On May 26, three interns walked into our Gramercy office, excited (or so I’m assuming, right girls?) to start a 4-month long internship with Ericho Communications. I’m not going to lie, this internship is highly competitive. We obviously chose three bright candidates, who are doing a mighty fine job just 4 weeks in — already pitching, writing and researching away, all with smiles on their faces and an eagerness to learn.

Want to get to know them? I thought you did!

What were you doing before you started interning for Ericho Communications?

AF: I was finishing my sophomore year studying Communications and Journalism at the University of Indiana.

DP: I just graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a BA in Corporate Communications and minors in Public Relations and Advertising.

DM: I was finishing my junior year at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and looking for another PR internship.

What’s the best thing that’s happened since you’ve started at Ericho?

AF: My first day, and every day after that. I get to work with extremely cool people, the office is awesome, and the location (since we’re down the street from the famous Shake Shack) could not be any better!

DP: I’ve had the opportunity to practice my pitching on a daily basis. I have improved tremendously and have built on my previous practices.

DM: I’m gaining a whole lot more experience than I could have ever imagined. Plus, free coffee and Lucky Charms…my favorite cereal!!!

What’s the worst thing that’s happened since you’ve started at Ericho?

AF: That we share our office space with three tiny mice.

DP: Being told there were mice in the office!

DM: Mary Clare left her laptop at home, so I’m on the slow one. HA. And the mice!

Why do you want to work in PR?

AF: In PR you deal with exciting and interesting topics, and you get to see the outcome of all the hard work you put forth.

DP: I’ve had PR internships in the past and enjoy interacting with others on a daily basis. Also, seeing your work or your agencies work in the media is rewarding.

DM: PR is flexible, so you can branch out in different fields whether it may be a business-type setting, or promotions, etc.

Describe yourself in three words.

AF: Friendly. Determined. An aspiring multi-tasker.

DP: Funny. Athletic. Nerdy.

DM: Friendly. Nice. Funny.

Where do you live?

AF: Bloomington, Indiana during the school year, Dix Hills, New York for the summer.

DP: Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

DM: New York City – the best city in the world!

Want more? Follow them all on Twitter. Also, look for an update in the coming months as their internship wraps, and they tell us all what they’ve loved and learned.

In a recent client interview on-location with FOX , I had an interesting conversation with a camera man. I was shocked to learn many PR people he deals with on a regular basis don’t know about rule number 77 of PR: stay behind the camera!

So, attention PR people, new or old, when a client is going to be on-camera for an interview and you are on-location with them, stay behind the camera! Why? Here are three reasons:

1. If you merely stand to the side of the frame your body may cast unwanted shadows from angles you wouldn’t expect. If you stay behind the camera (and camera man) those shadows aren’t an issue, because the camera man will not shoot from an angle where his / her shadow will be seen. So, you’re safe from causing a problem.
2. It makes broadcast journalists, producers and camera men appreciate you, because they don’t have to give you proper instructions for on-camera interviews (in front of your client!), and they don’t have to retake after you remove your shadow.
3. On a multi-camera shoot, you might find yourself in the segment, staring at your client like an entranced stalker. Even worse: at some point during the interview, you might realize you’re in the shot and suddenly look like a deer in headlights trying to escape.

Also, another fun-fact to remember: just as if you were at a live performance, flash photography is prohibited during on-camera interviews. (Don’t worry…the photo for this blog did not involve a flash, was taken well before the interview started and I asked permission before I snapped.)

Any questions?

If you’ve seen Eric on TV or read any article where he is quoted you probably heard him use one (or more) of these phrases: Best-selling author. President of Ericho Communications. Co-Founder of Tappening. A democrat on FOX. Serial entrepreneur. And my two personal favorites, “I’m into being on the cutting edge of technology…I have like 12 screens in my office” and “Those who embrace social networking will be ready to ride the next wave of the PR industry. I have thousands of ‘friends’ on Facebook, Linked-In and Twitter.”

BUT for those that really know Eric, know another side of him. Behind all his tv appearances and press clippings. Behind a guy that love him or hate him, is GREAT at his job. And behind all the buzz (again good or bad) is probably one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met.

The one thing you won’t catch Eric talking about…or at least very very rarely is his personal life. He doesn’t talk about life as a caretaker, for his wife who has secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and yet has one of the most positive outlooks on life. And doesn’t mention his typical weekend – spent being a hands on dad while taking care of his wife. Or how he juggles working 24/7 without missing his son’s baseball games or co-authoring a book with his daughter. That’s the Eric we know…and love (and no I’m not just saying that because he is our boss, but I am sure I score a brownie point for it HAHA). I’ve worked with Eric for almost 4 years now through 3 PR agencies and I continue to learn from him.

Most recently, Mary Clare (full-time Ericho employee, part-time video producer, part-time blogger) and I worked with Eric to create a viral video to help raise money and awareness for MS. We are very proud of it. It already has over 20,000 views on a half dozen video networks (and it’s just the first week).

Eric sits on the board of advisers for Accelerated Cure, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to curing MS by determining its causes — and the organization has created a large-scale, multidisciplinary MS Repository of blood samples and data from people with MS and matched controls. And they are also in the process of developing a Cure Map to establish and document what is known and what is not known about the causes of MS.

httpv://www.acceleratedcure.org/video/yaverbaum2009.ph

I’m not asking you to donate, although it is a GREAT cause. But I would love it if you can pass this video along virally. Our goal is to raise $1 million by October. We could use your help! As always we would love to hear your thoughts! What charities are you passionate about? Do you have a personal connection to the cause? Or, what charities have you created PR campaigns for? Tell us about its success.

“Media relations” is not clever ideas sent via e-mail blast to a crap-load of reporters. Again: media relations is not clever ideas sent via e-mail blast to a crap-load of reporters.

You must pick up the phone.

Yes, I know, I know. Journalists say—or at least their voicemails do—“I prefer to be pitched via e-mail” or “if you’re calling to pitch a story, it is best to send it by e-mail.” And, yes, you need to respect their request and send pitches via e-mail, but you also need to get them on the phone. 1. Because your pitch may be lost in the hundreds of e-mails they receive daily (especially if you’re new to the industry), and 2. Your pitch will only get better by talking to members of the audience you’re trying to reach!

After you send a pitch via e-mail, call to follow up…not to leave a voicemail, but to reach the journalist. If you don’t get him / her, call again and call again and call again. After a few tries, leave a voicemail, but use common sense. Would you want to listen to a five-minute story pitch on your voicemail? No. So…

“I’m Kelly. I’m calling to follow up with you about a story pitch I sent you on xx date at yy time about zz subject. I’d like to confirm you received it and answer any questions you may have. If you can respond to my e-mail to let me you know you received it, I’d really appreciate it, or feel free to call me with any questions (phone number).

Then, forward the original e-mail to them and advise, “I just left a voicemail for you regarding this story pitch. I want to make sure you received my original message. I know you are busy; I just want to confirm. Thank you.”

Some have simply responded, “got it. thanks.” Many times, however, I’ve gotten several returned calls (and / or e-mail responses) from journalists who were not upset by my voicemail at all, but actually wanted to discuss my client and pitch. Why? I called them about a topic that interested them. I’ve even had some journalists call back to let me know they never received my e-mail, but want to, and provide me with an updated e-mail address. Others have thanked me because they “meant to follow up” on the pitch and my call was a reminder.

The combination of consistency, common sense and quality information has lead to success and interviews for clients over the years, and it will continue to do so. But, tread carefully when it comes to voicemails. Don’t assume your pitch is something a journalist will want to talk about just because you wrote it (no offense). Be SURE it’s information they WANT to hear before you leave a voicemail. Do not abuse this tool; it will only make a defensive journalist offensive.

As your years of experience in the PR world stack up, more and more journalists and editors will come to know who you are and who you represent. If you’re new to the industry, give it time and a little elbow grease; your hard work will pay off over time. Pitching will become less time-consuming, and you will come to know key journalists and build relationships with them. Then, when you only have to call or e-mail once to talk about a story, you’ll know your work has been worth the effort.

Do you have pitch suggestions and tips you’d like to share? If so, comment below.

If you work in public relations then you have heard this AT LEAST once in your career: “Can you get me on Oprah?” Everyone believes their company, product, service or information is “Oprah worthy,” and in the past I have even had clients “sell me” on why they belong on the show.

While it does seem that everything Oprah touches turns to gold, we PR folks know that getting on the show is not so easy — especially to talk about a product or company. She loves segments on reuniting families. She loves chatting with celebrities. And she arranges consumer-type segments (this week it is about “Handling Life’s Stickiest situations” and on “What Can I afford?”).

And what about getting on Oprah’s Favorite Things show?? That’s harder than scoring tickets to be an audience member.

So for anyone who has heard the “How do I get on Oprah” question, I thought you would be interested in the documentary CNBC has put together called The Oprah Effect, which takes a close look at businesses who have been featured on the show.

In this clip, CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla from Squawk Box talks to Meredith Vieira on the Today Show about the documentary, pointing out that websites crash, sales go through the roof and grilled chicken gets sold out if Oprah talks about it.

Maybe the documentary will spark our PR creativity juices?

What are three ways to describe Eric?

1. Ridiculous multitasker (“Freakin’ seventeen screens going on and a Skype call! What the heck?”).
2. Tappening-fanatic (“He always related everything back to Tappening…For example, with Tappening [fill in the blank]. This reminds me of Tappening because [fill in the blank]. Ha ha!”)
3. Mr. Answer (“He has an answer for everything. Seriously.”)

What are three ways to describe Kelly?

1. Goofy (“But in a good way, cause you need some “goofy” in this industry to get through all the work!”)
2. Ridiculous multitasker (“Skyping, Googling, writing a press release, Tweeting, making coffee, sharpening a pencil…all at the same time!”)
3. Creative

What was the most valuable aspect / result of your internship?

When I came to Ericho, I didn’t know much about PR. I knew the journalism world, but I knew journalism wasn’t the right fit for me. I worked with PR people during my journalism internship; I was intrigued by what they did, so I thought I’d try it out. My internship at Ericho showed me exactly what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

When I started, I didn’t know what SEO was, what the proper format for a press release was, how campaigns were created, what a media alert was and I definitely didn’t know how much work was put into every pitch, e-mail, meeting, etc. Now I do.

I saw Best in Beauty start from scratch and got to participate in the entire process. Now I see this successful company, and I got to see it all from the beginning and learned how all the pieces fit together.

My last day of the internship, when Eric called and told me, “you will definitely succeed in this industry and you have a very bright future ahead of you,” it made me feel like I had really come full circle and achieved something during the internship. I had found my niche.

What did you enjoy most? What was fun?

What I really enjoyed most, oddly enough, was building a “Competitive Matrix” for Best in Beauty. At first, I thought, “I’ve got to do what? This is gonna suck,” but it turned out to be one of the most interesting things I did while I was there. I got to help figure out the entire industry. It was such an interesting tool to build, because it showed the “nitty-gritty” and helped Ericho differentiate its client from the rest of its competitors. With it you can see where an industry is going, and you can see the missing pieces.

But….It’s hard to pick one thing I enjoyed the most! There was so much going on all the time, and I was so mad every day when I had to leave to go work at the restaurant. I thought it was funny that I wanted to be at my no-pay internship more than I wanted to be at the job that paid my bills!

What did you like the least about the internship?

The FREEZING office!

After the internship, do you plan to work in the PR industry?

Yes. This PR internship let me know what I wanted to do the rest of my life…even though my degree is in journalism.

Sometimes videos are the best way to properly explain what we go through each day. This video does a great job of explaining the client-vendor relationship using real world scenarios. Reality is, it is sooo true!

The Client-Vendor Relationship

Let us know if you have a favorite part in this video. Mine is the man and woman who didn’t “budget” for the dinner and wants to know how the restaurant made it so they “can do it on their own in-house.”

I subscribe to Bulldog Reporter and one of the sections I follow is Journalists Speak Out. I check in every week to find out from journalists or bloggers first-hand how they like to be pitched or what they think of public relations. It offers good tips and inside information.

Today, after reading the newest posting I started scrolling down to some of the earlier ones. Back in August 2008, David Kiley, senior business correspondent at BusinessWeek, and editor of Brand New Day and AutoBeat blogs posted a story, “Who is in Your Little Red Book?” and he offered tips for working with A-list journalists and bloggers like himself. One tip in particular that resonated with me was “pitch print and digital equally.”

When I am pitching a journalist a story angle or providing them with information for a story topic they are already working on, I don’t think “print story” or “online story.” My goal is to get my client in the story. Let’s face it BusinessWeek is BusinessWeek – whether it is the print publication or BusinessWeek.com. That is a great placement for our client to be featured in, particularly when they are providing commentary as an expert authority. But more often than not when a client finds out the story is running online they preferred it if the story ran in the print edition.

Is it because we are the generation raised with a “mouse in our hands” and the generation before us was raised to touch and feel the newspaper each morning and buy the newest issue of the business magazines? Kiley says, “Whether I write something for print or the website doesn’t matter to me. But PR clients are still expecting print…Online and print are both influential and important at this level.”

So readers, I’m curious to know. Do your clients prefer print over online stories? And does it make your job even harder to explain not only how PR works but how journalists think?

I’m not the most observant person. For example, last month I realized one of my most favorite quick, in-and-out lunch spots is directly across the street from our office (in my defense, the signage isn’t the greatest.) But last week, while discussing a weekly status report update with Eric, I noticed that I’ve seen the particular outfit he was sporting a lot. A lot as in five times in the past three weeks. When he got distracted with something, I quickly snapped a paparazzi photo with my Blackberry of the notorious outfit.

As you know, I’m a little jealous of all the press Eric gets. What would be different if I was doing the press instead of him? I would spruce up my wardrobe. Maybe download the Pocket Closet app on my iPhone to ensure that I wasn’t appearing on national television three weeks in a row sporting the same blazer.

Hey readers, do you think maybe we should hold tomorrow’s staff meeting remotely from Bloomingdales?