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Topic: Moving from Journalism to PR, NEED ADVICE PLEASE!
| Author | Message |
| MLA_Chick85 | Posted – 4/29/2008 6:45:06 PM | show profile Hi all, I'm a recent grad who has had bad luck at finding a job in the journalism field. I have an interview with a PR firm, and I DON'T KNOW ONE THING ABOUT PR! I have a journalism degree and most of my experience is in media, writing, editing, etc. The position is for an Administrative Assistant, but I want to move up in the company. Can someone tell me what are the most important things that I need to know about PR? How can I use my journalism experience in this field? And last but not least, what exactly is pitching story ideas? |
| MKE_Dave | Posted – 4/29/2008 7:48:41 PM | show profile Um, are you sure you want this job? |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 4/29/2008 8:45:49 PM | show profile "Recent grad"??? I thought this thread was about an experienced journalist moving into PR. |
| MLA_Chick85 | Posted – 4/29/2008 9:54:55 PM | show profile Maybe I should make myself clear, it is an ENTRY-LEVEL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT POSITION. I want to move up in the company so I would need some advice on what a PR Firm does. But if no one here is qualified to answer my question, then I will just do my own research. This was a real waste of time! |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 4/30/2008 1:47:51 AM | show profile Leila ... Generally speaking, "entry-level" positions do not require prior experience or even knowledge of the field. That's why they're called "entry" level. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 4/30/2008 10:03:44 AM | show profile Leila, I think what they are saying is, if you don't know anything about PR, how can you be sure you want the job and to go into PR? Not trying to be mean, but you should at least try to talk to other people in the field first at another company to make sure that you would even like it. You not having a passion for PR will come across in the interview, and you likely won't be hired. Not trying to be ugly, but PR jobs at firms are REALLY competitive, especially at the entry level. You would do well doing a lot of research and maybe calling up some alumni from your school who work in the field. Can you talk to your school's career services office? They might be able to help find you someone to talk to or give you some background information. That's what they are there for. |
| foodlit | Posted – 4/30/2008 11:01:16 AM | show profile Leila, Use your journalism skills by googling to research all this info. It's simple enough to find out about pitching story ideas etc. PR is quite different from journalism though and will take you in a very different direction. In many ways PR has similarities to sales, so if you enjoy cold-calling that's what you'll be doing when you pitch story ideas...over and over again. If your real goal is journalism, it may be harder to get there once you establish yourself in PR. Thing hard about that and if this is the road you really want to travel. |
| amptgrl | Posted – 5/13/2008 1:25:48 AM | show profile | email poster agh I hated PR. I was a Journalism major who worked a PR job right out of college at a very fancy and well known PR firm. Have you seen the Devil Wears Prada? All of the women in the office would go out for cocktails and this little 22 year old girl was pretty much managing the firm. I got our artists on all the big shows, in all the big publications. And then I went home and ate easy mac because it was all I could afford. Makes me laugh just thinking about it. But some people love it. I was never good at kissing you know what... which is why I am no longer working in PR! Best wishes to you. |
| wander lust | Posted – 5/13/2008 3:46:48 PM | show profile Leila, there are some career resources on the Internet that will help you figure out what a career in PR is all about. Try visiting wetfeet.com and vault.com. They have pretty good industry, career, and even company information that might be useful to you in all your confusion about the world of PR. Good luck- like the previous poster said, it's not an easy field out there in PR. Takes a type of person to do it... |
| KLMorris | Posted – 5/13/2008 6:08:18 PM | show profile | email poster Entry level PR Admin Hey Leila, I see some people are totting around on a high horse that clearing is necessary. Basically, get in the door, your on the track with doing admin work because could be a great introduction to the PR world. So a good thing to know first is that people are really reluctantto share information as you just witnessed but being that environment will give you privvy see what goes on. Especially being admin because you can get nuts and bolts of how the office is run. They when you are ready if there is no growth potential move on with what you know. That is universal. I'm sorry I am a newby to media but not the office world so I hope that gives a little encouragement to actuallt get in. that is only sure way to know. |
| smogman | Posted – 5/13/2008 7:06:54 PM | show profile journalism to Pr Leila, PR firms love good writers. Additionally, you should be organized, energetic and have some knowledge of the PR business.--which, as someone else stated, you can find through Vault.com or wetfeet. Try the PRSA website and see if that helps. All else fails, do a google search. Don't forget to check the firm's website--know what they do, who their clients are, etc. Finally, just make sure that you're not giving up on journalism just because it's hard to find a job in the field. |
| Cyrus | Posted – 5/14/2008 12:11:29 AM | show profile My advice: don't put too much stock in the popular culture definitions you see regarding PR. Those involve publicity, which is mostly tied to celebs and other similar individuals. The vast majority of people working in the field don't do anything like that; they don't get written about in popular culture because working with law firms or another business sector to increase their bottom line isn't sexy, but it's a very successful enterprise. If you're going in as an entry-level individual, you won't really be expected to know much about the tactical nature of PR. Mostly your job will consist of administration-type tasks on behalf of clients. But you'll gain exposure to the business and generally learn things that you'll need for the future. Pitching is something that's mostly done by senior-level individuals and involves suggesting stories that are relevant to clients that journalists and their outlets are interested in. Where a journalism background can come in handy is in the fact that it having a good news sense helps one position stories and hopefully gives you the ability to push back with clients who are trying to get you to peddle something you know isn't newsworthy. By repositioning to an idea that is newsworthy, you'll not only do better for yourself, but also the client. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| jseconds77 | Posted – 5/17/2008 7:57:05 PM | show profile well, as a music journo I can say PR/publicist firms, in my experience do this: 1. set guys like me up with artists by discussing time/date/place where interview takes place 2. coordinating record release shows 3. engage in promos like radio and print 4. maintain positive relationships with artists |
