Three Ethical Practices to Apply to Your Public Relations Career

May marks the illustrious milestone in my career. Introspection is a necessary and cherished aspect of professional development as I approach the 10-year mark of my public relations career. Enough time has passed for me to ease into sharing my ethical experiences with up-and-coming practitioners and others. At the beginning of my career, I was still trying my best to figure everything out, and during my 20s, I created the foundation of my career through experience, support and, most of the time, taking the road less traveled. Here are three ethical lessons I have learned since beginning my career 10 years ago.

Takeaways From My Silver Anvil Awards Judging Experience

I had the distinct honor and privilege to judge international companies’ Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil Awards entries in New York City. I was one of 144 judges who traveled from all over the nation to judge the 626 entries. (I did not have to judge that many!) I assessed the Research, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation (RPIE) elements for each. Without compromising any detail of any entry, here are trends I saw in the entries I judged.

10 Components to Build Personal Brand

If you want to sell a product or service, advocate for a cause or become an influencer (and monetize on your efforts), honing in on your personal brand will be beneficial by leaps and bounds. Here are 10 essential components to consider when developing your brand or undergoing the rebranding process.

Elements of A Legacy Brand’s Success

Brands are constantly aspiring for growth, whether it’s sales, consumer outreach, click-through rates or all of the above and more. When legacy brands soak up success, it’s because they know their brand inside and out, and they know what their customers desire and need. They exhibit consistency, niche targeting, clear Calls to Action (CTA) and value-based storytelling. Legacy brands can stay ahead of the curve in the following three ways.

Five Influential Brands That Have Inspired Hourglass Media

I have been brand-obsessive since I was a child. I donned Disney Princess attire and had to have the latest toys each time a new movie hit theaters. These were the days of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” -- an entire treasure trove of amazing Disney movies that I still love to this day. Long before I ever saw “Mad Men” and fell into the rabbit hole of a communications career, these campaigns launched my love of branding. Here are five of my favorite brands with a splash of nostalgia.

Five Behind-The-Scenes Items You Need For Your Company's Brand

A brand is the DNA of your personal image or company. Most of us have a “brand,” so to speak, but it involves more than just an Instagram grid, carefully crafted logo or one highly recognizable campaign. It’s your company’s public identity, but it’s also what happens behind the scenes -- all of those things no one except employees and other internal stakeholders have their hands on and see on a daily basis. While the below is not a comprehensive list, these five elements will help you live your brand every day and structure your goals and objectives accordingly. Here are five key branding elements we use here at Hourglass Media.

SMART Objective Setting in the New Year

It’s the start of a New Year, and you’re probably hyper-focused on your goals and objectives for 2019. In today’s world, Return on Investment (ROI) and Return on Expectations (ROE) drive PR professionals and the C-Suite to want to learn more in the Evaluation phase. That’s where SMART objectives come in.In the world of public relations and other industries goals are comprised of SMART objectives, which include: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound.

#behindthehourglass Highlights from 2018

In many ways, 2018 was the Year of Realizations #behindthehourglass. As our company continues to grow, we learn just as much from missteps as we do from successes. 2018 brought new partnerships and opportunities, as well as learning experiences to continue to build our company. I’m naturally reflective in December and January, so I’ve outlined five Hourglass Media highlights from 2018. There are so many to choose from, but as the sentimental CEO, I narrowed it down to five takeaways to bring into the New Year and beyond.

Holiday 2018 Gift Guide for PR Pros

The ornaments and lights are on the Hourglass Media Christmas tree and stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Whether you’re dreaming of a white Christmas or aiming to give the perfect gift to all of the special someones in your life, the holiday season can be daunting! With parties and get-togethers aplenty, you may not have time to window shop (let’s face it, most shopping is online these days) for every gift on your Nice Person List. These 10 items (plus a bonus one!) will give you an idea what to get the public relations professional in your life.

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.

Five Nuggets of Knowledge To Tell The Past You

Do you ever wish you could give insight to the past you? Whether you cringe at a statement you made in a meeting (when all eyes were inevitably on you) or wish you would have handled a situation differently, there are always items you wish you could check off your cringe list. There are also times you want to give the previous you loads of reassurance and a pat on the shoulder for a job well done -- even when you feel like you weren’t doing it “right.” Here are five nuggets of knowledge I’ve learned during my career.

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.

A #behindthehourglass Rebranding Journey

There comes a time in every business’ lifetime when it’s time to make a change. It could be a major change, like hiring someone new in the C-Suite or changing physical locations. It could also mean something small, like replacing the broken paper towel dispenser in the bathroom or making sure every Friday is “Wear Your Graphic Tees To Work Day.” Other times call for changes in your business’ narrative. See which recent branding changes we’ve made to our company.

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.

How To Become Your Own Mentor

Whether you’re at the helm of your own business or have dreams for miles about starting one someday, having a mentor can help you wade through the ups and downs. If you don’t have access to a mentor, what are you to do? Mentor yourself. Here are five ways you can be your own mentor.

You Know You’re Meant To Be in PR When…

If you’re considering a career in public relations or are questioning your decision way back when to enter the PR field, here are 10 ways you know you belong in the world of RPIE, ROI and storytelling. No matter which characteristics you may or may not have, make your career your own. It's more fun that way!

Five Qualities from Leia Organa That Can Make You A Better Leader

No matter you choose to lead, Leia Organa can also be your spirit animal. Here are five leadership qualities Leia Organa possesses in canon (and legend) tales in a galaxy far, far away.

How To Be A Better Public Relations Leader Within Your Organization

Leadership is a primary management function of public relations. Whether you are a Chief Communications Officer of a Forbes 100 company or are an independent practitioner, leadership skills greatly come into play. This August, Hourglass Omnimedia is giving practical leadership and mentorship advice and experienced-based posts to help make your work life a bit easier. These five easy-to-implement qualities will make you a better public relations leader within your organization.

What PR Pros Need In Their Repertoire

What else do you need besides those things you learned in a public relations textbook and on the job? The following list has some items you probably already have, but some you could hone. Here are five things every PR pro needs in his or her repertoire.