PR and marketing

So you’ve sent out a pitch or a media release to journalists and have received no reply. What now? What should you do to find out if the journalist received your email or if they are interested? An essential skill for all PR professionals is to learn how to follow up with the media over the phone.

The best way to follow up with a journalist is by calling them. An appropriate time to follow-up is usually two to three days after the email pitch or release has been sent.

Never wait more than a week to follow up as waiting too long may result in the journalist deleting your email, the story being covered by another person or the story becoming (quite literally) yesterday’s news.

When it comes to following-up journalists the best advice would be to go with your gut instinct – listen to their tone of voice and the way they phrase their answers and make decisions based on that.

However, sometimes that can be a bit hard to do, so here are a few tips you should always take into account when following-up with a journalist.

Be very specific about the media pitch or release you sent them. Don’t just say “I sent you a release and wanted to know if you were interested”.

• Be polite and speak clearly
  When calling a journalist speak clearly and be very direct and to the point. Try to sound interested and enthusiastic to make the call interesting for the journalist.
• Don’t be afraid of journalists
  Don’t be intimidated by journalists, they are people too. If you contact them at a bad time apologise once and move on, apologising more than that can become annoying.
• Choose your questions wisely
  When calling a journalist don’t ask them if they are going to publish the media release. Instead, tell them the date you sent the media release on and what it was regarding. Simply ask if they received the release and if they would like further information or high resolution images.
• Be ready to respond to their requests
  You should be ready to supply the journalist with relevant images, additional information, event details or the contact details of your spokesperson. You can also line up interviews for the journalist to make it easier for them to cover your story/client.

Now that you have the journalist on the phone, how do you react to their responses? One way to calm your nerves and sound more confident on the phone would be to plan out what you want to get across – your pitch or key points.

However, any phone conversation can be unpredictable especially when dealing with a journalist. The best way to tackle any response from a journalist is to be flexible and prepared for anything. You may need to resend the release or answer detailed questions on the spot. More than likely you will need to leave a voice message, so be prepared for that.

Remember after every follow-up to make a note of the outcome to ensure you remember who you have called and who was interested.

The most important thing to remember when conducting a media follow-up is to remain confident and try to provide the most appropriate and interesting information for the journalist. With a little bit of preparation beforehand, you can then hang up the phone feeling like you’ve achieved your goal and maintained a good relationship with the journalist.

* One of Sydney’s most respected PR Agencies
* Work on PR and social media.
* Get noticed in a small team!

The opportunity exists for a PR Consultant ideally with around 3 years PR experience. You will be doing both PR and social media for global and local brands.

Pioneers in PR and social media strategies, we’re one of Sydney’s most respected and innovative boutique PR agencies.

People who work with us describe us as “absolute professionals” who are “always on the lookout for new ideas and points of difference.” We work in a proactive way, so our clients can achieve the exposure that’s right for their business goals. Many have remained loyal for almost ten years.

We’re looking for an PR Consultant who will be a key team member and:
* Manage with PR and social media campaigns
* Manage client relationships
* Be responsible for media liaison and story ideas
* Writing so much more than just boring media releases!

You will have:
- Completed degree qualifications in Public Relations, Journalism, Business Marketing/Advertising, or a related field
- High level of written and verbal communication
- Be flexible, adaptable and ready to learn quickly

In return we can offer you a fun place to work with a team of like-minded professionals plus the creative stimulation that comes from working with one of the most highly regarded names in the business.

We are based in Crows Nest, 5 mins walk from St Leonard's train station and buses.

To find out more about what makes us tick read our blog www.PublicRelationsSydney.com.au and read our client testimonials at www.cpcommunications.com.au

Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics has announced a world first with the launch of new unit this year, “Working with and Employing People with Disabilities.”

The unit is open to all Macquarie University students and those looking for professional development opportunities.

"We believe that this is a world first, to have a unit such as this embedded in a business degree. This unit is aimed at influencing the attitudes of the leaders of tomorrow, so that they will view job applicants through the lens of their abilities, not their disabilities," Unit co-ordinator Sharon Kerr said.

“This exciting new Participation and Community Engagement (PACE) unit is hands on and will give students the skills as a professional to create an inclusive workplace,” she said.

“Diversity is a growing success factor for organisations and our business leaders of tomorrow will be able to gain an insight and appreciation into the positive impact that people who have a disability can have in a workplace.”

The course is being offered by the Department of Marketing and Management, Faculty of Business and Economics and will be available as an online unit from semester two.

-ends-

About Macquarie University Faculty of Business & Economics
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in addition to strong academic research in the fields of accounting and finance, actuarial studies, business, economics, marketing and management. www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/

Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics International Governance and Performance Research Centre Director, Professor Nonna Martinov-Bennie, has been appointed to the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board.

Before becoming an academic, she was a Senior Audit Manager with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, managing audit teams for major corporate audit clients. Prof. Martinov-Bennie is a FCPA and FCA and continues to be involved with the profession as a member of several advisory committees.

“It is a great honour, as the only academic member, to be appointed to such a prestigious and important regulatory body. I look forward to contributing my expertise and experience to the Board and its standard-setting activities”, she said.

The Auditing and Assurance Standards Board is an independent statutory agency of the Australian Government, responsible for developing standards and related guidance for auditors and providers of other assurance services.

About Macquarie University Faculty of Business & Economics (FBE)
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in addition to strong academic research in the fields of accounting and finance, actuarial studies, business, economics, marketing and management.

Reputation matters- Klout, Kred, and the growth of the social recommendation economy with Kate Carruthers.

How do you measure reputation on social media? It’s so much more than the number of followers you have.

Both Klout and Kred measure influence based on your ability to drive action. The Klout Score uses data from social networks to measure true reach, amplification and network impact. Kred analyses billions of tweets from the last 1,000 days to calculate your Kred. Every interaction you have made in that time is part of your score. It measures Influence and Outreach level.

But are they accurate? Kate will explain the new social recommendation economy and why reputation matters. She will discuss how to make the new social recommendation economy work for you.

About Kate:

Kate Carruthers is an expert and forecaster in online collaboration, social media, digital integration, unified communication, email and search marketing.

With extensive experience in senior executive roles for diverse organisations such as GE, AMP, Westfield and State Government she currently works in business strategy and implementation roles. Kate has also lectured in postgraduate business at Macquarie University and taught TAFE level courses in business and management.

She is Co-Founder of Social Innovation Sydney and was a long standing member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers and is a Senior Member of the Australian Computer Society. She is on the Advisory Board for the　Schools of Computer Science & Software Engineering and Information Systems & Technology at the University of Wollongong.

Kate is currently studying law part time as an external student with Queensland University of Technology.

Twitter: @kcarruthers 
Blog: http://katecarruthers.com/blog/

Please note: This month's Social Media Women is being held on the FIRST Tuesday of the month as the second Tuesday falls on Valentines Day.

A not to be missed event- learn about the new social recommendation economy and why reputation matters.

Register now for our February event at

http://socialmediawomenfebruary.eventbrite.com

Date: Tuesday 7 February 2012 (First week in February)
Time: 6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue: The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
134 Oxford st, Darlinghurst.

(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

 

 

Macquarie University’s new Centre for Workforce Futures has named Raymond Markey as Director and Professor of Employment Relations.

In this position he will be responsible for the strategic planning and operational management of the centre. The mission of the centre is to establish cross-disciplinary collaborations to undertake problem-focused research relating to the workforce and workplace, as well as conduct research on emerging issues for the workforce and workplace.

“I am delighted to be given this opportunity to assist and build the new centre. The centre aims to make a mark academically with production of high quality research outputs and also aims to partner with industry and the community in developing research programs that are of public benefit and socially relevant at regional, national and international levels,” Mr Markey said.

“In other words, we aim to have a significant impact with our research, and I believe that the team that we have assembled in the centre is well placed to achieve that.”

Prof. Markey comes to the centre with 20 years experience in establishing and managing similar university research centres in Australian and New Zealand. He is also the chair for the International Labour and Employment relations Association Study Group on Workers' Participation. 

-ends-

About Macquarie University Faculty of Business & Economics (FBE)

Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in addition to strong academic research in the fields of accounting and finance, actuarial studies, business, economics, marketing and management.

On December 31, when most of us will be preparing to party in the new year, Sydney-sider Tom Denniss will start the first leg of his 29,000km run around the world.

 
To raise money for Oxfam, Tom will run the equivalent of 700 marathons in 700 days, hoping to create a Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Circumnavigation of the Earth on Foot”, which has never been achieved before.

He will start, and end, at the Sydney Opera House with his first “warm-up” leg taking him to Bondi Beach. On 1 January 2012 he will fly to New Zealand, and then on to the rest of the world. He will run on every continent except for Antarctica and visit more than 20 countries.

“My motivation to take on this challenge is two-fold, I want to raise money for a worthwhile charity while also experiencing a once in a lifetime adventure,” Tom said. “I chose Oxfam to support because, as I am running around the world, I wanted a charity that assisted, not just those in Australia, but people from all parts of the globe”.

Tom, who is the founder of Oceanlinx, a renewable energy company, said the areas he is most looking forward to running are, over the Andes from Chile into Argentina, running along the lip of Grand Canyon, and across the Nullarbor on his final leg back home through Australia.

“Most people, when they travel, only see a very small part of the world around them; I’ll being doing it all at a much slower pace, not just seeing the ever-changing countryside, but hearing and smelling it too.”

Tom will have a support crew driving the course with him, including his wife and a friend. They will be transporting the gear, providing drinks and food, and chronicling the journey through photographs and social media updates.

Throughout the adventure Tom will share his location through the use of a GPS tracker and will be regularly blogging and using social media to share his stories and photos.

Website/blog: www.tomsnextstep.com
Twitter: @tomsnextstep
Facebook: Tom’s Next Step
Donations: www.everydayhero.com.au/tomdenniss

The National FIRST Lego League National Tournament will be hosted by Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics this Saturday, 3 December 2011. It will involve student teams from around Australia competing for the opportunity to participate in the World Festival in the USA next year.

More than 200 teams from around Australia took part in the FIRST Australia program aimed at inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

The theme for the competition this year was Food Factor with teams focusing on the topics of food safety and contamination. Some research conducted so far includes possible allergies of sea salt, seafood contamination, egg packaging and thermometer scans for milk.

In the challenge, teams will build, test and program an autonomous robot to solve a set of food safety missions as well as research, develop and share their innovative food safety solutions.

Students involved are from many different groups ranging from home-schoolers, public primary and high schools, private colleges, church and Scout groups.

“The Faculty of Business and Economics is assisting in developing this unique approach to learning as the team members of these FLL teams may well be our business students of tomorrow,” Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Marketing and Management Associate Lecturer Deborah Howlett said.

“The National FIRST Lego League has helped students develop skills and confidence to handle many complex scientific, mathematical and business challenges that will face them in the 21st century.”

“With the skills shortage of science, technology, engineering and maths professionals evident in Australia, FLL hopes to assist in making these professions ones that young people today aim for in their university studies.”

FIRST Lego League National Tournament Details
Date: 3 December 2011, 8am - 4pm
Where: Building E7B, Macquarie University, North Ryde
http://www.ausfll.org/index.html