This post is the thirteenth Q&A in an ongoing series looking at the usual topics of PR, employability and other hints on getting into the industry, albeit with a particular focus on social media. I’m delighted that Seb Mysko, Managing Director at Rising Digital, the Leeds-based social media and word of mouth marketing consultancy has shared his thoughts with us.

A bit more on Seb, he studied Marketing Management at Northumbria University, but his background is at Leeds’ top PR agencies having cut his teeth at Trimedia Harrison Cowley (now Grayling), before rising to Account Manager at Wolfstar, then on to Rising Music, before taking up his current position at Rising Digital.

Seb works in the hugely competitive music PR sector; dealing with a range of artists including the likes of Deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia and Gorillaz to name a few. He is a shining example to any student, having gone from graduate to Managing Director in just four years.

You can find out more about Rising Digital from its website, blog, Facebook Group or Twitter stream or indeed, Seb from his Tweets and Linked In profile.

1.     As Managing Director of Rising Digital, what does your role involve on a daily basis
For me, it is and always will be about the clients. I have a team of in-house staff and external freelancers that operate under the Rising Digital umbrella, currently servicing more than fifteen artists, labels and brands. To try and summarise a day in my life right now is honestly a bit tricky; loads of client facing work, project strategy and team management, but I also buzz off the creative and techie stuff too. Building podcasts, video blogs, designing EP covers and playing with simple html code… all in a day’s work! ..and then there’s the admin, the legal, the accounts and all the other highly non-creative stuff to take care of. Not so fun, but very necessary.

2.     What’s it like to work at Rising Digital and how does it vary from the other positions you have had?
The banter literally never stops. The team is more like a family now, which obviously has it’s pro’s and con’s, but everyone is driven and self motivated because they thrive off what they do. Not many people have the luxury of waking up every morning and doing 100% what they love. The guys and I are all very humble about this fortunate position we’re in and take every step to ensure we’re doing the best possible job we can for our clients and our team. In comparison to other positions… longer hours, more pressure and less holiday… but, personally, this is the best job in the world.

3.     How did you become Managing Director at Rising Digital?
I left Wolfstar in the summer of 2008 after one of the best years of my career. I had the luxury (professionally that is) of uninterrupted time with Stuart Bruce the MD, one of the true social media guru’s and Tim, a CEO whose passion for driving a business to success is immeasurable. Under those guys, my Account director and good friend Chris Norton and after a VERY slippery start, I found my feet as an Account manager… and then suddenly everything fell into place. My oldest pal in the world, Chris Lake, offered me a job heading up his label’s (Rising Music) marketing. I jumped at the opportunity and less than nine months later, whilst touring the USA together, we decided to set up Rising Digital. Just over two years later… here I am… still loving it!

4.     What attracted you to the social media side of communications?
Ok… apologies if I offend anyone reading this, but I found PR pre-social media integration… well… dull. Draft news release, get approval, sell-in, wait for coverage, see coverage, collate coverage in big document and… hit repeat. JOKE. No seriously, for a time I did really enjoy traditional PR, but I think that was the team I was in and the type of clients. I made some friends in and out of house I’ll never forget who taught me so much. As a student I excelled in socialising… but for some reason, when presented with a full contract to be a Harrison Cowley (now Grayling I think) Account exec, things got more serious. Take all the good stuff in client relations, and add in word of mouth research and implementation, running events through Facebook and creating YouTube videos… that’s when it all got pretty cool.

5.     What do you think are the main advantages of online PR vs. traditional PR?
I could go and on and on about this, but really it boils down to two aspects: One-way Vs two-way dialogue and potential ‘reach’. Great, you’ve landed a full page feature in Q Magazine… what now? Nail a successful viral campaign online and your reach is endless, the feedback is instant, and basic analysis is evident immediately. Our man deadmau5 did a piece with a YouTube team called Epic Meal Time – more than a million hits in 24hrs. This was just meant to be a bit of fun, but this combo has now had +4mill hits, +28k comments and +58K likes.

6.     What has Rising Digital got planned for the next 12-18 months?
We’re just going through the motions of partnering with Three Six Zero Group. We’ve been pals with them since the word go, and share a common sense of understanding regarding business Vs pleasure. At the end of the day we’re still in the music industry, but by taking a more professional outlook on what we do, throwing in some healthy doses of strategy and research, we make a good team. We don’t work with all of the Groups’ Artists, but the guys we do work with… well, lets just say, it’s fun, creative and it always works out well.

7.     Should students bring a hard copy portfolio to a PR interview? What do you think about e-portfolios?
Sure, if I was going for an interview I’d do the lot. First impressions are everything, so why not be uber ‘on it’ before you’ve even walked into the interview room. Then, print out a beast of a portfolio that looks slick, informative and well collated. Get yourself on sites like about.me, and of course cover the basics; Linked In etc etc…. When anyone gets in touch with us, we check them out immediately. The more pics of them at festivals the better

8.     What are the 3 most important skills graduates need to be successful in PR?
1. Organisation; PR is not rocket science. What you want at entry level is to be an asset to your fellow execs and managers. Being organised is the first step.

2. Listen! (And ask). Unlike me, if you actually pay full attention, take notes and get your head around the work, it’s simples. If you become a ‘yes’ person, but don’t have a clue what you’re saying yes too… well, you’re screwed. As I found out on many an occasion.

3. Confidence in your knowledge. One of my pet hates in PR are Account Execs who a) don’t know their client inside out and b) have little confidence due to a). Research, learn and research some more. When you speak to a blogger or journalist at either an online or offline publication, you need to know your stuff, otherwise, not only do you look like a muppet, but you are potentially damaging your client’s reputation too.

9.     What 3 tips would you give to someone trying to land a music PR role?
1. I honestly think something crazy like 80% of people working in the industry have been brought into it through connections, or birthright! If you don’t know anyone and you send a CV, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope, unless of course you’re pitching yourself at one of the majors. So, the solution is… get connected!

2. Be realistic about your salary. We do what we do because we love the music, not the wages. But, and this is a big but, once you’re in; tickets, queuing, drinks, etc etc… gratis baby!

3. Be confident with your creativity. But please don’t be a bullshitter. The last thing the industry needs are more jacked-up kids full of self importance. Be humble and honest and you’ll be respected. Remember, you’re not the artist!

10.  What more can be done to convince clients of the benefit of social media? (ROI, evaluation, sales etc)
Unlike major brands, we have the luxury of operating on a somewhat lighter scale of analysis. Our clients are interested in clear statistics; YouTube hits, Facebook Likes etc. Of course Management companies will work with us to drill further into insights, but overall, there is little need to do any ‘convincing’ of the importance of social media. Everyone in our industry is either doing ‘it’ or is working on getting there as fast as humanly possible. If we do ever come up against clients that put up a resistance to our methodology, we just take it nice and slow, and 10/10 they will be fully on board in a matter of weeks. At the end of the day… you don’t want to scare them!

I would like to put on record my thanks to Seb for sharing his thoughts with us and wish him and Rising Digital all the best for another fantastic year. An increasing number of students I speak to say they want to work for a PR agency that specialises in social media and music, so i’m sure they will find this Q&A insightful.

Clare’s at a fantastic agency that clearly care about spending time developing their own staff. In fact, Wolfstar boast one of the most open and progressive intern policies I have seen and Stuart Bruce has consistently fought the corner of students and graduates. I’d recommend signing up to their blog to get the latest thoughts from Stuart and the rest of the Wolfstar pack.

You can find out more about one of Wolfstar’s rising stars from Clare’s blog, Tweets and Linked In profile.

1. As an Account Executive, what does your role involve on a daily basis?
Being an account executive at larger agencies or in big in-house teams can sometimes mean little responsibility and more menial tasks. However, one of the big advantages of working at a smaller agency is that you’re given the chance to work on an deliver pitches, create strategies and present it to clients and contribute greatly to team efforts. I do all these tasks and more on some of Wolfstar Consultancy’s biggest tech clients (where I feel most comfortable) and usually for consumer facing rather than B2B.

2. What’s it like to work at Wolfstar and how does it vary from the other positions you have had?
The big difference is the amount of online public relations compared to traditional. We provide an integrated approach, which means less time writing dozens of press releases and more time creating interesting content, such as social media news releases, videos and webchats. The idea is to create something that people want to read, watch and interact with, so therefore will share.

I think the days of the traditional press release are numbered as news moves online, so it’s exciting to be at the forefront of modernised media relations and learn skills that I’ll need for the future of the industry.

3. How did you manage to land the year-long internship at Wolfstar?
I started out as the ‘Friday work-experience girl’ by sending over my CV and with a ‘covering letter’ explaining why I wanted to work for Wolfstar Consultancy and what I was already doing online. By this point I was already active on Twitter and had been running a blog since the start of my course. I think being aware of and understanding social media gave me a real boost. Stuart Bruce, the managing director, even commented on my blog saying how much he liked it!

After getting my work experience, I then focused on making myself stand out in the office and being as useful as possible. After a month or so with Wolfstar Consultancy, I asked Stuart if a year’s internship would be possible. Luckily, he said Wolfstar would love to have me! I think I’m the first intern on such a long term contract so my role is more ‘account executive’ than just ‘intern’, which is something I prefer as it means I get the chance to work as the sole executive on some fantastic clients.

4. What attracted you to the social media side of communications?
I’ve been into anything a bit techy and geeky from an early age and though the personal and writing skills behind traditional public relations initially appealed to me, it is the new ‘digital’ face of communication that I find the biggest draw. Much of what we do in social media and online PR is new and as yet not unproven in comparison to more conventional means, so working on these campaigns is something I find more exciting, and more rewarding when you produce real results for a client.

5. What do you think are the main advantages of online PR vs. traditional PR?
Monitoring both campaigns and conversation around brands is more accessible and useful online. For example, rather then asking customer to fill in a questionnaire or a survey, you can get a feel for what people think of your product/service in forums, on social networks and on blogs. People are usually more open online too, so the feedback may be more beneficial. There is also the chance to engage directly with customers, which, if done correctly, can help improve reputation and allow two-way communication in a way that can rarely take place offline.

The potential reach for online campaigns is another big advantage. Not only are there a huge range of tools and channels to develop creative campaigns, but also the very nature of the Internet means that content can be easily shared; meaning the audience for your campaign can be huge.

6. Should students bring a hard copy portfolio to a PR interview? What do you think about e-portfolios?
I conduct the intern interviews for placements at Wolfstar Consultancy and I love seeing good quality, hard copy portfolios. It’s easier to reference your work when you have it in front of you to show and also takes the focus directly off you for a while, which is always a welcome feeling when being interviewed.

E-portfolios, such as those hosted online or put together in a PowerPoint, are probably best used on blogs and websites to showcase your talents. Getting out a laptop in an interview does slow things down a little, though I would be interested to see how using a tablet would help this problem. I think the obvious exception is if most of your work is online PR, in which case it would be a waste not to show of the work in a digital format. I’ve seen some fantastic ‘visual résumés’ online, which I think are great to send over with a CV or before a job interview and would really make an applicant stand out. I’m planning on putting one together soon!

7. You’re currently studying PR at Leeds Met – do you feel that your university degree prepared you for the world of work?
I’ve been pretty critical of the PR course in the past, more specifically the lack of social media on the agenda. With so many agencies and in-house teams adding social skills to their lists of attributes in a prospective interview candidate, it seems short-sighted not to learn more about this field at university. However, learning the theories behind communication and dipping into related fields, such as marketing and journalism, do give a more broad view of public relations, which can prove useful and interesting.

One of the biggest changes when going into ‘the world of work’ that university does not really prepare you for is working hours. Unless you really put the time in when studying (and still perhaps even then) you won’t be prepared for working 9-5.30, 5 days a week, plus occasionally working extra evenings and weekends. Similarly, nothing will truly prepare you for the amount of time and effort you put in to your clients, the first time nerves of real pitches, but also the feeling you get when a client says you’ve done a fantastic job.

8. What are the 3 most important skills interns need to be successful in PR?

1. Hard working  - With so much competition in the industry, you need to make sure you’re doing that little bit extra to stand out about the rest if you want any hope of getting a job at the end of your degree.
2. Organisation  - Something you start to learn at university, but will need to improve when working in an office. Time keeping and deadlines rule the PR world, you need to know how much time you are putting into each client if your working in an agency and also work to the timescales of media titles and journalists.
3. Personality – Sounds a bit strange, but there’s more to office life then just working. Gelling with your team is important, but also coming across as approachable and capable to your clients and likeable and informative to media will go a long way. Confidence and self-belief are also important when up against so many similarly qualified applicants, as well as when it comes to public speaking and pitching.

9. What 3 tips would you give to someone trying to land a social media role?

1. Have a real interest in the industry – As this field is so fast moving, you need to be interested in the way communication is changing and be passionate enough to read round the subject. Knowledge and understanding of the way social media works is important, so subscribe to relevant RSS feeds of both large sites like Mashable and TechCrunch, but also influential individuals who you aspire to.
2. Know your way around a computer – Sounds obvious, but basic tech know-how is crucial for online and any extra skills, like Photoshop, video editing or bits of HTML, will no doubt come into play and demonstrate your usefulness to an agency or in-house team. There may be less graduates applying for specialist social media roles, but the competition is still strong and the standards perhaps higher.
3. Use social media – Another no brainer, but just having your own blog and social profiles demonstrates that you are already active online. I don’t know any ‘social media specialists’ in PR that don’t have a blog of some kind. Not only is it a platform for you to express your interests and knowledge, but also you may have to set one up for a client at some point. Having run your own blog beforehand you will feel much more comfortable not only explaining by blogs are important, but also giving advice on how to manage one successfully.

10. If you were a student about to decide where to take your year placement, what advice would you give them?
Do it! You will undoubtedly learn more in just a few months on working in a real living, breathing PR company then you could ever learn sat in a lecture hall. Not only will your skill set and knowledge grow, but you will also develop as an individual. Working in a supportive team and delivering high quality work will give your confidence and capabilities a huge boost. I feel like I have matured more in the past six months then my entire PR course and become a better, more well-rounded person because of it and therefore more useful to any team I join in my career. Placement year makes your more employable, it’s as simple as that!

I would like to put on record my thanks to Clare for sharing her thoughts with us and wish her all the best for another great year and beyond. An ever increasing number of students I speak to say they want to work for a PR agency that specialises in social media so i’m sure they will find this Q&A insightful.

This post is the sixth Q&A in an ongoing series looking at the usual topics of PR, employability and other hints on getting into the industry, albeit with a particular focus on social media. I’m delighted that Jed Hallam who is Head of Innovation at Wolfstar, the award-winning PR, social media, WOM and communications agency has shared his thoughts with us. I’d recommend signing up to their blog to get the latest thoughts from MD Stuart Bruce and the rest of the Wolfstar pack.

A bit more on Jed…he is a graduate of Nottingham Trent University and previously worked at Academic Answers as a Communications Manager. He joined Wolfstar in 2008 having persuaded Stuart Bruce and team to offer him a trial after creating a Facebook Group outlining why Wolfstar would be his dream job and what he would bring to the Wolfstar pack. All in all, Jed’s had a fantastic year, heading up Wolfstar’s newly launched Innovation Labs and being nominated in the PR Week 29 Under 29 list.

You can find out more about Jed from his blog, Tweets and Linked In profile.

In a nutshell, Wolfstar Labs is an engine to create next generation products.

2. What’s it like to work at Wolfstar Consultancy and how does it vary from the other positions you have had?
Well I’ve been at Wolfstar Consultancy for more than two years now so I’ve witnessed it grow from four or five people to nearly fifteen now. It’s been an exciting two years and I’m very lucky to work with some incredible people – in my eyes there are very few people in this space that understand public relations social media as well as the people that work at Wolfstar Consultancy.

Every day is different (clichéd, but true) and because we have such a broad range of clients there’s always the opportunity for creativity.

3. What attracted you to the social media side of communications?
Like most people, I fell into public relations. Once I’d been working in in-house public relations for about a year I realised that the internet was playing a much bigger role in peoples’ lives than a lot of agencies realised, so I started to look at how I could use online tools to connect more effectively with people. And it worked!

Right now I’m obsessed with how we can integrate technology and thinking into how a brand can build better relationships to ultimately sell more products and services! A big part of that is understanding how different communications disciplines fit together and how each can bring its own skill set to online – I always picture a Trivial Pursuit playing piece with each piece of cake being a marketing discipline – each on their own is ok, but together it’s brilliant.

4. Wolfstar Labs was launched in October, what was the thinking behind it and what can we expect to see coming out of the lab in 2011?
Wolfstar Labs publicly launched this October, but we’ve been working on products for over a year now. Wolfstar Labs is an innovation incubator designed to create products supporting online corporate communication and brand management. Products created in Wolfstar Labs are then used by Wolfstar Consultancy to counsel clients on social media and develop and implement online public relations strategy and campaigns.

Wolfstar Labs has a range of other products in development including smart monitoring for crisis and issues management, online consultation tools and products for the semantic web.

5. Where does your passion for innovation come from?
The industry, the consultancy and the people. Public relations is an industry that thrives on ‘the new’ and customers react to the disruption and innovation. Wolfstar Consultancy has always pushed the team to think laterally and wider than ‘what’s been done before’ and having clients that are looking for ‘something new’ always helps too!

Oh, and of course, thinking of an idea, writing it in your notebook and then working tirelessly on it for six months to see it help clients connect with their audience always gives you a rush.

6. How does it feel to be named in the PRWeek 29 Under 29 list and what did you do to deserve this accolade?
Absolutely incredible. It’s a massive honour to even be considered and the list was full of great people so yes, very happy

7. You seem to be one of those at the forefront of the UK digital scene, what are the main advantages of online PR vs. traditional PR?
It’s very nice of you to say that Ben! I think the thing with ‘the scene’ is that it’s very fast moving and you have to constantly be aware of trends and technology so that you can stay with the curve – I tend to live in a constant state of fear of being left behind!

As for the traditional vs online debate, my thinking is very simple: the public doesn’t see the difference, so why should we? A great campaign should breach every communications boundary.

8. Should graduates bring a hard copy portfolio to a PR interview?  What do you think about e-portfolios
Absolutely! If for nothing more than a prompt – I’ve seen countless people forget about their own skills and experience at interview stage – so yes, always bring a hard copy! E-portfolios are a great idea, a nice compliment to a physical portfolio, but it shouldn’t take priority. If you have a fully completed LinkedIn profile or an industry-specific blog then these can be just as useful.

9. As we look ahead to 2011, what more can be done to convince clients of the benefit of social media? (ROI, evaluation, sales etc)
Case studies. Nothing speaks louder than having a track record of exceeding client expectations and it’s our job as practitioners to publicise our work – something the public relations industry has had trouble with in the past.

10. What 3 tips would you give to someone trying to land a social media role?
Research, research, research!

Honestly, the most important thing to remember is to know the agency inside out (its clients, history, its MD, the team, the gossip, the services), know the industry and know yourself! You’d be surprised how many graduates know very little about their own experience and skills!

But three simple things to remember are research everything before you apply, make sure you have an opinion on big issues within the industry and when you’ve got the job work your fingers to the bone. There’s no such thing as a nine to five anymore.

I would like to put on record my thanks to Jed for sharing his thoughts with us and wish him all the best for another great year. An ever increasing number of students I speak to say they want to work for a PR agency that specialises in social media so i’m sure they will find this Q&A insightful. I’d also like to thank the students, industry colleagues and academics from all over the country who sent me the questions to put to Jed.

A bit more on Amy…she is a fellow graduate of the PR course at Leeds Met and has previously worked at Citypress PR, Waterside Communications and the Morrisons press office. Despite graduating in 2006, she has quickly risen up the ranks to a management position and last year, Amy was a finalist for the CIPR Outstanding Young Communicator award. In short, she’s doing rather well.

You can find out more about Amy from her blog, Tweets and Linked In profile.

1. As an Account Manager, what does your role involve on a daily basis?
My role is very varied and although it sounds cheesy, no day is ever the same. Generally, the first thing I do is have a quick meeting with my team of execs and find out what we all have on for the week, it helps with priorities and deadlines especially when we’re busy. Then I’ll check my emails and RSS feeds, plus scan for any coverage for my clients.

My daily tasks change depending on what projects we’re work on, but can range from anything including blogger outreach programmes, writing social media news releases, advising on social media comments or clients’ profiles on Twitter and Facebook, selling in news stories to the media, drafting copy for blogs and websites and writing strategy documents for clients.

As we’re a growing consultancy, a big part of my job is new business. This involves spotting potential new business leads, pulling together credentials presentations, attending pitches and writing proposals.

2. What’s it like to work at Wolfstar and how does it vary from the other agencies positions you have had?
Wolfstar is a really creative and busy place to work. Our team is very varied and everyone had their own area of expertise, but we all get on really well. I work for some fantastic clients and feel there’s always the opportunity to do something totally new. Having worked in two other agencies and in-house before coming to Wolfstar the main difference is how embedded in the social media world Wolfstar is. We’re growing fast so it can sometimes be stressful, but at the same time it’s exciting and feels great when you’re involved with winning new clients for the company.

3. You studied PR at Leeds Met – do you feel that your university degree prepared you for the world of work?
I did a year placement and think this was the most valuable year of the entire degree. I learnt so much and really got a feel for what the industry was like; I’d strongly recommend all students take this opportunity. I think my final year was helpful, doing the pitch module and communications audit definitely had relevance with the world of work. I’d say my first and second year were less helpful…

4. What do Wolfstar look for in a graduate? How can a graduate stand out from the crowd?
I think it’s so difficult for graduates at the moment, PR has always been competitive but the economic climate has added even more pressure. We look for people that are being proactive and positive despite these hard times. It’s always impressive when someone who uses their initiative to get in touch or catch our eye in a unique way – like Jed did. We do Google prospective employees, so someone who has a strong personal brand, a good social presence on a blog or Twitter, always stands out.

When we meet in person there needs to be a sense of passion. It’s nice to see a spark in someone and get the impression they’re fired up and happy.

I think it is essential graduates know who we work for, what our ethos is, what’s happening in the industry as a whole etc. This information is extremely easy to find so there’s really no excuse for not knowing!

5. How important is it to have an online presence? Are there any social media platforms that PR students must be on?
The online and offline worlds are becoming so merged it’s essential students have some kind of presence. Using Google to find out more about someone is now second nature. If you have a positive presence online, you’re helping promote yourself if anyone does chose to find out more. If you’re in control of that information and making things like your CV and personal interests available, you’re already ahead of the game. Having a blog, being on Linked In and having a Twitter account are all good ways to get an idea about a person; however I wouldn’t say you have to have one. Chose the tools that are right for you, there’s no point setting up a blog if you don’t write on it!

6. Should graduates bring a portfolio to an interview? What do you think about e-portfolios?
I’d say yes. It’s always good to have a look through someone’s work in an interview and see what they’ve done in the past. I think it helps bring out people’s personalities too – you can see what their passionate about and really get beyond a few lines on CV. E-portfolios are a great way of displaying your work and can be easily attached to email covering letters. It shows initiative and that you’re proud of the work you’ve done.

7. If you were a student about to decide where to take your year placement, what advice would you give them?
Definitely do it! It really is an invaluable experience and its good fun. Make the most of your time there too. Be as proactive and helpful as you can, try to always help the team in any way, roll your sleeves up and get stuck in!

8. What are the 3 most important skills graduates need to be successful in PR?
This is a tricky one… I’d say communication skills (both externally with clients, bloggers and journalists and internally with colleagues), organisation skills (as it can be hard juggling so many responsibilities) and good writing skills. People may disagree with me there, but they would be my top three!

9. You mentioned in a recent post on the Wolfstar blog that a majority of journalists use social media to find stories. If PR practitioners pitch a story to journalists using social media, how do the traditional “story pitching” rules apply? Do journalists typically prefer one social media channel over another?
I don’t think you can really apply any rules to pitching a journalist, neither in the approach or the communication channel. Journalists and bloggers are just people, and everyone is different. The main thing is to be 100% sure what you’re selling them is relevant. If it’s for a newspaper, read the column, look at the style of the writing and what this journalist covers and ask yourself if you could see it there. For radio station, think about how the story would convey on the air, think about sound-bites or possible interviews, something to make their job easier.

When selling into TV, take into account the forward planning deadlines and be wary that everything can change on the day. If you’re approaching a blogger, make sure you’ve actually read their blog! Reference it when you approach them and make them feel like you’re genuinely interested and have something that fits. In terms of the channels I use, I try to match to theirs. If they Twitter all the time and say it’s their favourite way to communicate, I would DM them. If they email or have said in the past they prefer emails I’ll do that. Sometimes picking up the phone is the best way.

A good tip is to ask the question. The first time I sell in to someone I’ll try and ask which the best way to contact them is. Make a note of their answer and always approach them in that way. I also write little notes about journalists and bloggers so I have a point of reference next time I speak to them. For example where they live, what they’re interested in, their family etc.

10. What 3 tips would you give to someone trying to break into the PR industry?
Be proactive and positive. Do as much work as possible whether that’s paid or voluntary to get experience and also make contacts. Once you have these contacts, keep them! You never know when or where people might crop up or be able to help. Don’t be afraid to use your contacts for help or advice, most people in the industry will be happy to help a graduate trying to break into the industry.

Look after your own brand. You don’t need to become a social media whiz kid, but having simple things like a good Linked In page or e-portfolio can be really beneficial. More and more employers will use the internet to find out about potential candidate, by having your best work and an up to date CV available online you’re making this easy for them and also showing you’re organised and technically savvy.

Read! This means everything from relevant industry websites and RSS feeds to newspapers and blogs. But also when it comes to interview time, read about the company and you’re interviewers. We may be Googling you – you should do the same!

I would like to wish Amy good luck for the future and thank her for participating in this Q&A. An ever increasing number of students I speak to say they want to work for a PR agency that specialises in social media so i’m sure they will find this Q&A insightful. I’d also like to thank the students, industry colleagues and academics from all over the country who sent me the questions to put to Amy.

The catalyst for the debate once again seems to be PR Week and it continues to be a good forum for industry colleagues to have their say. Stuart Bruce of Wolfstar has also penned a blog with a poll and the consensus, thankfully seems to be that it is wrong to behave unethically on behalf of a client.

It is important to make a clear distinction, namely the difference between unethical behaviours (astroturfing, lack of disclosure, lieing etc) and moral decisions, for instance working on accounts that people may find morally questionable, such as tobacco.

It comes down to rights and responsibilities: I believe we all have the right to opt out of an account for moral reasons, but we also have a responsibility to ourselves, our employer, clients and the PR industry to behave ethically.

Fortunately, all good agencies allow staff to opt out of accounts on moral grounds and I feel empowered that my employer’s position is clear as Robert Phillips stated ‘at Edelman, everyone has the right not to work on a piece of business if they find it ethically or morally challenging.’

I think the sensible approach seems to be that, yes – we should all work in an ethical manner, but from a moral standpoint it is less clear cut what industries are the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ones to work with. The issues are often far more complex than to simply be branded ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

Everyone has a different set of values and the question is: where do you draw the line? Is there a line? Arms, gambling, alcohol, pornography, fast food? Sweatshops, carbon footprints, industrial relations? In fact, under the surface I imagine someone, somewhere has a moral objection to every corporation. However, I firmly believe it is possible for organisations to behave in an ethical and responsible way, whilst carrying out work that some may find morally objectionable.

Indeed, it is these more challenging industries that provide us, as practitioners with the greatest opportunity to demonstrate how PR can be used for social good. We live in a stakeholder society and PR agencies can work in partnership with organisations to devise strategies that engage with these communities and create understanding.

Our end goals are trust and credibility and the most effective way to achieve these aims is through openness, honesty and transparency. Behaving unethically is short-sighted and ultimately, self-defeating. Whilst, I’m loath to make judgments on morality, it is not difficult to make ethical ones. Ethics has to be the cornerstone of the PR industry.

I’d be interested to hear what industries (rather than companies) you would find it hard to work with on ethical or moral ground.

As many have pointed out including Wolfstar’s Stuart Bruce there is some confusion over the difference between a fake blog (astroturfing) and a ghost blog – which is essentially writing a post on someone’s behalf or in conjunction with them. The analogy of a scriptwriter has been used to support the ghost blog argument.

There are clearly two schools of thought when it comes to ghost blogs: the purists who find this practice unacceptable and the pragmatists who realise that for a variety of reasons including time, writing ability and consistency that corporate blogs may need assistance and be ghosted by PR people. Agencies write press releases, publications, website copy, newsletters for clients etc – so why not corporate blogs?

Whilst, I sympathise with the pragmatist view – I think from the outset agencies need to explain that blogging is a discipline that involves time, not only that, it offers a different line from the corporate schpeel we are accustomed to. Essentially, blogs are an opportunity to demonstrate a more human side to an organisation. Also, what would happen if a member of the public quizzed a CEO about a ghost blog post? Would they be able to respond?

Although, agencies are well placed to ghost blog, I feel organisations will portray a more authentic side if corporate blogs are written by someone who works at the company, someone at the coal face – otherwise it is just a PR person’s take on the organisation.