PR and marketing

* 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

• One of Sydney’s most respected PR Agencies
• Learn from one of the best!
• Get noticed in a small team!

The opportunity exists for a new graduate ideally with some PR Agency experience to get their foot in the PR door!

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 a PR Coordinator who will be a key team member and:

• Assist with PR and social media campaigns
• Coordinate media monitoring
• Responsible for the Agency’s social media
• Assist with media liaison and story ideas
• Assist with 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
• High level of computer literacy, including the ability to research online, learn how to use new online tools and be proficient in all Microsoft Office applications
• 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.

To find out more about what makes us tick read our blog Public Relations Sydney and read our client testimonials on the CP Communications Website  

Catriona Pollard, CP Communications, info(at)cpcommunications(dot)com(dot)au

Journalists work in a fast-pace, high-pressure environment everyday and are only looking for stories which capture their attention right away. They constantly receive media releases, phone calls from PR agents and emails about the latest and greatest product or business. So to make sure you are noticed there are a few things to keep in mind when contacting the media.

Make them want to know more
Whether you are sending them a media release or pitching an article over the phone, make sure to present the most interesting information first. The information may have to be tailored for different types of media, eg: community newspapers are generally only interested on something to do with its immediate area. Most media releases won’t even be read all the way through if the journalist isn’t interested from the beginning.

Personalise your attempt
Whether emailing or calling, do a bit of research first and find out which journalist you may wish to speak to. Simply using someone’s name can get their attention and makes them feel like you have put in a bit of effort and aren’t just calling every media outlet in the country. If sending out a mass email make sure to BCC all email addresses so journalists don’t know you are sending it to every media outlet in the country, they will be less inclined to use information they know everyone else has.

Pick your time wisely
A bit of research and common sense can tell you when a media outlets deadline is. Daily papers will obviously have a deadline each day so getting your information to a journalist earlier in the day may be an advantage for you as you’ll be contacting them when the stress is a bit less. Monthly publications such as some magazines have long lead times and can be looking for articles months in advance, there is no point contacting a magazine at the end of the month trying to get into the next month’s issue.

Don’t be afraid of journalists
They are people too. They have good days and bad days and there are ones who will be nicer than others. But don’t be intimidated by them if they are less than sugar and spice, they will respect you more for not sounding nervous. If you contact them at a bad time apologise once and move on, apologising more than that can become annoying. If you have all your information at hand, know what you are talking about and are polite at all times you should be received well.

• One of Sydney’s most respected PR Agencies
• Manage a diverse range of client accounts

Tired of pumping out press releases all day?

At CP Communications that’s the last thing you’ll do. We believe that good PR is more clever than that. Pioneers in blending PR with social media strategies, we’re one of Sydney’s most respected and innovative boutique PR agencies.

We’re now looking for an Account Manager to manage a variety of clients from exciting up and coming companies to blue-chip.

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 an ethical way, so our clients can achieve the exposure that’s right for their business goals. Many have remained loyal for almost ten years.

You will be:

• Always thinking of  ideas to improve your client’s brand, positioning and exposure
• Working alongside your clients to turn concepts into fully fledged PR campaigns
• Giving your clients a persuasive (and friendly) push when you see an idea that will benefit their business
• Inspiring, mentoring and managing a small team of dedicated, down to earth PR professionals

Ideally you will have five years agency experience managing PR campaigns and teams. We’re not fixated on five years, however you do need to demonstrate that you can hit the ground running to assist managing a team and quickly earn the trust of our clients.  You will also need to be social media savvy.

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 organised and highly regarded names in the business.

To find out more about what makes us tick read our blog “Public Relations Sydney” and read our client testimonials. For more information contact Catriona Pollard at cp@cpcommunications.com.au

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. Please email your cover letter, resume and salary expectations to cp@cpcommunications.com.au. 

A hot topic at the moment seems to be recruitment and social media. This week we advertised a new role at CP Communications and used social media extensively. I was interviewed by the Sydney Morning Herald about how small businesses can use social media for recruitment and one of our clients commissioned research on the opportunity for using social media in their recruitment procedures.

For our position, I used the traditional method – advertising on SEEK – but I also had a think about how I could apply social media tactics to recruitment. So I placed the role on our company blog. I wanted potential candidates to go to our website rather than SEEK, so they could see the work we do as well.

I then created a bit.ly URL, which is a shorter URL that can be tracked, I tweeted the position out through my Twitter as well as @CPCPR. I asked close contacts to Direct Message it to their contacts. I placed it on my Facebook page as well as the company’s Facebook page. I also added it to the Job Boards in all of the groups I am a member of on LinkedIn.

Using social media this way means that you are spreading the word exponentially – and for us, hopefully reaching the ideal candidate that also ‘gets’ social media. I will let you know how we go!

Join our team! We are looking for a PR Consultant who will be managing a variety of clients from exciting up and coming companies to blue-chips. You will be working alongside your clients to turn concepts into fully fledged PR campaigns as well as working with a wonderful small team of dedicated, down to earth PR professionals.

Double pass to Starlight Cinema – this is the last week of the fabulous ME Bank Starlight Cinema – Sydney’s North Shore open air cinema. To win a double pass to Black Swan (Thursday) or Love and Other Drugs (Saturday) be the third person to email us!

I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter.
 
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Why media interviews are more than a friendly chat
A media interview can’t be treated as a casual conversation as whatever you say can be used directly or paraphrased for the article – so you want to make sure you’re in control of what’s coming out of your mouth!

Following these tips will set you up for a successful media interview:

• Prepare your key messages and thoughts before the interview. Hopefully you will have an idea of the angle the journalist wants to take so that you can think about the information they might want, and what you want to say.
• Practise for the interview by thinking about questions that are likely to be asked, and your best possible answers. Wherever possible, convey your key messages through your answers. Practise sentences out loud to hear whether they make sense and aren’t too long. Remember, the journalist will be looking for newsworthiness, so be honest and back up any claims that you make.
• Call the journalist – not the other way around. This way, you will not be caught off-guard. You will be in a quiet place, with your key messages on paper in front of you, and you will not be interrupted by people or the telephone.
• Don’t answer questions if you don’t know the answer. It’s natural to want to be able to answer every question, but there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘I don’t know’.

Read our step-by-step article about how to get the most from a media interview on our CP Communications website.

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Social media - when a silly mistake turns into a PR crisis
Marketing mistakes are nothing new, where companies have missed the mark completely with their campaigns and even insulted their audience in doing so.

However, a silly mistake can be magnified when the marketing platform is a social media site – as Bing Lee discovered during the recent Queensland flood disaster.

When Bing Lee attempted to attract people to its Facebook page by promising to donate more money to the flood appeal depending on how many people ‘liked’ their page – the social media community were outraged.

Anger and disgust can send the online world spinning, with social media users sharing opinions about unacceptable online behaviour that can reach thousands of people within minutes.

Before posting something that could be considered a little controversial, or before trying a new marketing tactic with social media, there are a few steps you should take:

1. Test your theory on a smaller audience.
2. Do some research. A quick Google search of marketing mistakes and social media crises might just give you a snapshot of what has been done before – and what has gone wrong.
3. Don’t neglect your social media strategy plan. Be sure that whatever spontaneous idea you want to try out still fits in with your company’s objectives of what you want to achieve through social media.

Read the entire article on the Public Relations Sydney blog.

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Upcoming events
Here are some events coming up that we thought you might be interested in:

Social Media Women – How to contribute to Wikipedia
Social Media Women’s March event features Suzanne Francis from Collective Action who will teach you how to contribute to Wikipedia. This month is the celebration of the centenary of International Women’s Day and the first anniversary of Social Media Women.
8 March 2011 – Sydney

The Body & Mind Corporate
Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics and iConneXX are presenting an event about managing health risks for executive women. General practitioner Dr Carole Hungerford, author of Good Health in the 21st Century and Nicola Gates, a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist, are among the expert speakers.
16 March 2011 – Sydney

Advertising, Marketing and Media Summit
Elite Media’s one-day summit in Brisbane will examine the current methods in brand building, such as advertising, marketing, mobile marketing and the future of media. The event will also be held in Sydney and Melbourne later this year.
21 March 2011 – Brisbane

ADMA Social Media Marketing
This short course uses case studies, exercises and a strategy framework to teach you how to use social media in your business. The course is held in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on various dates throughout the year.
23 March 2011 – Brisbane

Corporate Social Media Summit
This summit is aimed at people working in corporate marketing departments and will focus on using social media to generate revenue. It features keynote addresses from companies such as Greenpeace Australia, Telstra and Community Engine.
30-31 March 2011 – Sydney

ad:tech Melbourne
ad:tech is an annual digital and advertising event held in major cities around Australia. It features panel debates and keynote addresses about social media strategy, digital media, mobile marketing and more. Our client Josh Frith of The Dubs will be speaking at this event.
30-31 March 2011 – Melbourne