Entertainment PR Blog by AMP3

PR is all about those lightbulb moments

I realized on a recent trip to Florida that most people don’t really understand the function of Public Relations.  This came about as I had to explain my job as a publicist to some elderly companions celebrating my great-uncle’s 85th birthday.

The quick answer I generally give is, “I help people with something to promote promote it.”

That’s actually a terrible answer and doesn’t really do me much service with respect to getting people to actually understand what Public Relations is and why it’s important.

PR, as defined by Wikipedia, is “the practice of managing the flow of information between and organization and its publics.”

That’s a junk definition (not that mine was better), so I’m going to break it down a bit more thoroughly.

The function of Public Relations, regardless of the niche–doesn’t matter if it’s Music PR, Fashion PR, Book PR, PR PR, whatever–is to make sure a client’s newsworthy product or service is made known to the public via all possible media outlets.

As glamorized as PR has become through Samantha Jones and that  Lizzie Grubman MTV “reality” show, there’s a lot of work and innovation that goes into a successful PR campaign, and into being a successful publicist.

Between establishing a campaign that will ensure the highest degree of success, there’s also maintaining relationships with media professionals, networking (whether it’s on Twitter at an event or otherwise), and general maintenance, someone working in PR is working constantly.  PR would be a different beast if it were just three martini lunches and two-cheek kisses; the fact of the matter is there is always a new angle or a new contact to reach out to, so there is always work to be done.

My re-defined definition of what I do may be a little wordier, but I think it better encompasses what someone working in Lifestyle PR actually does: I represent a wide variety of clients and work to make sure that the right people are talking to and about them in a positive way.  Publicists are communicators, figuring out the most effective way to let people know what they need to know, and then doing it as efficiently as possible.

Jackie for AMP3pr.com

@JackieBrook

Is Twitter making us THAT narcissistic?

There is no doubt that Twitter is quickly becoming the premiere Social Media tool (of both casual users and and the media elite).  It’s incredibly useful with respect to media and public relations, as you can keep track of who is where and working on what.  It’s the nature of Web 2.0.

But like most fads (slap bracelets, leisure suits, fanny packs and more….)–if Twitter is just a fad–after a astronomical rise to fame and use (or wear), there’s often a backlash that comes with such over-exposure.

From my little lifestyle PR pedestal, I like to keep watch over what people in other industries (and related industries) are chattering about, and how I can constructively introduce myself into the conversation.  But it seems, as innocent as my contentual (and yes, I fully acknowledge that’s a made up word) grazing is, others are no so innocuous.  

In an article posted on Twine.com, there is an interesting take on whether or not Twitter can “survive what is about to happen to it.”  But what is about to happen to it?  And why?

Well, the “what” seems to deal mostly with Twitter’s growing popularity amongst “mainstream consumers” and how, with it’s growing popularity, other outlets on the internet are going to push to incorporate Twitter into their services or site.

Now, Twitter is no doubt a great way to make connections.  New York public relations is all about networking, and so is Twitter, but it seems that playing the game could also cost you the came?

What?

Well, a few of the noted ways in which people are starting to misuse and abuse Twitter, though seemingly harmless, are as follows:

Hypertweeting: People don’t necessarily care about what you ate for breakfast (or lunch), but they might be interested in knowing about a great new tech client’s launch PR campaign.  Personally, I’m not a fan of someone launching 18 consecutive tweets so that my “FriendFeed” is compiled of one person’s musings.

Hashtag Spam: Any topic that’s popular usually winds up with a hashtag so people can follow the conversation around it.  However, often times marketers or advertisers will latch onto this and start spamming with self-indulgent ads rather than information.

There are certainly more ways that people can burn Twitter (and its users out), but those are two biggies that seem to most directly affect social media marketing and lifestyle pr, both of which I track.

The article goes on further to note ways in which people can filter their Twitter accounts and make their tweets more effective.  It’s some very good reading if you have the time, and if you didn’t catch the link up top, check out “Can Twitter Survive What is About to Happen to It?”

At the end of the day, Twitter is, at least for now, a force to be reckoned with.  So my best advice is do your research, learn how to optimize your time spent on Twitter, and follow at least a couple people that make you laugh (I recommend @michaelianblack and @cwalken).

Jackie for AMP3pr.com

@JackieBrook

*Thanks to Nova Spivack for the great blog-sparking article!