by | Apr 29, 2018 | Food for thought
By Jamie Opat, PRSA Kansas Ethics Chair
Disclosure. As public relations professionals, we represent publics that expect and demand full information. As PRSA members, we follow an ethical code of conduct that addresses disclosure as a way to build trust and to foster good decision making.
What if the full truth cannot be shared right now? How can you placate the attorney advising your organization to filter all statements through him or her before you share them with the media?
This is an opportunity for you, the PR professional, to counsel your bosses, your board and your shareholders that truth is imperative and not always perfectly timed. Delays, silence, sins of omission – these will erode trust in your reputation that can be hard to regain.
The people who need the information first – those in your inner circle of stakeholders – always deserve the chance to have and digest those facts before they are widely shared. The practices of HOW you share information with the greater public – for example, news releases at 5 p.m. on Fridays – will also be evaluated for their transparency.
PRSA’s code provisions related to the Disclosure of Information remind us to be honest and accurate, to quickly correct errors, to ensure that those you represent are releasing truthful information, to reveal sponsors for causes and interests and to avoid deception.
Pretty straightforward, right? That is, until you notice an error in a media kit but fail to correct it. Or employ people who appear publicly as volunteers for a grassroots cause.
In a world of shrinking transparency (who really sponsors that social media ad campaign?) we as current practitioners should serve as an ethical touchstone for a new generation of professionals.
For more information, visit the Ethics section on the prsa.org website.
Reach Jamie at: jopat@starkey.org | Twitter | LinkedIn
by | Mar 15, 2018 | Chapter events, Food for thought
By Susan Dyer, PRSA Kansas PR Chair
During our last PRSA chapter meeting, we watched a webinar about Snapchat, PR in a Snap (PRSA log in required to view the webinar), one of the latest shiny objects to hit the social media landscape.
During the webinar, the presenters mentioned key takeaways for using Snapchat. Among the ones they discussed, here are three of them.
- Be human.
- Provide content that engaging, entertaining and educational.
- Remember who your audience is.
Aren’t those the key to any great content? It shouldn’t matter what platform or channel you are using…your brand should always be human and provide valuable content to a relevant audience.
Be Human.
In this Strategies + Tactics article, “6 Ways to Create Brand Stories That Connect With Audiences,” author Malayna Evans says, “Write in a real, human, sharing-a-beer voice. Stay away from jargon such as abbreviations, acronyms and buzzwords. Remember that gray, boring corporate-speak is a turnoff to readers and listeners.”
The goal of any writing should be to make the reader feel smart, not to make you sound smart. If you use simple terms and sound like a person, you’ll connect with your audience and build trust.
Engage, Entertain, Educate.
Your content should inspire your audience, provide entertainment or offer advice or information. If it doesn’t, why are you writing it?
Remember who your audience is.
If your audience is teenagers, your content will sound different than if you are reaching retirees, and your communication channels will differ too. Gifs, memes and Snapchat might catch a teen’s attention, while an email with a link to a simple infographic might be best for retirees.
Whether you’re writing an op-ed, creating a video, or posting on social, your messaging should connect with your readers (or viewers), sound like an actual person and offer some kind of value.
Contact Susan at: sdyer@heartlandcua.org | Twitter | LinkedIn
by | Jan 15, 2018 | Chapter events
By Heather Welch, PRSA Kansas Past President
It’s a new year, and we’re excited to bring another year of networking, learning and sharpening your PR skills. Our new board recently met and are tasked with developing goals for 2018. Once those are finalized, we’ll post them on this blog – as PR pros, we know the importance of being transparent and honest with our audiences.
In the meantime, let’s take a look back at 2017:
Members: We grew our chapter by more than 10 percent. Thank you to all our PRSA members – without you, our chapter would not exist! To our non-member PR friends, we hope you will consider joining PRSA this year. Please let us know how we can add value and serve you better!
Mentor program: We launched our mentoring program with the PRSSA Wichita State University Student Chapter. We have eight PRSA professional members paired up with a PRSSA student. This is an important way to promote our industry and keep our eye out for new talent. There’s still time to get involved. Contact Eric Wilson if you are interested.
Programming: Our monthly meetings covered everything from innovation, video, diversity, fake news and media relations, and many more topics. We coordinated a successful Professional Development Day with Southwest Airlines PR guru Chris Mainz, who told nearly 100 communicators how Southwest Airlines developed crisis communication strategies and a culture that empowers its employees to proactively handle issues and provide legendary customer service. Thanks to our sponsors Spirit Aerosystems, Elliott School of Communication, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport and Greteman Group.
Chapter website: We revamped our website! Thanks to Nye & Associates – Smarter Marketing, we’ve created a responsive website to better suit your changing needs. Our goal in 2018 is to provide more updates and communication via this blog.
To serve our member PR pros and friends better, we’re making a few changes in 2018. The most significant change is moving to six meetings per year, and adding six meet-ups and smaller get-togethers. As busy professionals, several members mentioned it was challenging to attend a monthly meeting. For those who benefit from networking and learning from your peers, we think the smaller programs on our “off” months will be just what you are looking for. Be watching for a schedule, and let us know your thoughts.
We’ll kick off our first meeting with a “New News Directors Panel” with Tom Shine (KMUW), Rachel Sommerfeld (KSN), and Kim Wilhelm (KWCH) on January 23. Hope to see you there!
by | Mar 31, 2017 | National, Professional Development
Truth is the foundation of all effective communications. By being truthful, we build and maintain trust with the media and our customers, clients and employees. As professional communicators, we take very seriously our responsibility to communicate with honesty and accuracy.
The Public Relations Society of America, the nation’s largest communications association, sets the standard of ethical behavior for our 22,000 members through our Code of Ethics. Encouraging and perpetuating the use of alternative facts by a high-profile spokesperson reflects poorly on all communications professionals.
PRSA strongly objects to any effort to deliberately misrepresent information. Honest, ethical professionals never spin, mislead or alter facts. We applaud our colleagues and professional journalists who work hard to find and report the truth.
– Jane Dvorak, APR, Fellow PRSA, Chair of the Society for 2017
by | Mar 7, 2017 | Featured
As of today, Ben Carson no longer “inches”, nor “edges” nor “pulls” ahead of Donald Trump in the polls. He “takes it”, and “opens up his gain” and “flat out” leads in the rankings. I’m not going to proliferate on all the theories why this has happened. But, I do know one thing. Donald Trump really hasn’t changed his public relations approach one bit. And, neither has Ben Carson.
Is the American public finally tiring of the brand and the product that is Trump? Is it coming to realize it’s the man Trump vying for its vote? If that’s the case, ethics and values begin to make their presence known quickly. These principals are intangibles that play out in business and in life each and every day, and they usually do it pretty quietly.
When it comes to the current political race, America has heard a lot of a lot of a lot of late, and with Trump its heard it at varying decibels. Is it just finally time to listen to what’s being said in the quiet?
by | Mar 7, 2017 | Archived Programs
Online videos now account for 50% of mobile traffic. Just using the word “video” in your email subject line can boost your open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65% and reduce unsubscribes by 26%. Facebook is now averaging more than 4 billion video views per day. It’s time to jump on the video bandwagon with free mobile apps for developing, editing and uploading high-quality videos to enhance your news releases and share on your social media platforms.
During our August 25 chapter meeting, Wichita Eagle business columnist Carrie Rengers discussed how daily newspapers and other media organizations are utilizing the mobile app Videolicious to enhance their online stories. Rengers also covered how to prepare and submit your own videos to the Wichita Eagle with your news release package. Wichita Eagle videographer and photographer Jaime Green provided tips for maximum visual storytelling. Angie Prather with the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce testified that even an untrained amateur can jump into the video world and begin to incorporate short and simple videos in marketing and communication plans.
Tips from Rengers and her video editor:
–Videos submitted to the Eagle should be unique and newsworthy rather than promotional.
–Pitches to reporters about covering your stories can include video snippets to snag their attention.
–Short videos are the key for maximum viewership. Think 30 to 60 seconds. Viewers begin to drift off at 45 seconds.
–Submit in MP4 or .mov format.
–Upload to Google Drive with a public setting. The Eagle doesn’t currently utilize Dropbox. YouTube is also an option, but those videos originally placed on The Wichita Eagle’s YouTube channel will have a higher priority, so Google Drive is the best option.
Tips from Green:
–Horizontal only. No vertical videos.
–Get close to the subject. Move your legs to zoom instead of the lens.
–Move away from distracting sound.
–Be aware of the light. Windows can make for nice interview lighting. Avoid harsh sunlight.
–Hold each shot for at least 5 seconds.
–Try to keep camera steady and don’t pan.
–Put phone in Airplane mode to avoid interruptions.
–3 rings on a microphone cord indicate it will work for your phone without an adaptor.
Helpful Links:
—Rode Smart Lav
—Rode microphone extension
—Manfrotto compact Tripod
—OBEN TT table top tripod
—Square Spring Tripod Mount
—Videolicious tutorials
—VGA Adapter speakers used to show phone images onscreen
Links to finished videos for your review:
(amateur mistakes include: excessive panning, hand-held shakiness, and the lack of a microphone)
—Wichita Force Kicks Off 2015 Season – shot and produced on iPhone. Edited with Videolicioous.
—Symbolism behind the Wichita Flag – shot and produced on iPhone. Edited with iMovie phone app.
by | Mar 7, 2017 | Professional Development
As we discussed during our August 25 chapter meeting, utilizing photos, videos, and other images is the most effective tactic for optimizing your 2015 marketing and communication messages. Texas-based Creative Director and nationally-known blogger, Jeff Sieh, will share his tips on creating and cross-promoting effective visual content on Thursday, September 24, when he visits Wichita. Sieh will deliver ready-to-use information to help you boost engagement with your most important messages during a two-hour luncheon at Century II. The discounted price for registering by Tuesday, September 1 is $25 (includes lunch). Registration increases to $40 after that date. Follow this link to register for the event.
Special bonus – Sieh’s presentation takes place adjacent to the Wichita Metro Chamber’s annual business-to-business trade show, Exposure. Reserve some time before or after the luncheon to see all the new products and services offered by local businesses and organizations.
Follow Jeff on Twitter or Instagram @jeffsieh, Facebook (jeff.sieh), YouTube (TheJeffSieh) Blog (http://manlypinteresttips.com/blog/) and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/jeffsieh). Sieh has 64 boards on Pinterest where he’s collected useful tips and the latest information on effectively utilizing social media, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,Pinterest and YouTube.
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