Mental Health Moments: What I Am Thankful For

With Thanksgiving being this week, we wanted to take time and reflect on all that we are thankful for.

How the Pandemic Has Affected College Students

As I am finishing my last semester at Ohio University, I feel many emotions. A part of me is so drained and excited to be done with school, but the other part of me is sad at how much the pandemic has taken from my college experience. As I am starting to look at jobs and graduate schools, I find myself feeling unprepared. I am not alone in this feeling, as many of my peers feel the same way. I sent out an anonymous survey to many college students/recent graduates to see how they felt as well. In this blog post, I will share my peers’ and my own experiences and feelings as we are graduating and entering the workforce.

What I Have Learned About the World of PR

In January of 2020, I was hired as an Integrated Communications Intern at Hourglass Media. This was my first experience working in the public relations field. I have had classes that discussed PR, but I quickly learned that you can only learn so much from textbooks and lectures.

Should You Go To Grad School as a PR Pro?

This week is the second part of our New Professionals series. As someone who was once a new professional myself, I struggled to find answers to these pressing questions. I want to ensure that you don’t have to spin your wheels like I did! While I don’t have all of the answers -- or even ones that will resonate with you -- I do hope that something will spark interest, action, or understanding for you along the way. This week, we’re delving into the deep waters of grad school and if it’s for you -- or if you should keep that $20K or so in your pocket.

Mental Health Moments: The Art of Self Love

One of the most challenging lessons I have learned is how important it is to love and value oneself. I have experienced times in my life where I was my biggest bully. I didn’t love who I was and my actions reinforced this internal struggle. I did not take care of my body, my mind, and my overall well-being.

MY CONTRIBUTION TO IWD'S #CHOOSETOCHALLENGE

On March 8, the world celebrated International Women’s Day. For myself, it was a chance to reflect on and appreciate the work and accomplishments of so many women. To think that approximately 100 years ago, women were first granted the right to vote; and this year, the first woman was sworn in as Vice President of the United States. Although, women everywhere have tirelessly fought and accomplished more than people thought possible, the battle is not yet over.

Introducing New Intern Isabella

On January 11, Hourglass Media welcomed new Intern Isabella Mershon. Isabella Mershon is a junior studying communication at Ohio University which makes her Hourglass Media’s first intern from OU! This week, we are introducing the newest member of our team #behindthehourglass! Stay tuned- because Isabella will be helping write many of our blog posts throughout the spring 2021 semester!

Questions To Ask Yourself If You Want To Start A Small Business

If you have that deep desire burning in your heart to start your own company -- or at least a part-time side venture -- I have some tips that helped me carve my path along the way. Here are three qualitative questions you can ask yourself to see if you’re ready to take the plunge into company ownership.

CASE STUDY: Hourglass Media's Storied History Graphic

We’re on our second installment of our case studies series. This is a series that has been a long time coming, as I really have wanted to share our work and behind-the-scenes magic for award-winning Public Relations Society of America award entries and case studies. This one centers on Hourglass Media’s Storied Legacy Graphic, created in 2019 after my trip to New York City. This graphic earned a Tribus Award for a Billboard and Other Signage Tactic in 2019 for this graphic and its implementation in Hourglass Media’s overall use of the graphic.

Mental Health Moments: Combating Overwhelm

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, managing overwhelm can feel like the most daunting task in the known world. Trust me when I say this: I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. There are times in which I manage it like a pro, knocking down negative thoughts as they arise while plugging away at my growing to-do list. Other times, I feel as though I want to crawl into the fetal position underneath the covers and sleep away the problems. I can’t eradicate the negative thought processes growing exponentially in my brain. Here are three ways I tackle overwhelm.

CASE STUDY: Kids' Dental Health Electronic Press Kit

Earlier this year, the Kids’ Dental Health Month Electronic Press Kit brought home the 2019 Tribus Award in the Electronic Press Kit Tactic category, as well as the 2019 Best Tactic in the Tri-State. (Just a note: When you win the “Best Of” award in a PRSA category, your score from the judges is the highest out of all of the entries.) Needless to say, we were honored to be highlighted amongst communications professionals and amazing work going on in our 15-county radius.

Mental Health Moments: How To Be Accessible Without Compromising Who You Are

As a public relations practitioner -- or a communicator in general -- you are initiated with the expectation that you MUST deliver everything on a silver platter to everyone at all times. That makes total sense most of the time. After all, as PR pros, we want our clients’ and organizations’ messages to be heard and seen exactly how we released them to our target audiences. We don’t care to go that extra mile to ensure that a newspaper has a photo to run with the story or if a reporter from a news station calls us at the last minute for a soundbite for the 6 p.m. broadcast. But, when are you being TOO accessible?

Why We Need Storytellers More Than Ever

Our publics need compassion and truth in the information they consume on a daily basis. In essence, all of us need storytellers more than ever. We need the truth in media and throughout the chains of commands in our organizations. We need stories, fiction and nonfiction, that reflect who we are and who we aim to be. Ultimately, silence isn’t golden in these situations. Communicate early and often with your audiences. Here are some ways communicators can ensure their publics’ stories are being told.

Why Stories Are Important To Your PR Efforts

No matter who you are, storytelling will help you achieve your goals and objectives through Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. As public relations professionals, we use RPIE religiously. It’s paramount to communication and how you tell your story. Nearly 70 percent of our daily conversations consist of personal stories (source: Jeremy Hsu). Why are stories important to your bottom line?

How Editorial Calendars Benefit Your Communications Plan

During the Planning Stage, you will want to consider everything that could occur in the Implementation Stage. You’ll prepare your messaging and overall communications plan, and one of the tactics to heavily consider is creating an editorial calendar. Editorial calendars help you keep content organized during a specific timeframe. We have four considerations when planning out your editorial calendar.

Mental Health Moments: Managing Social Anxiety As A Communicator

Having social anxiety means that you fear social situations. This manifests itself in multiple ways for different people. You may feel awkward at a party in which you don’t really know anyone, afraid to start a conversation because you may feel “stupid” or out of place. Networking events could be like torture chambers to you because you have to speak to strangers, eat in public or start an actual decent conversation while you feel like you’re going to hyperventilate yourself right out of that room. Here are three practical tips to help you through even your most socially awkward and anxious moments.

Guest Post: Confessions of a PR Goal Digger

With the rise of citizen journalists, influencers and social media platforms connecting 24/7 to ever growing niche audiences, smart communication freelancers and media companies have the opportunity to build an all-star content creation team that is on trend, on brand and on message. If you are a communicator with a public relations background, it is your time to shine, and the stars of today’s communication teams are content creators who set goals and understand their audience. Gina Collinsworth shows us why it’s a great time to be a PR pro in this guest post.

Event Recap: Ethical Decision-Making in Times of Crisis

On September 21, the Public Relations Society of America-River Cities Chapter hosted “Ethical Decision-Making in Times of Crisis” from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Marshall University with local professionals and students in attendance. Attendees listened to a panel of professionals discuss their own ethical experiences in the workplace and how having a crisis communications plan in place is instrumental during the pre-crisis, crisis and post-crisis phases. Participants also underwent a mock crisis communications scenario in the workshop session.

10 Tips To Help You Tell Brand Stories

There's nothing better than reading, watching or playing a game with a good story. With your business, nonprofit organization, event or wherever you find yourself, you have to have a good story or your efforts will fall through the cracks. Whether you’ve just started your brand or are looking toward a refresh, here are 10 branding tips you can put to immediate use.

How Ethics Shape A Public Relations Pro's Career

September is Ethics Month, so our first blog of the month centers on ethics in public relations. If you’re a public relations practitioner -- or in any career field for that matter -- here’s to hoping you have yet to face an ethical dilemma in the workplace. It can be a challenge to read between the lines and see the gray areas outside of the ordinary black and white. That’s where the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s Code of Ethics comes in. We don’t have to spin our ethical wheels. Professional values and provisions are outlined for us as industry standards.