Why women dominate PR

That women are so prevalent in the public relations business should be news to no one (especially frequent visitors to this site).

It’s a fact that women comprise 63 percent of PR specialist roles and 59 percent of PR management positions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, many believe that females are underrepresented at the C-level in PR.

Why? Why are there so many more women working in PR than men?

The Atlantic gave reporter Olga Khazan 3,700-plus words to answer that question in a piece that was published last week. Khazan interviewed 10 women who work in public relations to help find the answer.

It’s worth your time to chew on the whole thing, but we’ll hit a few highlights for you below:

• The media paints a glamorous picture of what comprises a female PR professional’s life. According to Khazan, “nearly every worman I spoke with mentioned Samantha Jones,” the fictional character from Sex and the City.
• Journalism is low paying and unstable. Plus, being a cub reporter is decidedly more awful than your first couple years as a PR pro. Khazan reports, “While female news reporters make $43,326, on average, (to men’s $51,578), female PR “specialists,” the lower-level job in the BLS categorization, make $55,705, while their male counterparts make $71,449.”
• In college, Khazan points to research that shows women “tend to value ‘non pecuniary,’ or non-monetary aspects of their college majors slightly more than men do, while men value their potential future earnings slightly more."
• “Studies have shown that women tend to collaborate more and prefer to work on teams, whereas men usually do better in competitive environments and prefer to fly solo. That male approach works well for journalists, while having a bit of a 'people-pleaser' gene probably attracts and/or makes it easier for women to excel in the PR environment,” Jennifer Hellickson, director of marketing at SweatGuru in Portland, Oregon, told The Atlantic.

The upshot? Khazan writes, “If there’s any takeaway from all this, it’s that the women-in-PR trend started happening for a number of reasons, and it’s not inherently bad, so it never stopped.”

By Kevin Allen

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http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/17090.aspx


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L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
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5 Signs You’re Going To Make It Big One Day

We’ve all got dreams of making it ‘big’ one day, but how many of us actually follow through with those dreams? We make excuses for our lack of success, saying things like, “Life got in the way,” or “I can’t handle anymore rejection. ”But not you! You’re on the fast-track to fame and success. Or are you? Think you’ve got what it takes to make it big? Here are some signs you’re right:

1. You’ve Got A Dream (A Big One!)

What’s your vision? What do you want to accomplish? What are your hopes and dreams? Having a dream – even if it’s a little vague – is crucial for success. Before you can start your journey, you need to have a goal in mind!

In the words of Walt Disney, "If you can dream it, you can do it." (And before you can do it, you've got to dream it!)

2. You’ve Got A Road Map, But You're Prepared To Take Detours

They say success is where preparation and opportunity meet. So, when opportunity comes ‘a knockin,’ you’re going to want to have your plan already in place. Think of it as your road map to making it big!

What steps do you need to take to get where you want to be? Who do you need to know? What skills do you need to have?
But, let's be real here, nothing EVER goes exactly according to plan. You need to be able to adapt to whatever life throws at you. Think of those things as detours. They're not a huge deal as long as you figure out how to get back on the main road!

3. You’re Extremely Curious

You need to have an innate fascination with whatever it is you’re working toward. You've got to learn as much as you can about the industry, the people, the culture, and so on. You need to want to be consumed by it. You've got to understand the problems and be excited about finding solutions. You’ve got to be passionate, excited, and curious about all areas of the biz.

When Larry King made his debut in radio, he made a point to become consumed in the biz. In addition to doing his own show, he did the weather reports, the sports updates, and the news broadcasts. He even volunteered to fill in in for people who were out sick, and took on double shifts.
Why? He wanted to learn all there was to know about the biz. He wanted to practice. He wanted to be good at what he did. The only way to do that was to explore and go above and beyond what was asked of him. He called it "taking extra batting practice."

4. You’re A Little Cocky (Just A Little)

If you really want to make it, you’ve got to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Without confidence, you can so easily get crushed by negativity and criticism – things you will have to deal with once you hit the spotlight.

You have to be confident. You have to trust yourself. And you have to have a deep understanding that you’re going to make it. For actress Jennifer Lawrence, that understanding came at a young age.
“I always knew that I was going to be famous,” she told Vogue magazine. “I honest to God don't know how else to describe it. I used to lie in bed and wonder: ‘Am I going to be a local TV person? Am I going to be a motivational speaker?’ It wasn't a vision. But as it's kind of happening, you have this buried understanding: Of course.”

5. You Realize Failure Is A Minor Setback, Not A Game Changer

If you’re even thinking about making it big one day, the word “quit” can’t be in your vocabulary. In the end, you don’t succeed because you don’t fail; you succeed because you don’t give up. The second you quit, you’ve lost.

Take Michael Jordan, for example. He has a famous quote, "I've failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." The only reason he succeeded was because he didn't let those failures discourage him to the point of quitting. Why? Because he realized his failures were only minor setbacks - not game changers.

I guarantee you that everyone you look up to has failed at one point or another, but did that stop them from picking themselves back up and moving forward? No way, Jose. And that’s why they’re successful.

By. Ariella Coombs (http://www.careerealism.com)
Twitter: @AriellaCoombs
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https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140619132958-79588522-5-signs-you-re-going-to-make-it-big-one-day


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

7 ways to enchant your audience

Do you ever bring audience members on stage, or ask for the audience's help? Doing so could make you their new favorite speaker.

How can you go beyond the usual efforts to create a successful presentation and enchant your audience? What are the secrets to creating magic with a speech?
Here are seven ways to take your speech beyond the ordinary. Some of them will be familiar, but hopefully at least one will be new to you, and help you connect with your audience better:


1. Tell a story. "Of course I tell stories," you're thinking. But do you make your whole speech a story? You probably just drop in the occasional anecdote.
Think about the standard Hollywood three-act structure. Do you raise the ante a third of the way through your talk, and then again two-thirds of the way through? Do you introduce conflict and suspense? Do you keep the audience on tenterhooks until the final curtain?
If you don't, you're not using storytelling the way you should to create forward momentum and suspense in a speech.


2. Involve the audience. The sweetest sound just about anyone can hear is the sound of his or her name. So, bring members of the audience in as examples, testimonials, subjects, exemplars of excellence and so on. Cite them, call them out and use them as the heroes of your stories. You'll have to do your homework to make this technique work, but the results will certainly justify the effort.


3. Bring the audience on stage. The most vivid and memorable form of audience involvement is to bring someone from the group onstage and have them do something relevant and fun. This technique should always be voluntary or arranged in advance—don't drag an unwilling person on stage with you.


4. Engage the audience in a unique way.There are few greater thrills rock bands can give their audiences then to play a song for the first time, or bring someone famous on stage to jam with them. Consider what the speaker equivalent would be. What can you do to give the audience a one-of-a-kind experience?


5. Poll the audience.Audiences today expect to participate. So, let them. Ask for their help in choosing or deciding something. It's not fair to expect audiences to create something from scratch and have it be of high quality, so don't ask them to come up with a name for something unless you can get them to pick from a list.


6. Enlist the audience's help. Get the audience to sign up for your cause. Get audience members to pledge to a worthwhile effort or commit to a goal. Get them to donate time, help or work. Audiences love when you ask for their help—as long as you do it in the right way—so don't be shy. First engage them with the worthiness of the cause, and then enlist them in the effort.



7. Thank the audience. What the speaker shares with an audience is a gift, and even the dullest speaker deserves appreciation. Similarly, the audience gives the speaker the gift of attention. Thank the audience when you're done. Give them a code, coupon, discount-some kind of present to show your appreciation. Say thank you, and mean it.
Every audience is an opportunity to connect and build community in ways that go beyond the usual handouts and slides. Stretch yourself as a speaker, and figure out something unique for each audience. You and your audience will be glad you did.

By Nick Morgan (For Ragan.com)


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http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/48424.aspx#


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
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7 media relations rules you might want to break

Most disciplines have unwritten rules or principles that professionals live by, and the practice of public relations is no exception, but no PR or media relations “law” is ironclad.

There are times when you might need to break the rules, or at least shake up PR industry convention when it comes to dealing with the press. Here’s my list.

Rule 1: Never say, “No comment.” Of course, we tell clients this, and the words have become such a cliché that any PR person would cringe to see them in print, but most know that there are times when the only response to a media inquiry is none at all.

For example, pundits advise “getting out in front of the story” in a crisis, but we don’t always have all the facts during the roughly four-hour window available for responding. If you don’t have the facts, you probably shouldn’t be speaking to the press.

Rule 2: Don’t bother journalists unless you have news. Someone else’s news can also be your story, if you have a colorful quote or interesting point of view. “Newsjacking,” which we used to call “news-surfing”—or hijacking a breaking news story or trend with your client’s comment—is a time-honored way to be featured. Just don’t expect to be the main story.

Rule 3: To be media worthy, your product/service/story must be unique. Not really, and few are. (That overused, hyperbolic descriptor probably won’t get you far, anyway.) Yet, as we like to say in the biz, one product is just a product, but two is a category. Your news might meet with a stronger reception and have more impact as part of a broader category story or a classic “marketing wars” faceoff.

Rule 4: Cast your net widely when pitching a story. A better way to assess media potential and promote the story to maximum advantage may be to offer first crack, or “exclusive” access, to a single, highly influential outlet and then go wide. Yes, sometimes you can have it both ways.

Rule 5: Media-training your client or spokesperson will guarantee message delivery. This one’s debatable, but I think media prep is overrated. It won’t typically transform a reluctant or meandering speaker into a great interview. When it’s overdone, it can result in a flat or overly commercial interaction that can kill the chances for future interviews. There are times when it’s best to find a third-party expert, or restrict the client to pre-recorded and print interviews.

Rule 6: The PR person stays behind the scenes. In many situations, it’s tricky for a PR rep to be quoted or to outshine a client, and most traditional agency people are more comfortable behind the scenes. Still, there are plenty of communications specialists who take an active role in a client interview, and not just for preparation. It’s particularly vital for advocacy campaigns where misinformation can abound and opinions and conclusions are hotly debated.

Rule 7: When in doubt, hold a press conference. This is a bit of a cheat because few PR professionals would agree, but some clients think a product or service launch deserves a fancy press briefing and that journalists will come running. Chances are they won’t, and it may not serve the client well. A strategic media approach beats an expensive event nine times out of 10.

By Dorothy Crenshaw (For PRDaily.com)

Click for Original Article

http://www.prdaily.com/mediarelations/Articles/16527.aspx

About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
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Goodwill goes a long way..

Goodwill goes a long way..

 

 

By "The Boss"

(Why attaching your company or brand to a cause or charity can increase your company's profits)

One of the main things we advise our clients to do is to pick a cause or charity (that they believe in) and then attach themselves to it. This strategy facilitates goodwill and positive press for a brand as well as gain new supporters and customers.Today's market place, thanks in part to the explosion of social media is extremely over-saturated. The market place is filled with individuals who are either selling something, offering a service, part of a network marketing company or most of all aspiring entertainers. If you are reading this you just may be one of the fore-mentioned "over saturated many". Therefore you have probably asked yourself how do I stand out?

One of the most tried and true methods is Goodwill Marketing or charitable marketing. Whether you are a musician, actor, comedian or you are a small business volunteering your time, effort and/or money is a great way to promote what you do.

Why does good will marketing work?

Today's society is very "Me" conscious and Ego driven. It is almost impossible to gain support or attention when a good number of your target market are “doing their own thing” at the same time you are. Goodwill Marketing separates you from the pack. (If done correctly of course and with the right publicity)

In addition to staying above the fray. Goodwill Marketing will compel "like-minded" individuals to become supporters and ultimately customers. A good example of this is Credo Mobile. Credo mobile is a telecommunications company that among other things offers cell phone and mobile data services. They are competing against the T-Mobile’s and Verizon’s of the world but is able to find a very loyal and profitable customer base.

How is a small start up Telecommunications Company able to compete against their established and entrenched competition?

The answer: Goodwill Marketing

 

Credo Mobile has attached itself to "The progressive" movement. Credo mobile gives a portion of their revenue to progressive causes and candidates. With super-packs and campaign donations basically playing the primary role in the United States electoral process, Credo Mobile saw a lane to drive down. Credo Mobile advertised on "progressive talk radio", gave donations for progressive candidates and causes. This lead to people who consider their politics progress or liberal to do business with Credo Mobile. Now this not a "plug" for Credo Mobile's politics but it is an example that if you choose a cause that is popular and attach your brand to that cause you will ultimately gain customers who share an affiliation to that cause.

I would like to offer a word of caution; SINCERITY. Do not choose a cause or charity you do not believe in and or know nothing about because this will backfire on you and your brand. The true activists can always spot a phony and its just not good karma.

 

Goodwill Marketing is an effective tool that you can pull out of the box. It generates awareness to your brand, will garner you positive media attention and a loyal and engaged customer base. Goodwill marketing is a key strategy that L&B Consultation employs regularly and when used in concert with other marketing and publicity principles it will increase the visibility of your brand and ultimately profits.

　

　

About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

Check out www.LbConsultation.com
Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

Why clients deserve grades, too

The most successful public relations campaigns result from collaborative agency/client relationships. It’s always a two-way street.

For the public relations firm to deliver results, the client must invest adequate time and resources, provide information about their business activities, attend to content reviews in a timely manner, be available for interviews on the journalist’s schedule, and son on.

Clients are continually—both consciously and unconsciously—grading their agency’s performance, so shouldn’t the PR firm likewise produce client report cards to gauge their performance as partners?

Let’s review how clients should behave in order to earn straight A’s.


By Len Stein (via PRDaily.com)

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http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/16565.aspx


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

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Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation

A Fork in the Road: How to Recognize a Good OpportunityIntelligence » Tactics

At some point in your career, you will face a big opportunity or challenge that — based on the decision you make — could significantly alter the path of your life.

One of those fork-in-the-road moments came for me as a young account executive. I received a phone call from a devilishly smart headhunter on a frigid day in January to consider moving from Minneapolis to LA to work on the Tourism of Malaysia account.

CLICK BELOW TO READ FULL ARTICLE

http://www.prsa.org/Intelligence/Tactics/Articles/view/10628/1093/

A_Fork_in_the_Road_How_to_Recognize_a_Good_Opportu


About us:
L&B Consultation: is a full service Multimedia Marketing & Consulting
company focusing on publicity, radio promotion,
brand identification, brand management

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Follow us on Twitter @LBConsultation