Once a year, Public Relations Student Society of America hosts a national conference where students and professionals gather for a weekend filled with public relations, networking, and keynote speakers. Austin, Texas was home to the Art of PR: 2018 National Conference, and boy did we learn a lot.
            From keynotes by Southwest’s communication team, to the event planner for HGTV, to the head of communications at HomeAway, there was something for everyone to take away.
            Here’s a list, in no particular order, of what I learned in Austin, Texas (A lot of isn’t just public relations based):

• Ask for what you want with your job. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself, and if you aren’t satisfied, don’t settle.
• If you want something, make sure you stand out from others who want the same thing.
• If you want your internship to turn into a job, don’t half-ass your work. Make sure you put your best foot forward and make yourself indispensable.
• You can further your education without going back to school, like with a certificate in Public Relations through the Plank Center. Go to prcertificate.org for more information.
• But with that, a degree is necessary, but you need to differentiate yourself with courses, skills learned (both hard and soft). What you learn in a course is also more important than the title of it.
• Know your words, whether that be for an interview or selling yourself at a networking event. Always be prepared with points from your resume and cover letter.
• “There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow” by Jeffery Selingo is a book everyone should read. So is “Knock ‘em Dead” by Martin Yate and “The First 90 Days” by Michael Watkins.
•  Non-Profit work is some of the best work you can do. Whether it be for a career, for experience before landing your first job, or just to make the world a better place.
• Non-profit communications make a difference; you have a direct impact on the bottom line.
• Even if you’re volunteering, you are a PR professional; you need to tell people how you want to be treated.
• There is a lot more that goes into an event than what everyone initially thinks. Staying within budget, accommodating the talent, meeting your needs as well as collaborators needs, creative marketing strategies, vendors, location, and supporting services.
• Your brand, whether it be your personal brand or a professional brand, will always need work, and to be changing and evolving.
• There are a lot of tools for digital analytics: Klear, Talkwalker, Meltwater, analytics.twitter.com.
• The three most popular networks to be on are Linkedn, Instagram, and Twitter.
• Public Relations utilizes a lot of different skills and professionals wear a lot of different hats, and therefore, we can hold a lot of different jobs and positions.
• Our degrees prepare us for a vast range of jobs, and we are therefore highly coveted professionals.

 
       Outside of the keynote sessions, we also learned a lot through networking events. I connected with many PRSA Colorado individuals, who explained the benefits of continuing on in PRSA after graduating college and PRSSA. They also told me about the many opportunities to get involved with our state’s chapter of PRSA.
 
       I also connected with a lot of other students, such as a group of members from Hawaii, Illinois, Alabama, and California. From this, I gained connections and valuable insight to the ways in which their PRSSA chapters are run.
 
       Lastly, the national conference taught me that there are a lot of different careers out there for me with my degree, and that I’m not just limited to writing press releases and calling news reporters with story pitches. Public Relations can encompass marketing, event planning, advertising, strategic communications, social media, branding, and campaign creation.
 
       My experience at the 2018 PRSSA National Conference was one to remember, and has showed me that public relations is where I want to be when I graduate, and that there are many different directions I can choose to go. I made friends and learned valuable lessons that will stay with me for the rest of my college career, as well as my future career. I would encourage every PRSSA member to attend the national conference.

Contact:
Courtney Thomas
[email protected]

Written by Courtney Thomas - Social Media/PR Director

Nicole Yost of Fyn PR met with our chapter of PRSSA earlier this evening. She discussed her company, how she became the public relations guru she is today, and the importance of local influencers.

Yost, a CSU alumna, began her journey in agency work, which eventually led to her starting her own company in Loveland. Now, four full-time employees strong (with some freelancers as well), Fyn PR focuses their efforts on tourism and hospitality companies. Located right in the heart of Loveland, no pun intended, Yost and her team play a significant role in the tourism and event planning for the city.

During her discussion with us, Yost touched on influencer relations, mentioning that the local influencers, such as members of the rotary organization, American Legion members, prominent business owners, or any other local heroes. These people service as local influencers and can create traffic at an event, websites, or social media posts.

Yost emphasized the importance of gaining experiences through internships, as well as job placement and how being happy and comfortable where you work is important. According to her, sometimes it is better to start working in agency life, as it gives you the most possible experience to prepare you for many types of jobs. 

Nicole Yost is a great public relations specialist and a great resource for our chapter. We loved having her come talk our chapter and help us prepare for our futures!

Lead the Way with your organization and join the Colorado State University PRSSA chapter and University of Colorado Boulder PRSSA chapter for the first ever Sunset with Students fundraiser event, to be held at the Tivoli Center in Denver on August 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Registration, networking and dessert bar begin at 6:00 p.m.
                 
This year’s event will feature keynote speaker Tommy Spaulding, a leadership expert and best-selling author. Join us in learning effective tools in being a PR leader, as well as how to build lasting relationships for your career.
 
Originally Sunrise with Students, The “Lead the Way: Sunset with Students” program serves as a fundraising event for students who are attending the PRSSA 2018 National Conference in Austin, Texas this October. Sunset with Students is a student-run, formal event for parent chapter, PRSA Colorado. All members are encouraged to attend.
                  
Registration for the event is now open, and includes a copy of Spaulding’s book, The Heart Led Leader. Cost to attend the event is $50/members; $65/nonmembers, $30/students. Sponsorship opportunities for the event are also available; please check the events page for more information.
                  

Written by: Lynette Zeches, CSU PRSSA Secretary on 9/14/2017


Last Thursday, I was given the honor of representing the CSU PRSSA chapter at this year’s PRSA Colorado Chapter Summit. This Summit is designed for professional development and networking, and featured a pretty impressive keynote speaker lineup. 


Renee Robinson, the president of the PRSA Colorado Chapter, lead the Summit and introduced each different segment to the 50 or so members in attendance. 


In the morning, we had breakfast and time to network. I picked up my badge from the check-in desk, and proceeded to find a table with some MSU Denver students who have the goal of starting their own PRSSA chapter for their university. Shortly after sitting down, I ran into Allyson Berry, our former president, and was able to introduce the MSU students to her, as she can help them with their goal! By chance, I sat one table over from Natalie Stevens of Greeley Unexpected, whom I did my PRSA shadow day with back in April of this year. Closer to lunchtime, I ran into Amy Sperber of Charles Schwab, who I met through PRSSA at a meeting she came to back in the spring semester. It was really nice to see some familiar faces and doing so really solidified the benefit of being a part of PRSSA. I also felt very humbled to be able to connect some aspiring PRSSA members with Allyson. 


After lunch, Matt West of the Golin agency gave a very insightful talk about storytelling, and how, as PR professionals, the stories we tell should have a personal twist. I had also heard this proverb during my internship at Radman Communications this summer, so hearing it again was very insightful and proved to be applicable to the field. After the lunchtime keynote, we split up into three breakout sessions, where we got to choose different keynote speakers to listen to. I decided to meet up with Nicole Yost, our student chapter’s professional advisor and a CSU alum, to sit in on these breakout session speakers with her. We went to David Avrin of Visibility International’s talk on competitive advantages in the PR field, Jane Dvorak of JKD’s talk on starting your own PR Company, and Brett Edgerly of JEMSU Digital Marketing’s talk on SEO, or search engine optimization, in PR. 


The Summit closed with a presentation from Jeremy Story, of Ground Floor Media, covering some PR fails in the media as of recent. It was an insightful, yet light and comical end to the Summit, and left everyone with a chuckle. 


I’m so glad that I got this opportunity and would like to thank Nicole Yost, Fyn PR, for sponsoring me at this event. I won’t soon forget the relationships I built and lessons I learned. 


Lynette Zeches 
CSU PRSSA Secretary 
Senior - Journalism & Media Communications 
Foci in Public Relations and German

 https://postsecret.com/

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a post card. 

Watch Frank Warren describe it here .
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PostSecret is certainly entertaining, but that's not all it's known for.
This project and its ongoing efforts focus on mental health stigmas and finding relief for people who are struggling. 
CSU PRSSA is excited to be working with such a passionate project, with hopes to bring this message back to our own campus. This message will be a major driving factor for our members and the work that they do on behalf of this organization.

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https://tickets.lctix.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=1009

Tickets can be found at the link above.
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Ticket Prices:

• $26 for regular seating
• $15 for limited upper balcony seating

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To all my PR friends:

Colorado State University PRSSA is thrilled to be starting its Fall '17 semester this Wednesday August 30th! We have so many awesome, interactive events (agency tours, seminars, mixers, etc.) planned and we can't wait for it all to begin.
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With such an exciting line up to come, we still have our sights set on one event in particular: 2017 Nationals in Boston. Our goal is to send as many of our members as possible to this event as it is such a wonderful networking and professional development opportunity. That being said, Nationals this year is more expensive than ever before and it's always a struggle for college students to attend due to the high costs.

Colorado State University PRSSA is asking for your help! Being in the PR industry, we know you understand how valuable this experience is. We are always accepting donations, sponsorships, fundraising opportunities, etc. If there is any way you, your company or any of your connections can help, PLEASE DO! :) Any little contribution is greatly appreciated. Please reach out to Lauren Hancock at [email protected]

Along with that, CSU PRSSA is looking for speakers, educational/professional event hosts, AND RamPR clients for the Fall & Spring semesters. If you're interested in working with us as a host OR a client, please contact Lauren Hancock at [email protected].

coloradostateprssa.com

Thank you all so much!
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-Lauren M. Hancock, President, ColoState PRSSA

            Being in my second year of graduate school, I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to communication classes and internships. My failures have taught me as much as my achievements, and I’m hoping to use this piece to share with you some of the pointers I’ve picked up along the way. So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of how to write a successful news release:
 
#1 Know your audience. This sentence may be passed around to the point of becoming cliché, but it retains its value nonetheless. Just like with friendship, you have to have an understanding of who you’re talking to in order to develop a good relationship. What are their demographics? Likes? Dislikes? What writing strategies would appeal most to them? These are some questions to consider before whipping out your MacBook and typing away.
 
#2 Know your media. The spray and pray method is rarely effective for garnering media coverage. It’s generally a best practice to have specific outlets in mind or beat reporters to turn to for the specific subject of your release. Do your research on these people before you begin writing. How would you describe their writing style? Have they picked up your work before? If so, analyze the changes they made before publishing. You’re much more likely to get your work in print (or web or whatever medium you’re shooting for) if you make it easy on the journalist you pitch your story to. The fewer edits they have to make to your release, the more they’ll want to work with you.
 
#3 Be up to date on current events. Reading the New York Times and watching CNN will do you more good than just scoring you some points during an interview; in fact, keeping up to date on world news is crucial to the success of public relations professionals. Timing is everything, and it can hurt or benefit your release. Writing on current trends or tying in to other stories can definitely lend to readability. On the other hand, being insensitive to current issues can launch a full blown crisis. Be sure to utilize the student rates offered by many newspaper outlets and take advantage of free papers on campus.
 
#4 Tell a story. Again, you may have heard this a million times, but it can be difficult to figure out how to go about, especially for inexperienced writers. The line between colloquialism and maintaining professionality in writing may seem thin. Study previous releases published by your company or look at what’s trending in the media outlet you plan on pitching to. Turn to social media—what stories do you enjoy reading? How does the author relay the message? Your audience is more likely to remember your message if it’s interesting to read. Yes, give them the facts, but don’t bore them with the points you make.
 
# 5 Write well, edit better. In addition to writing a story worth reading, it’s important to put forth a polished piece. Keep your AP Stylebook nearby and read your work over before passing it along to anyone else. Many would suggest printing your draft out and reading it aloud to help catch mistakes and make sure it flows well. Of course, you want to be sure your article is stunning before sending it to the media, but shoot for doing this with your own in-house reviewers, too. Your professional reputation can seriously benefit from being seen as a meticulous editor.
 
Happy writing!
 
Alissa Hooper, CSU PRSSA Director of Social Media