Switching from Print Journalism to Public Relations

When I first started college, my major was Multi-Platform Journalism. This involved interviewing sources, doing research, and then writing a 600-word article. As I reached my junior year I began to find myself disliking this sort of writing. I had to stick to the facts and nothing but the facts. I began to realize that print journalism was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Although it was too late to change my sequence and restart on the Public Relations track, I did manage to find a loophole.

If you find yourself in the same situation as me, don’t panic! It’s not too late! You can still go into public relations without changing your major! You just have to alter your writing style a little bit. Public relations requires you to think more about your audience and allow your creativity to flow. I find that when writing plans, it is easier to find your photos first and then think of fun and interesting captions to go with them! It is also important to remember that a lot of online readers tend to skim articles. So, you have to capture their attention and keep it with only a few sentences or words! The best thing about Public Relations and writing for social media is that it isn’t routine, every day is something different and that’s why I am so happy to have changed my career path before graduating!

I have been very blessed to be given the opportunity to work with Rebecca Adele PR & Events. In just the three weeks that I have been here I have learned so much! I have been able to break free of the writing style I was so accustomed to and have allowed the creativity to flow. Being here has only made my decision to continue a career path in PR even more certain! So, if you find yourself stuck between the two, my advice is to go for it! Maybe later on in life you’ll find yourself missing print but at least you’ll have the skill set to write for both and your opportunities will be endless!

Written by Tiffany Jackson of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Twitter Announces New Layout Update and the Internet Goes Crazy!

This past week Twitter gave itself a major makeover but instead of welcoming the new look Twitter users were furious. Scrolling down the timeline Twitter was flooded with memes showing user’s dislike for the update. Using the hashtag #twitterupdate you can find all the memes and jokes on the app. But why do users hate the update so much? It can be any worse than when Instagram changed their app design in 2016 or when Twitter got rid of the Favorite Star for the new Like Heart. Is the new update really that bad or are people just resistant to change?

The “major” changes included in the update is the new layout of the timeline. The “setting” have been switched around as well you’re own personal page. Now located on a navigation bar you can click on your “profile picture” to access your page and “settings”. Another change includes your “notifications” where the “explore” button use to be. Speaking of profile pics, Twitter has also gotten rid of the classic square frame and replaced it with a circle frame following the trends of Snapchat and Instagram. Twitter has also changed its “reply” icon which is confusing at first but instead of someone's names being included in the 140 characters it’s not which is better for replying. 

However, with all these updates Twitter has done they are still forgetting one major update, editing tweets. The only thing worse than tweeting something that has a grammatical error is tweeting something and not having the time to go back and fix it before someone sees it.  It's kind of like how Apple keeps releasing new IOS updates and all we really want is 3-way Facetime. Despite these changes Twitter has grown from 9 million to 328 million last quarter, so I don’t think it's going anywhere any time soon!

Written by Jamia Richardson of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

The Importance of Evolving with Social Media

With social media constantly evolving at a fast pace, it’s important now more than ever to keep up to speed with advancements. It’s crucial for companies to be using these new features of social media to reach their target markets. The first thing to remember when looking at a new update is to ask if it makes sense for your brand by analyzing who your audience is, as well as what social media platform is most viewed. Not all aspects of social media make sense for every company and their audiences.

About a year ago, Instagram adopted a new feature allowing users to post live videos as well as stories to their profile. I think that this update in particular is one of the best yet. Similar to Snapchat, the Instagram stories post photo or video (as well as boomerangs) that disappear after a 24-hour period. This allows different companies to post more content without overloading their followers with mass amounts of information and photos on their feed. Regular Instagram posts can contain captions and heavier information, while Instagram stories are quicker and can use features such as filters, stickers and writing to make posts more fun and interactive.

Some companies that could benefit from a feature such as this one would include brands that sell products that can easily be marketed through photo or video. Think of this feature as a mini advertisement showing people using the products being sold in real time. It is a great way to show off different tangible products as well as events that are directly related to a specific company and express their overall brand.

Some key-tips to posting Instagram stories for businesses are to post special offers. Due to the short amount of time that stories last, this will put incentive into the consumers mind. Also, give a behind-the-scenes look into the company. This will make viewers/customers feel like they have more of a personal connection with the brand. Another great way to cater to viewers is to show a tutorial. For example, a makeup brand could post a few quick stories showing how to use a specific product or show how a certain color or makeup looks like on different skin tones.

Be sure to keep these tips and ideas in mind when deciding whether or not to branch out deeper into the social media world!

 Written by Meagan Catalfamo from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

How to Create and Maintain a Personal Brand Online

Personal branding is the process of creating and marketing a certain image for yourself online. Basically, your personal brand is your impression and reputation in the minds of others. With the rise of social media, crafting a personal branding has never been easier. Your online presence and personal branding are closely intertwined and work together to create an image of yourself for fellow colleagues and professionals.

In order to cultivate your personal brand, you should have a presence online. In today’s day in age having a presence online is the easiest and most effective way to build a personal brand. Everyone can create an online presence simply by creating social media accounts for themselves. Making yourself a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn is an easy and free way to create an online image for yourself. By keeping these social media profiles active and updated, you are contributing to your online presence and therefore creating a platform to build your personal brand. Be sure to post appropriate content for each social media platform. For example, you wouldn’t want to post a picture of your dog with his or her new toy on LinkedIn. That content is more appropriate for Facebook or Instagram. Another great personal branding tip is to give all your social media profiles a consistent look and feel.

So how do we create and maintain our personal brand? The first step to perfecting a personal brand is to express who you are. Having your education, professional experience, skills and specializations available for others shows people who you are, what you are capable of, and what you plan to do in the future.  Be sure to highlight your strengths, this is what will help you encompass who you are while emphasizing your most important features. In addition to this, showing your personality and interests will really diversify and personalize your brand. This is arguably the most important aspect of your personal brand since it helps you stand out and differentiate yourself from everyone else. Be sure to be as honest and authentic in this component.

Your personal brand is also built off of personal and professional relationships. This includes who you are connected with online and what these people say about you. Your personal brand is also built off of who and what you follow. Following influencers and communities online can really help you encompass who you are, what you are interested in and knowledgeable about, and what you stand for.

If you keep these guidelines in mind, you’ll be able to craft a personal brand for yourself online that will positively portray yourself to your colleagues and professionals.

Written by Emma Bevilacqua from Rebecca Adele PR & Events