If all the recent bitching and complaining about the PR industry has you scrolling job boards for a way out, stop. In this economy, it might be best to try to reinvent your position rather than search for supposedly greener pastures elsewhere.

Career and job strategist Kyra Mancine says making or enhancing personal connections at your firm can make an old gig feel like new. “Instead of emailing a colleague, go up to him and express interest in what he’s working on,” Mancine said.

Consider joining group activities after work, as well. “If your employer has a community service program, use that as an opportunity to do something good for someone else and get away from your workplace for a few hours a week,” said executive coach Cheryl Palmer. “This will take your mind off your own troubles and also lend a helping hand to someone else.”

Get more tips in  6 Ways To Love The Job You Have.

This article is one of several mediabistro.com features exclusively available to AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, you can register for as little as $55 a year and get access to these articles, discounts on seminars and workshops, and more.

As the authority on breaking information in the black community, editors at Jet need to be in the know about, well, everything. For publicists with clients and products to place, that means a PR jackpot of more than 7 million readers.

“We’re not one of those publications that are like, ‘we only work with certain people.’ No, we’re open. We want to hear from you,” assured Jet‘s editor-in-chief Mitzi Miller. “We want to know what’s going on. It’s our job to have our finger on the pulse of everything that’s hot and happening. The only way we can accomplish this is making contact with people who are out there.”

But before you start mass-mailing pitches,  Miller advises publicists to customize the pitch to the right editor. An email blast without a specific feel for the magazine’s audience or style is guaranteed to get ignored.

For a full list of editor contact information, check out How To Pitch for PR: Jet.

ISLANDS has maintained its reputation as an intelligent travel magazine for the last 30 years, and it is “always  evolving,” said editor Eddy Patricelli in our latest How To Pitch for PR article.

As a publication dedicated to uncovering the “last little pockets of independent cultures,” editors are on a constant search for unique destinations. ”Mainly resorts, spa treatments, unique tours and whatnot tend to perk our interests,” said Patricelli. “We don’t do a lot of travel lifestyle products in ISLANDS.”

Get Patricelli’s contact info and more pitching guidelines in How To Pitch for PR: ISLANDS.

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One of the easiest ways to snag a mass influx of followers is running a promotion on your social media networks. But contests, giveaways, sweepstakes, and the like can often bring in uninterested consumers merely attracted by a freebie.

“It seems like people that are short-sighted on this thinking are trying to get that hit,  that burst of fans,” said Jason Cormier, co-founder of social media agency Room 214, in the latest mediabistro.com AvantGuild article. “It’s what we refer to as the ‘placement crash,’ where if you look at the Web analytics of a PR hit what you’ll see is you’ve got the awesome spike, and then 48 hours later, it’s completely dead and you did nothing with that traffic afterwards.”

For tips on crafting a promotion that will attract the right audience in the first place, read Do’s and Don’ts of Running Social Media Promotions. [subscription required]

Stepping in front of that Austin audience may not sound hard at first, but public speaking pros warn that being an engaging and helpful panelist takes planning.

“Many people think they can just wing it — I’ve seen it a hundred times — but it’s important to do your homework,” said frequent panelist Nicole Williams, founder and CEO of the career website WORKS by Nicole Williams.

South By Southwest organizer Christine Auten advised, “Look [the panelists] up on LinkedIn and see what groups and organizations they’re part of.” By reading up on interviews they’ve given in the past, you can glean clues as to what they’ll say again and how you can add to that perspective or counter it.

For more tips on wowing the South By crowd, read How to Be a Great Panelist at SXSW (or Any Other Conference). [sub req'd]

Know what’s fresh and hot in the home space? Then, the leading shelter title Dwell could be the perfect place to spread the word about your client. As the glossy set to deliver the best in modern design, the pub needs eyes and ears in the design world to continue its mission to become a multifaceted media brand, not just coffee table eye candy.

“We look to publicists as partners,” said Amanda Dameron, editor-in-chief. And, she said, the entire book is open to those PR execs with relevant queries.

Get a full list of contact info for all editors accepting pitches in How To Pitch for PR: Dwell. [sub req'd]

Since its launch in 2004, Inked magazine”s original mission remains intact – to create a high-end entertainment and fashion magazine built around tattoo culture.

As a men’s lifestyle book, Inked wants the basics: fashion, booze, car, art. But make sure to dial the focus on to tattoos. ”People who don’t know Inked might think it’s just a bunch of pictures of tattoos where that’s not true,” says editor Rocky Rakovic. “Just think of us like Maxim plus tattoos.”

In this ”How To Pitch for PR” feature, Mediabistro finds out just how going from pitch to publish is a collaborative effort at this glossy. If your client has a connection to the world of tats, learn how the editors will work with you to craft your story.

Click here to read on. [sub req'd] Not an Avant Guild member? Click here for more info.