Comments for Behind the Spin

Comment on How to start a PR consultancy business by Digital adoption by Brussels agencies « Steffen’s blog

Digital adoption by Brussels agencies « Steffen’s blog — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:20:58 +0000

[...] 22, 2009 From a post on the Behind the Spin blog: PR agencies currently fall into three distinct camps: consultancies that are embracing and [...]

Comment on How to start a PR consultancy business by Business News » Blog Archive » How to start a PR consultancy business : Behind the Spin

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:58:17 +0000

[...] Smith showed recently in a blog post how it is possible to build a PR business on a credit card. His post was tongue-in-cheek but it proved how little it costs to start a business. But the fundamental point that he makes is sound. … Read the rest of this great post here [...]

Comment on Here come the PR girls by Here come the PR girls « Jade Goody

Here come the PR girls « Jade Goody — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:16:14 +0000

[...] Original post: Here come the PR girls [...]

Comment on Simple Acts support refugee awareness by Gerdy

Gerdy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:49:36 +0000

Thanks for highlighting Refugee Week 2009 and the Simple Acts campaign! Every Simple Act is helping to make a huge difference to the way refugees are perceived.

We had our 2000th Simple Act completed this morning which made us all smile :O) Find out how to make an even bigger difference at http://www.simpleacts.org.uk

Have a lovely day!

Gerdy
Refugee Week team

Comment on Get ahead, go digital by Honza

Honza — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:40:48 +0000

Google profiles are also a very good way to be known - no SEO issues (it’s Google) and easy accessibility make it a powerful tool for building online presence.

Another excellent point Ben makes is taking advantage of media convergence. Showing that you understand the PR work in various forms (print, online, video, audio) makes you more valuable for the future employer.

Comment on How to start a PR consultancy business by Planning A Successful Business Exit | Effective Business Plans

Planning A Successful Business Exit | Effective Business Plans — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:35:19 +0000

[...] How to start a PR consultancy business : Behind the Spin [...]

Comment on Agency or charity: which is best for me? by Greg

Greg — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:30:10 +0000

I like this post, because it’s exactly the question I was asking to myself! I still don’t know if I want to be in a PR agency or work for a NGO (or any charity)

Comment on Here come the PR girls by richard

richard — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:43:00 +0000

I’m looking forward to your book, Greg. Meanwhile, here’s my second favourite chapter title from Morris and Goldsworthy’s latest book (reviewed elsewhere in Behind the Spin). The chapter on who constitutes the PR business is headed ‘Girls, gurus, gays and diversity’.

Comment on Here come the PR girls by Greg Smith

Greg Smith — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:10:49 +0000

Here we go again. No wonder PR has an image problem and only seems to attract females. This was the core of my PhD study (soon to be published as “The Feminisation of Public Relations - but an old web site at http://people.aapt.net.au/~net/study). What is it that attracts TV producers to put out shows on PR, anyway? We’re up again being called spin doctors in the news media, and as being fluffy events people in the entertainment media. It’ simply a lose-lose situation. Time for national PR campaigns (US, UK, Australia, Canada) to battle this. Maybe that means attacking the TV shows.

Comment on Here come the PR girls by Kate Brown » Quick scan of the net - celebrity clubs

Kate Brown » Quick scan of the net - celebrity clubs — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:19:28 +0000

[...] http://www.behindthespin.com/features/here-come-the-pr-girlsAlso, PR is pretty complicated to most people whereas just showing party invites, guest lists at clubs, and celebrity management is closer to most people’s general understanding of how the industry works. … [...]

Comment on Online public relations: evolution or revolution? by Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin

Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:39:10 +0000

[...] Two new books explore the impact of social media on PR practice: we’ve reviewed them both. [...]

Comment on Face to face or Facebook? by Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin

Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:38:09 +0000

[...] Long provides some tips for PR students in how to network, online and face to [...]

Comment on Why I’m leaving PR by Heather Yaxley

Heather Yaxley — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:52:30 +0000

Laura - this is a really interesting insight into your experiences and it is very brave of you to share them. It is a difficult balance with degrees such as PR where you have to cover the vocational and academic elements - skills and knowledge.

Also, with a topic such as PR where there are many different underpinnings, there will be elements that suit you and those that do not. Even as a PR tutor, there are some aspects that I am not as interested in as others. Although I always say that having a real curiosity about different things is essential in PR, and I can normally find something fascinating in anything.

I am also not the biggest fan of group based assignments at University and like you, I feel it is very different to the type of team work you experience in the “real world”. Unfortunately time and cost constraints often prevent academic study being able to use different methods of assessment - which is a real shame.

I hope your change of direction works out for you - but I think it is a pity that you have judged PR as not for you on the basis of your experience so far. The world of PR is wide enough for all sorts of interests and skills. You may well have found public affairs more to your liking.

Also, perhaps this is an opportunity to remind students to shop around when looking to study a PR (or other) degree as different institutions often have a different focus and approach. Some are more practical than others; some have strong academic underpinnings at the start, whilst others build to these later in your studies. Some have certain specialisms or particular academic perspectives.

Good luck anyway

Comment on Get ahead, go digital by Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin

Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:26:52 +0000

[...] Our next theme is the changing technology landscape. Ben Cotton discusses how the traditional student portfolio of achievement is going digital and online. [...]

Comment on Agency or charity: which is best for me? by Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin

Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:23:57 +0000

[...] first year PR student Laura Crimmons was on balance more enthused with her placement with a charity than with an [...]

Comment on How to start a PR consultancy business by Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin

Consultancy and technology : Behind the Spin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:13:24 +0000

[...] Waddington describes what it takes to set up in business, and suggests who’s most likely to succeed in 2009 and [...]

Comment on Why I’m leaving PR by Caroline

Caroline — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:22 +0000

I finished the PR degree at Leeds Met this year, and will hopefully be graduating this summer. I do agree with a lot of your points, but at the same time disagree with a lot. Yes there is too much group work on the course, and when this is brought up with tutors they respond with “its preparing you for work” Well yes in some ways it is, but also in a workplace there is a hierarchy and people have to show up or they get the sack, unlike uni.
But to say that the modules in the second year are not relevant to PR, how do you know when I am guessing you havent actually worked in PR? I am now working in a public sector (yes that’s right I got a PR job before I even graduated because of the strength of the degree and the amount of hard work I put into it), and although I didnt find some of them useful at uni, they are now.
My opinion is you get out what you put in, I worked damn hard and have therefore had the opportunity to work at some amazing agencies. However if the course isnt right for you, maybe try actually working in PR before you give up on it completey, as this is what really drove me to work hard on the course.

Comment on How to start a PR consultancy business by Stuart Bruce

Stuart Bruce — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:29:46 +0000

Great article. The biggest challenge we’ve faced starting Wolfstar is your first one - cash. You’ve got to remember that cash is king. It’s fantastic to land a big new client in competition against global agencies100 times our size, but then you’ve got to finance even basic things like lots of flights, hotels, equipment hire etc, so even with a commerical overdraft the personal credit card is your flexible friend in growing the business!

Comment on How to start a PR consultancy business by Speed Communications - Wadds' PR Blog

Speed Communications - Wadds' PR Blog — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:06:31 +0000

[...] the Spin has published an article that I’ve written about starting a PR business. It sets out the opportunity for digital techniques and formal communication methods to be applied [...]

Comment on Online public relations: evolution or revolution? by Rob Brown

Rob Brown — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:02:57 +0000

I greatly appreciated the review. The challenge on whether to cover the things that will date is a real one, but I was motivated by constant requests for practical information - so I decided that it was right to give practical help as far as I was able and within the constraints of the medium. I have no doubt that my book will date and so it should given the subject matter. What has surprised me is that so much of it - even the practical stuff (and I began writing over a year ago) remains so current.