What are your main “pet peeves” when working with PR people?

I hate it when a PR person doesn’t know the newspaper they are calling. I get calls pitching a “local” story only to find out by local, they mean happening within a 30 mile radius. The best PR people do their homework, they know the town they are contacting and its deadlines. Calls on deadline days are almost never returned. The last pet peeve, press releases written in all caps, press releases not in Associated Press Style and press release photos that are too small for print, are just extra work on our end.

Anything else that you’d like PR peeps to know?

Keep it local. Newspaper editors are hungry for stories, we want to fill the paper, so make it easy for us. When you call a paper, make sure you know the community and make sure you have contact information right there.

Molding the Future

*This post comes to you from Senior Account Manager and rock star, Amanda Munroe (@ABMBoston)…

Mentor – noun \ˈmen-ˌtȯr, -tər\ a : a trusted counselor or guide b : tutor, coach

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the friend and trusted counselor of Odysseus (legendary king and hero of Homer’s Odyssey). Given their relationship, Mentor was assigned the enormous responsibility of raising Odysseus’s son when he was away fighting in Troy. Naturally, Mentor formed a near-paternal bond with the child, and, as a result, the personal name Mentor has been adopted in English as a term meaning a “father-like teacher.”

Thankfully, in business, mentors aren’t necessarily called upon to raise someone’s child for 20 years (phew!). Yet, they serve a vital role and can help fuel personal and professional growth. In PR, mentors can help make sense of the insanity, share real-world experiences and lessons learned, and push you out of your comfort zone so you can become the PR pro you want to be.

When I started working at SHIFT more than six years ago, I was excited to start my first job at an agency. I had always considered myself a good writer, having majored in journalism, and thought my time management skills were top-notch, the result of always working two (or three) jobs in high school and college. I had no idea what I was in for. Within a month, I thought I made a terrible mistake and didn’t think I was cut out for the fast-paced and perfection-driven world of agency life. I was failing every day – making errors both small (missing internal deadlines) and monumental (sending a sensitive document to the wrong client). I was ready to call it quits.

But then I talked to a senior staff member and she changed everything. She told me to take a deep breath and said that everyone feels that way their first few months. She gave me real-world tips and tricks to help me manage my time and pay attention to detail. Once I mastered those, she pushed me to think bigger –let me know that speaking up in client meetings was the best way to impress a client and position myself as a rock star to my boss. When I was nervous about networking, she told me to get over it and reinforced how it would help me with my job. A couple of years later, when I was taking the job way too seriously, she reminded me that it was just PR – no lives would be lost if a client had more than a few edits to my press release. To this day, I still consider her a mentor and one of my closest friends.

I obviously stayed at SHIFT and worked my way up into a management position. Soon, I found myself being asked by other SHIFTers to be their mentor. Me? What words of wisdom did I possibly have, I wondered. But once I talked to the ACs and AEs looking for guidance, I realized they weren’t asking for pearls but, instead, the same thing I needed six years ago. They wanted to know how they could impress their managers and clients. How to break through a publication that never accepts a pitch or covers a certain company. How to get ahead when, sometimes, you feel like you can’t possibly do enough. It’s rewarding to give them advice and then see them come into my office, all smiles, when they’ve accomplished their goal. Because of them, I’ve pushed myself to do better in my own job too.

At SHIFT, we’ve recently revamped our Mentor Program and I’m excited to lead this task. The mentor/mentee relationship offers rewards for both and benefits the individuals, as well as the Company. When rolling out the new program, we encouraged mentees to look for mentors that are people they aspire to be like and trust, but aren’t going to just tell them what they want to hear. I know that worked wonders for me.

Do you have a mentor? How has the relationship impacted you?

The Walk of a Lifetime

 

 By Suzanne Aronowitz @suzaron

A few weekends ago I participated in the 2010 Susan G. Komen Boston 3-Day for the Cure.  What is that exactly?  Just a casual 60-mile stroll through Boston for breast cancer.  Casual it’s not, but now that it’s over and my feet have started to heal, I can say without any sarcasm that it was an amazing experience!  Picture thousands of walkers, volunteers and crew members dressed up in a variety of pink outfits joining together to fight for a common cause.  Side by side with my best friend, @sanndeni and I met some amazing people as we powered from suburb to suburb for three days until we reached UMass Boston where our friends and family greeted us with the best possible gift….flip flops!

Having participated in the Boston 3 Day back in 2007, I recognized a bunch of walkers from three years ago.  What’s amazing is that a lot of people take on this feat year after year.  Not only is the actual walk extremely challenging, but there are months of preparation as well.  In addition to the training time people put in (note to self: next time train!), each participant is required to raise $2,300.  It really is the people that make this experience worth it.  We spoke with one walker who finished chemotherapy just three weeks ago.  Another has been a cancer survivor for 35 years and does this walk every year so that her grandchildren don’t have to suffer the way she did.  By the end, every single step becomes painful, but it’s impossible to give up when you’re surrounded by such strength.

While the walkers are predominately female, there are a bunch of men who participate.  In addition to the famous Men With Heart crew, a staple at the  Boston 3 Day for the last seven years is George.  George lost both his wife and daughter to breast cancer.  We encountered George during the first day walking through Wellesley and he became one of our favorites to spot throughout the weekend.  George had a full length walking stick, an enormous backpack and was singing Hallelujah as he trucked along.  Whenever George made it to the next pit stop, meal or the end of the day finish line, he would yell “Honey, I’m home” at the top of his lungs.  George is just one example of the inspirational people we met who will literally walk the world to find a cure for Breast Cancer.

Will I participate again?  I’ve been asked this over and over during the last week.  Sure, tent life isn’t exactly a dream come true after 20 miles of walking.  Nor are porta potties for three days straight.  But the answer is yes, I definitely will.  It might take a year or so for me to get the courage to embark on this journey again, but it’s a cause I hold dear to my heart and if George can do it, so can I!