Turning a topic into an idea

Many people have a lot to say and write, but when it comes to actually doing it and share their stories or point of views with the others, something happens and words don’t go together as planned. In order to achieve the goal you set and be able to say ‘Yes, I did it! Read this – I wrote it!’, there are just a few simple steps to follow.

It doesn’t take a big detailed strategy, but it is important to ask two questions: ‘What are you interested in? and also of very high significance – ‘What are the other people interested in?‘. This goes both ways because you see, you really need to like the topic you are about to write about and do your research on and also, in order for it to be a success, you also need to think about what people are interested in reading about. A good way to find out what people’s interests are, is to research a bit the topics that go public online, in newspapers, at TV or at the radio.

Topics are general subjects or issues and they become an idea when you narrow it down to something. A topic can be about sports or the environment, technology or fashion. An idea is a plan or strategy about how to act on the topic you chose. An idea is a smaller part of the a topic and to see which one to write about, you can use the help of these following three factors: type, place and time.

The type of the topic is the actual niche that you have interest in. Such as, if you are passionate about fashion, think of whether the best idea is to write about shoes, clothes, bags or jewelry. When you got your mind set on a certain type, think of the place that you are writing about. It might be your city or country, or even a certain location or activity – going out to the fanciest restaurant. The time of the topic also helps. Think if you want to enhance an outfit that is trending this year. Or maybe you can compare the current trends with the ones last year. So, if you are passionate about fashion (topic), you can write about the appropriate outfits to wear when going out, according to current year’s trends (idea).

This being said, now it’s time for the research part. A great deal in writing is doing the right research before. Search the internet, read articles or news on the idea chosen, see what specialists in the field have to say about that. Make sure you have gathered accurate information before making it public!

At first, all this plan, strategy, steps might seem a bit difficult to you. You might wonder how can some people write one articles or story after another when there’s so much to do beforehand? Truth is – it gets easier in time. The first few times, you need to check the plan but afterwards it just comes natural and the steps have been already learned so that practice gets easier and easier and you will save a lot of time.

My advice to you is to write as much as you can. Think about topics and ideas as much as you can and research those. Practice makes perfect, remember!

 

Startup Stock Photos

 

 

 

Photo source: here.

PR: 5+5 Pros & Cons

It is a game of give and take, this is for sure. Even with the big picture painted, a career is not something that you just rush into. Do it with passion or not at all – somebody said and I couldn’t agree more. Knowing yourself leads you to know if you can handle the challenges that come with a PR career. The good and the bad, the achievements and the mistakes, all should teach you something.

5 PROS

1. Boring times? Never!

If you dislike routine, you’re in the right field. The work is so diverse that one day does not feel like another.

One week you can be dealing with a service provider who needs a Social Media strategy and the next one you’re planning a product launch event. Online and offline, writing articles and giving speeches, working from a desk or interacting with people all day long, there’s never a dull day in PR.

Think about all the opportunities, PR applies to any of them. You can work with clients from the public or private sector, or even non-profit organizations. Size? Giant corporations, small companies or start-ups. Fields? Automotive, travel, fashion, lifestyle, tech, you name it. Nope, no time to get bored.

2. Be a maker, you’re the storyteller

It’s up to you to use your imagination and make something out of nothing. Remember that people respond much better to emotions than anything else. You’ve got the tool to touch them – words. Using them appropriately can bring great outcome.

Now, even hotter is the topic of visual storytelling. Words and image or video – you can put together two things that have been put together before, but create something totally unique. How is that for a feeling?

3. The Creativity factor

Yes, Creativity with a capital letter, because it is that essential. A high level of creativity is one of the most significant skills a PR pro can posses. Whether as an in-house specialist or within an agency, writing, thinking and implementing are a big part of a PR position of any level.

Luckily, this is a skill that can be exercised by being a sponge, constantly curious about news in the field. Also, practicing a pro-active attitude when it comes to learning new things and research of any other info is a plus.

4. Not a one-fits-all

The PR sphere is about so many responsibilities based on a multitude of skills. From writing to pitching, giving presentations to planning and even researching, you can find your place. Working in a consultancy firm within a team makes you a specialist in your field, so don’t worry if you start out on one role, but then decide another one fits you better.

That’s the great news – you can find a position that fits you, whatever your skills or interests are.

5. You make a difference and should be really proud of it

It is not about you, yourself and you again. You work with people, for  other people. PR touches and has an impact. You are a part of the story all the way from when a hint of an idea is born, through pitching and into the closing. Just imagine a client calling you and saying they closed a deal thanks to the coverage a certain news had.

PR is power and it is in your control.

 

5 CONS

1. You value your free time too much

PR is not the field for a set schedule and to-do list. The job will never be 9-to-5 and the tasks will always, and yes I mean always be different. If you like predictable days, PR really isn’t the thing for you. Communication crises do not ask for permission on when to happen and that is the moment when you need to act right away. Also, if you have clients all over the world, you will need to set your meeting suitable for them. It can be very stressful for someone who is not flexible and doesn’t like to compromise, but it can also be very rewarding when passion is part of the story.

2. Read, watch, learn. Repeat.

Part of PR is doing the research on your clients’ field and/or competitors. Keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and campaigns is also part of a pro’s duty, so constant work reading magazines and watching relevant videos is implied, yes.

3. You like to do things just to cross them off your list

Attention to details is very important and it goes all the way from articles being grammatically correct to hints of credibility when presenting of pitching. There is no room for sloppy mistakes, your work must be read and re-read, analyzed from all the angles that you can think of.

In PR. you need to cover all possible questions or assumptions in order to get a flawless result.

4. It’s not you, it’s your topic

Rejection is part of the process and pointing out mistakes will become daily routine. The only productive thing to do in those situations is to learn from your mistakes and become better. Figure out what you can improve and allow yourself to develop.

First of all, you will need to accept that you make mistakes. We all make them, it’s human. When something goes wrong, it doesn’t mean you’re not trying hard enough, just that you need to still improve and learn new things, maybe develop new skills. One of the don’ts when that moment comes is to make excuses or avoid responsibility.

5. Numbers? Ugh!

During a conference I once was invited to, some of the guests said – ‘PR specialists chose this field because they hate numbers’. I will remember it all my life, cause I admitted I related to that. But unfortunately, in real life and real PR, it doesn’t work like that. PR improves measurement and proves ROI, and that is exactly why measurement is a huge part of PR.

It has been a weak point for many time now, but things have changed. And this is especially needed in paid programs. An effort is needed for learning the basics, yes.

 

Hopefully, this has been a little more eye-revealing on what the PR career is built. As I said in the beginning, it is a game, but at the end of the day, the benefits outweigh the cons. A bit of effort and a lot of passion will make it worth it all.

April’s Joy!

Ever since I’ve known myself, the month of April was my joy. It has brought me so much happiness, even more than my birth month – December. And that is not just because of Spring, but also because of the events that happened.

April to me is Happiness and Love. Eight years ago, April would bring me the beginning of a beautiful relationship that lasted for 4 years. My partner then was a great human being who’s helped me grow and develop so much that I still feel happy and lucky for having him by my side. One year ago, I went along with the idea of sharing a life with someone, one person with whom I would’ve shared everything.

Present time now and all of the above are part of the past, good or bad. Time has passed and in 2016, April finds me in a new position and brings me a new chance to another kind of happiness.

anamariapopa.com blog ana maria popa travel calatorii

Well, my luggage is done and my house is 3/4 packed. It is time for a new episode: moving to another continent and a new professional challenge outside Romania. After three months in Austria, the story goes on.

The novelty of all this, together with my passion for the topic, have made me release the news sooner than I originally planned to – but oh well, you can understand my excitement! Now, I’m not gonna give all the details (and those who know about this, please don’t be a spoiler), but I do promise that I will be back as soon as possible, sharing stories, situations and pictures, here on my blog and on Facebook also.

So, keep in touch! 😀

FYI: Whatsapp introduces Bold, Italic & Strikethrough option

Whatsapp update version 2.12.17 for iPhone and 2.12.535 for Android finally lets its users format their texts. Bolditalic, strikethrough or bold italic are the new way to be cool.

 

anamariapopa.com blog post whatsapp new feature bold italic strikethrough

 

Now, the option is not activated from settings or by one magical button, but it’s available by using codes. From the printscreen above:

  • Bold option: hug the word or sentence with asterisks (*). e.g.: *really*
  • Italic option: hug the word or sentence with underscores (_). e.g.: _just saying_
  • Strikethrough option: hug the word or sentence with tildes (~). e.g.: ~don’t~
  • Bolt italic option: hug the word or sentence with asterisks (*) and underscores (_) together, regardless the order. e.g.: _*all of them*_

With more than one billion people using the app every month, this makes the app so great, since Whatsapp’s new features and updates have been kind of basic and the only exciting thing about it was introducing voice calls.

Public Relations: Have you got what it takes?

I frequently get asked about the PR field. Last time, the conversation took place with a 20-something-year-old who’s hesitant about what to do next in this life.

– I was thinking to go for PR, if I can’t find anything that I like to do. How do I know if I’ve got what it takes? What’s the job? What do you actually do? How did you start?, they usually ask.

My reply is – ‘I didn’t choose PR, PR chose me.’ Basically, because it’s true. It all started as an extra thing to do besides university, in order to earn my own money. And I got really lucky this way, I admit it.

It was my second year at university and I got this question – ‘We saw you were passionate about Facebook, how would you like managing our business page as a job?’. Now, passionate is a special way of describing my Facebook skills. I was basically obsessed… All day, every morning till night, I was online on Facebook. I posted about everything, sharing things that I liked or found interesting. My day would be defined by the time between the new and the old posts in my news feed. But I said – hey, I’ll give it a try. And so I started learning about the professional way of using Facebook. Yes, it all started with Social Media for me, and then my duties got bigger and bigger. I would manage all the online accounts and then even got to the offline part – events, meetings, gatherings, projects. Anything that had to do with representing the company I worked for, a dental clinic in Bucharest.

Job Description

PR is easily defined by its name, yes – it is about managing the connections between the company you represent and the public. As a PR, you are responsible for the image and reputation perceived by the community. Your tasks consist of establishing, implementing and maintaining multiple ways of communication, as well as strong relationships with the media reps.

A PR officer can find his/hers place whether in an agency/PR consultancy firm or as an in-house specialist. The PR agencies enjoy the benefit of offering a wide range of services in many areas of expertise, but they can also concentrate on a particular field, such as consumer or B2C (business-to-consumer) PR, corporate or B2B (business-to-business) PR or just general public affairs.

In-house specialists can be found both in public or private sectors, but also in non-profit organizations. They are in charge for both internal and external communications and will face a challenge bigger than a PR consultant, given the fact that for this role, an in-depth knowledge of the field and business environment is needed.

I was an in-house PR officer in the dental field and even though my knowledge of actual medicine was limited, I found it amazing! My motivation came from learning new things, on a level that it makes sense for the future. I took part in dental interventions that showed pure anatomy. And with it, along came the struggle. As an outsider, I was highly impressed. As the employee of the clinic, I was taught basic dental activity. But as a PR specialist, I had to find the right way of putting into words an intervention that seems scary to the public. Challenging enough? This is a level apprehension not possible for an external PR.

Qualifications & Background

As any other field, some study is required. The most relevant fields would be:

  • Public Relations
  • Marketing
  • Journalism, Communication and/or Media
  • Creative Writing
  • Social Sciences.

I come with a background of Psychology and a passion about Communication and people – what drives them, what motivates them, etc.

Passion is much more important than whatever degree you’ve got. Passion is the first thing people read when they see you, and trust me when I say that you won’t have your degree subject written on your forehead.

One way for an employer of any kind to be sure of your passion is providing a history of volunteer work or internships. The no-pay or low-pay activity gives them an idea of how up you are for gaining experience. Subsequently, there are trainings, workshops and courses you can attend in order to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the field.

Skills

This is it – you either have it or you don’t:

  • Amazing verbal and written skills
  • Self-confidence, excellent presentation and networking skills
  • Creativity
  • Attention to detail
  • Patience and great interpersonal skills
  • Ability to handle pressure and juggle with different priorities and deadlines
  • Drive, flexibility, pro-active attitude, open-mindedness and willingness to learn new things
  • Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent organizational and planning skills
  • Business orientation.

Activity & Responsibilities

If you’ve made it to this point, now it gets real. PR is never just PR. PR has a way of asking for some Marketing skills, Event Planning, Budget Planning, Social Media or even Project Management talent.

Still here? Good, let’s see what this is all about.

Your work tasks may include, but wouldn’t be limited to:

  • Plan, develop, implement PR strategies
  • Set up the PR budget and needs
  • Create and maintain a favorable image and reputation of the company/brand/organization
  • Build relevant relationships with the media reps
  • Write press releases and promotional materials
  • Market research
  • Develop a Social Media strategy
  • Create new business opportunities
  • Attend and/or plan events, press conferences, open-days and/or exhibitions
  • Create a PR crisis strategy
  • Update information on any online platform
  • Constantly search to grow the contact list
  • Manage projects and/or product launches
  • Coordinate photo opportunities
  • Manage sponsorship and/or partnership opportunities
  • Write and edit all written communications – articles, speeches, case studies, reports
  • Manage the logistics of brochures, leaflets and/or videos.

FYI – For Your Info

These are just a few of the PR needs of any company, brand or organization. They may vary when working in a team, but just be prepared.

  • PR specialists are usually office-based, but the duty might also involve travel when meeting clients or potential clients, suppliers or partners
  • The dress-code is usually smart, unless a certain event says otherwise
  • Working hours may vary and involve unsocial hours
  • The career ladder can go from PR Assistant to Manager and then to Senior
  • Salaries do vary, depending on the career level, location and employer.

 

With that being said, it is important to know that PR presents a fierce competition when it comes to jobs in the field, for women and men equally. With the glamorous picture aside, a great significance should be given to both the pressure and the reward of choosing a career in this field.

 

Shall We? Let’s!

These past few months have taught me new things and changed a lot of how I pictured life till 24. One of them is also about the online and about being there. Some logistical issues like not having internet connection led to not writing on the blog anymore. And when that happens, sometimes you miss it. Other times, you worry you might have forgotten how to even do it. But there are moments when you come up with new ideas! So this is it now, I’m back here and there’s a catch 😀 From now on, you’ll be able to find business articles as well as the personal ones.

The new category, The Communicatoraims to share information and details about PR, Social Media, Marketing, Blogging, Communication, Storytelling, Networking, Social Relations, so that they can be understood and practiced by anyone who needs them or is passionate about them. It’s important to mention that the articles and info here are what I find valuable and believe they make a change by being shared – situations that I have encountered in my own activity and experience in these last 4 years of being in the field. In case of needing further info or examples or just for asking complimentary questions, the communication remains open after the articles are being published, so we can keep in touch whether by commenting on the article or by private message, through the contact page.

On the other hand, The Human category will represent, as before, the side of personal experiences and lessons, events in everyday life. It is my pleasure to share with you stories that have taught me different things, that helped me grow. Because, at the end of the day, we are not alone in this world and we do have so much that we can help each other with, right? 🙂

While The Human will be available for reading in Romanian and English, The Communicator is gonna show articles in English exclusively.

Now, this being out in the open, I just gotta write and find no excuses for it! There’s internet connection, there’s a new laptop on my desk, I am excited as a dog seeing its owner, so I’m gonna go for it!

We’re starting with a first picture about what a PR Specialist is and what does he/she do… Enjoy!

I just vanished… Poof!

Yep, exactly like that.

2 months ago (where did that go?!) I moved from Bucharest, Romania. To Austria, the mountain side, Tirol. I am at the end of the world, in a village of max 1000 inhabitants. I tend to believe that’s the number of tourists over a whole year.

Let’s just put it this way – there is just one sidewalk, one way. Nope, no 2 sidewalks, one on each way of the road. Basically, because even if it was, I’m not really sure there would be enough people to use it and walk on it.

So yeah, I’m here in a place that’s got nothing. No coffee shop, no doctor’s office, no pharmacy, no supermarket to buy stuff. And no internet connection. I’m lucky when traveling cause I enjoy other people’s internet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, not anymore. I was, at the beginning. Oh, I was really annoyed! But then, I looked at is as a challenge. You know, I am a Social Media & Online person, and now I have to deal with no internet connection. But it helped me see things differently.

First of all, I started paying more attention to the people around me. I started enjoying more having a real conversation and I am more into stories. I laugh like I really mean it, finally! I am peaceful with my phone not having to vibrate all the time – messages, phone calls, emails! I enjoy this mountain air and the white view with lots of snow! I feel like I’ve discovered things in me I didn’t even know I had.

My friends here make fun of me, a ‘princess’, a big city girl moving to a village. And the thing is that it wasn’t even that bad. I mean yeah, I miss the comfort of craving for french fries in the middle of the night and just hop in the car and go to McDrive. Now, if I wanna meet someone or buy basic stuff, I need to hop on the bus for half an hour and go in the next town and shop there. At least, there’s something there, like 2 mini-malls with some stores and coffee shops and supermarkets.

All of this helps me live really basic. Me, the people around me, nature, emotions and moments.

soll-skiwelt-austria-mountain-winter-snow-ski

Life here is so unmaterialistic (if that’s even a word) that a few days ago I had this happened to me – my phone died. It just died. It shut down by itself and I couldn’t turn it on again… I wasn’t even panicked. I was just thinking that I’ll have to live without my phone on top of the internet thing. I was just trying to think of ways to let my people know so they won’t get worried. I left it alone, and after some time, my phone recovered by itself and started working again. I wasn’t even feeling relieved… It was just a thing, an object and I wasn’t gonna be mad cause of that.

One of my Bucharest people asked me at some point if I miss home. It didn’t take long to say I don’t.  To me, home is a feeling, not a place. As long as I am happy and peaceful, home is where I am. Yes, I do miss my people, I admit it. But that is easy to work out when they’re the right ones. They know I think of them and I miss them, even if we don’t talk everyday.

I truly believe that we got used too much to all this comfort the technology gives us. It is helpful, not gonna deny it, but somehow we let it replace life. Because when that is not in the picture anymore, it’s still us, humans. Us, with our thoughts, emotions, feeling and all that surrounds us. I found out this way that we forgot how to live… And I speak for myself also, my past self.

This same time last year, I couldn’t even picture my everyday life without internet, my phone, my laptop. And somehow, I feel that like this I exist more than ever. 🙂