I quickly realised the vital role which social media plays in news spreading when at 7am, as I sat at my desk (somewhat nervously) waiting for a company announcement to be made, one tweet appeared from Sky News. Literally ten minutes later, there were over 40 tweets, and as the next two hours passed, this number just went up, and up, and up until it reached well over 300.

At this early stage, the majority of tweets simply referred to the news which had just been broken, with little comment or opinion being shared. About 10 minutes later, the first article appeared on a traditional news website. It may seem like an obvious thing to say, but this instance highlights the influence which social media now has over our lives. There is barely a second between something happening and the rest of the world finding out about it, yet it wasn’t until those precious few minutes had passed that the news actually appeared on a traditional news site, as a full article. The same goes for any kind of crisis.

Conversations began to develop once the initial explosion had died down. Typically, when news breaks, social media activity consists of news sharing, rather than conversation. But, once this news has had time to proliferate, discussions between members of the general public, perhaps those who are some way affected by the news, are likely to follow. The key here is that these conversations aren’t always taking place in obvious places, but it’s so important that they are found and monitored. During this particular incident, the company involved were in the midst of trying to decide who would be the best person to address staff, in light of a significant job cut announcement. It became clear from forum posts and comments that there was a lot of negative feeling from employees towards certain senior members of staff. This is the kind of information which is invaluable for clients, as it helps them to understand what they may be facing, and how best to move forward without causing unnecessary friction with those involved.  

Whilst the instance I’m talking about was anticipated, imagine dealing with an unexpected crisis. There would be zero time to devise a company statement between the incident happening and the news appearing all over Twitter. Strategies have to be put in place in anticipation of such crises, and this is an area which is so important and really interesting. Social media has completely and irrevocably changed crisis management – it’s more vital than every to come up with a strategy for even the most unexpected of crises.

I was reading an article on Mashable the other day which further demonstrates this point. The article – How Whitney Houston News Broke – and Exploded – on Twitter – proves that nothing can be withheld from the public for any length of time anymore. Whether it’s the death of an icon like Whitney Houston, or a company announcement like the one I was working through, there are now only seconds between something happening and the whole world talking about it.

Lesson learned: the power of social media cannot and should not be overlooked!

As I mentioned in the post, it was a great time to be in the department with the Edelman Trust Barometer Launch and Davos going on around me. The department is a big one and there are so many accounts and projects always trundling along in the background that it is easy to feel a part of an important hub for UK business news and events.

The department is split into several different teams, including the Crisis team, the Strategic Media Unit and the Property team, all of which specialise in certain types of PR. The boundaries are by no means rigid however, and teams change and blur all the time as accounts change and new project briefs come in. This makes for an effective group, as people develop their own skills in areas that interest them. Once again I was made to feel very welcome and the end of the rotation seemed to come quickly!

In other news, I have at this admittedly late stage taken my first steps into the world of Twitter. Please help me increase my Tweetlevel score by retweeting the constant stream of witty, incisive comments @BarneyEvison.

: Me.

: Technology department at Edelman.

After a fantastic Christmas break, I started my fourth rotation in the Edelman Technology Department. Before starting in this department, I wasn’t sure what to expect (cue cat chasing mouse), but having spent the last five weeks learning the ins-and-outs of the department, I’ve come to the conclusion that Technology PR is like Consumer PR except with tech clients. Tada!

Whilst rotating in the Tech department I was lucky enough to work on a huge range of clients, doing different things for each of them. However, as the other grads have already provided brilliant insights into the types of work that people do in Tech, I thought I would focus on one particular experience I had that is quintessentially ’PR’ – a media sell-in.

Media Sell-ins are an everyday task for people working in PR, and depending on the client you’re working on and who you’re pitching to, they can be as easy-as-pie or as difficult as extracting water from a stone. Nonetheless, when you succeed in placing a client in a story, the buzz of excitement you feel rivals hearing Christmas is going to come twice this year!

When embarking on a media sell-in, there are a number of basic strategies to get under your belt to help you succeed in getting your client some coverage:

1. Know your target media. Who is the reader (or viewer or listener)? What is the rhythm of the publication, when do the specific pages “go to bed”?  What’s the editorial stance that the publication takes to particular topics?

2. Know your story. What is the relevance of your story to that publication? Can it be “topped and tailed” and made relevant to the locale?

3. Ride the news cycle. The media is governed by the news cycle and so it makes sense to be aware of that cycle and ensure that when your story or client converges with the news cycle then you are pushing on an open door when pitching in to the media

4. Provide evidence. Have you got statistics or an expert interviewee that can add to the value of what you are offering the journalist?

5. Timing. Choosing the time of day, or week or month to sell your story in is vital. Remember that morning conference is a key watershed moment in the production of a publication or broadcast platform. Approaching just before is often the best strategy

From Hollis PR

For the sell-in I was doing, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity somewhat handed to me on a plate.

1. Know your target media: There is an invaluable source for all PR professionals called Response Source which you can sign up to and get email alerts when journalists request sources / case studies for stories they are writing.  In  my case, a journalist was writing a piece for the FT, where they were looking for case studies on how employers use social media to recruit. This suited the client I was working for perfectly, so this immediately set off alarm bells in my head “CONTACT. NOW!”

2. Know your story. I had studied a variety of case studies for my client, so immediately knew of a case study that would suit this request.

3. Ride the news cycle The journalist had posted his deadline on his blog, so I knew that the time frame was tight and called him straight away.

4. Provide evidence My client has a wealth of up-to-date and relevant statistics that we can use to show journalists and I was also able to offer a spokesperson to provide quotes and other insights.

5. Timing As the current economic climate is somewhat tumultuous, using social media sites are becoming more and more relevant. Therefore, this was the perfect time to pitch my story.

By following these 5 steps to selling-in a story, you will be on a solid path to securing coverage. However, it is important to remember that everyone is busy and everyone has their own agenda, so being PR professionals, our job is to facilitate the dialogue between a journalist and our client, and to make this process as easy for them as possible.

The  final result for me was an FT article mentioning our client:

Employers face online challenges

Going through this experience of selling-in was definitely a learning curve, and combined with all of the other skills and insights that I learnt whilst in Tech, I went from:

CLUELESS CAT

TO...SUCCESSFUL CAT

A huge ‘thank you’ for everyone in Tech for their support and pedagogical prowess!

Since my last blog (way back in October) I’ve worked with three fantastic teams who have all taught me various things about the world of PR and media relations that I had never considered in my pre-Edelman days. Since working with Digital, Healthcare and Consumer, I can honestly say that a Twitter feed is not just a Twitter feed, a drug announcement is not just a drug announcement and magazine coverage is not just magazine coverage.

In my time with Digital, I learnt how to write web copy for different clients with dramatically varying audiences (a Puma After Hours Athlete travel guide one day to a girlie music fan the next), gathered and presented social media insights for leading law firm Allen and Overy, online listened (yep, that’s a thing) for Shell and Covent Garden, helped out with community management tasks for the Dove Global Facebook pages and compiled a weekly newsletter for a global blue chip communications company. I also learnt the (very basics) of data and engagement insights and what they mean for a social media platform. Similarly, using Sysomos, Buddy Media and CoTweet on a daily basis opened my eyes to just how much work goes into maintaining a brand identity (and therefore a consistent brand voice) whilst increasing online engagement. My time with the lovely Digital team saw a visit from the guys at Facebook, many Knowledge Shares, a pub golf session, a karaoke-off, Krispy Kremes in abundance and a great event with a former Digital/Consumer client Best Buy where we, er, met Chipmunk. (Amazing!) 

Moving onto my time with Healthcare, I spent a great deal of time composing coverage reports for many different and dramatically varying Healthcare accounts such as Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, HIV drug Edurant, anti-depressant Seroquel, smoking cessation drug Champix, cystic fibrosis drug Vertex and coronary drug Brilinta. I also spent my time compiling case study research, completed a daily reports on Research and Development pharmaceutical news, learnt the importance of grammatical accuracy with daily CHAMPIX (the ever necessary capitals) reports alongside establishing a solid grounding of what consitutes ’client relevant’ news for the Global Vertex cystic fibrosis report. As the other grads have said, the not so healthy (but very, very lovely) Healthcare provided lots and lots of cake, a ‘classy pod’ Christmas decorating competition and lots of patient and friendly faces who made my Healthcare PR experience a thoroughly enjoyable one.

As for now, I’m currently in JCPR, Edelman’s consumer team who look after a range of accounts such as Puma, Xbox, Unilever and Shell amongst many, many others. To date, I’ve had lots of great varied tasks including sending out press samples, calling magazines to pull together research for speculative reader events, new business research for things as varied as researching historians one day to fruit baskets and Turkish food the next. I’ve also completed PureVia Media Relations, Xbox mounting, travel research, Unilever daily newsletters alongside many, many other things. From the music (last week we had a lot of Etta James, today drum and bass…) to the tasks, no two days in JC are ever, ever the same, something that most definitely works to their advantage.

However, the fun as an Edelman grad doesn’t just fall between the (non-existent) departmental walls, in the last three months we had an AMAZING Christmas party at Circus, numerous Gorkana breakfasts, an eye-opening training session in Crisis Management, a great one on one writing session with a former tabloid editor, a fantastic creative brainstorming session where we learnt to really get to the heart of a brand and a really great (I’m running out of superlatives…) training session with a Healthcare AD regarding best practice and managing client relations. I even brushed up my skills with an IT Power Hour (you should see my inbox now, I’m all over those rules!) and had a ton of online training to work through from My Edelman University (as of yesterday, I’m a black belt in social media….oh yes!)

I’ve also helped out at the Edelman Crystal Ball and Trust events and even got to meet some fellow Edel’s from Denmark and Germany who flew over to complete our worldwide TalentEd project (in which our campaign came second, yay!).

So, that’s the last three months. If you’re still reading and aren’t bound to me by birth, I’d take a pretty solid guess that you’re reading because you’re thinking of applying for the Edelman Scheme this year. Like I know Rosie said before, so much of what we experience as Edelman Grads really does make you feel incredibly lucky. You work alongside the best brains, on the best clients and get to see your awareness of PR and communications grow on a day by day basis. If you’re as lucky as us, you’ll also get a pretty great network in terms of your fellow grads who remain your constant lunch buddies in the whirlwind of being a perpetual newbie.

I’ve absolutely loved my time at Edelman so far and would encourage anyone to apply this year.

The PA group is the smallest of the main departments in terms of staff, although its client list seems to be one of the longest. I was exposed to a huge range of accounts, from Anglian Water to the British Virgin Islands, to Sainsbury’s and the Open University. For these accounts I carried out a range of tasks including monitoring governmental committee meetings and the media, compiling stakeholder lists, contacting stakeholders, carrying out desk research and preparing biographies of relevant MPs. I helped out at a couple of events, one of which took place in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour in Westminster City Hall.

Public affairs or lobbying, as it may more commonly be known, involves a huge amount of political intelligence. It seemed to me that the foundation for all the work the PA team does is up-to-date information about what is going on in Westminster – as well as in the parliaments of Berlin, Paris and Brussels. The team are a fount of political knowledge of who is doing what where. What’s interesting is how engaged each member of the team is personally – all are members of a political party and are usually active within them – and are thus stakeholders themselves (partisan politics are however confined to inter-pod repartee and all-group emails!)

I learnt more about politics in 5 weeks than in the last 5 years, and I enjoyed making sure I kept abreast of current affairs. The amount of IP coming ceaselessly from the PA team is remarkable – they produced several items while I was there, such as a report on the Autumn Statement, analysis of the London Mayoral Election and the EU treaty veto, the Edelman Capital Staffers Index and multiple breakdowns of parliamentary meetings, bills and reports (such as the Portas Review). The speed at which these documents are put together is impressive; there is so much going on that much of the skill lies in stripping back the irrelevant information from the essential.

In keeping with tradition, every member of the House of Lords celebrated the festive season by dressing up as Father Christmas

The penultimate week before Christmas was particularly fun-filled for me, as it covered both the all-group Christmas party and the PA trip to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. The Edelman Christmas Party 2011 kicked off at the office with an internal awards ceremony (The “Edelman Honours”) – which included such prestigious accolades as the messiest desk and the worst use of PR jargon (the extent of the latter’s incomprehensibility means I will never be able to repeat it) – then continued onto a night club in Covent Garden where we were treated to food, drinks and circus dancers. This was a great chance for us grads to be able to chat to all the people we’ve met throughout the office and it was lovely to see everyone relaxing in social context. We were greeted with bacon and sausage sandwiches for breakfast the next day, which made the run-up to Christmas all the sweeter. I was off for the PA team afternoon and dinner on the Friday and managed to time my leave nicely taking the final week off.

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I spent my last rotation in Spook (Digital) and today I am starting on the Healthcare team. 

In Spook, I got to work on global clients, take part in training sessions, brainstorms, research for new campaigns, copywriting and media monitoring. I also learned how to use some really useful tools such as Buddy Media, Facebook Analytics and YouTube Analytics. I never knew any of these existed before my time at Spook and it was briliant to be able to walk away from my rotation with a knowledge of these tools.

Spook also taught me A LOT about the art of evaluation and reporting! I am now an expert in click through rates, penetration rates, engagement rates and what a facebook ‘like’ really means for a brand. A lot of numbers, excel sheets and maths, but super interesting and challenging.

During my time at Spook, I was also able to sample the brilliant social life that working at Edelman offers you. The Edelman office was full of the Christmas spirit with Christmas songs blaring from almost every pod, and we even got mince pies and mulled wine one evening. We also got to attend the Edelman Christmas Party – which was amazing. Salon in the office, Edelman Honours, a top secret location and an alpine themed Photobooth! What more could you ask for?

Here’s to a great 2012!

I finish my stint in JCPR today and it’s been a hectic but really enjoyable 5 weeks. As with every department in Edelman the people are wonderful , the atmosphere is always buzzing and the clients are incredible. As the year winds down the End of Year reports have been winding up and although this has meant that my time in JC was much more excels and power points than events and press liaisons I have still had a great time and learnt a lot.

There is no denying that Christmas is well and truly in the air at the Edelman offices, music is playing, decorations are hanging and festive jumpers are being worn with pride. I simply can’t sign off for this year without saying a huge thank you to both JCPR and Edelman for hosting such amazing Christmas parties and in particular to the catering team for providing bacon sandwiches the morning after. Evidence of the aforementioned parties can be found below.

Cheers to JCPR!

The Infamous Grads!

My final thought is this. One of the very first things I did in 2011 was hand in my application to Edelman’s Graduate Scheme (on the day of the deadling actually!) and with hindsight and a lot of other experiences behind me over the past 12 months, I have to say it was the best decision I ever made. The first 3-and-a-bit months have been a steep learning curve but a great adventure and I can’t wait to see what next year and my next departments have to offer.

All there is left to say is Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Roll on 2012 and Public Affairs!

p.s – For more on JCPR check out their blog and for more Christmas party joy have a look at my blog.

I have to say, five weeks ago I felt a little bit out of my depth. Yes, I own a smartphone, but that’s about where my technological knowledge came to an end. So sending a press release and doing a media sell-in for a large software company seemed like an extremely nerve-wracking prospect. But in all honesty it’s that kind of experience that really adds the value to this grad scheme.  And really, it’s not so bad. I feel a lot more confident since picking up the phone to software and computer specialist journalists, and actually managing to get the story into the media! It just goes to show that even if you think you can’t do something, with a little bit of confidence, careful research and a “can do” attitude, you definitely can.

What has really surprised me about tech is the variety of clients. This department isn’t all about niche and specialist enterprise, but technology which all of us use (and most of us couldn’t live without). Whether we’re talking software, mobile phones, gaming, social networking, printers or ink, the tech team deals with it all, on some level. And from a grad’s point of view, perhaps the best thing about this variety of clients is getting to experience a mixture of corporate and consumer PR simultaneously – it is the best of both worlds.

So now everything’s winding down, Christmas tunes are on a constant loop and there are more mince pies/chocolates in here than can be found in Sainsbury’s. And with that comes the end of yet another great rotation, and the time to say a big “thank you” to another team. It’s been a great five weeks and I will definitely be leaving tech with a whole wealth of knowledge I didn’t have before. And I’ve had fun in the process.