5 Tips for PR student bloggers

I’ve been inundated with questions on how to do this and that in the past few weeks from those who know that I have been blogging for a while and it has been great to see many of those who I have assisted with their own blogs ease into blogging. There are however things to be cautious of when deciding to be a blogger.

1. Don’t do it for the money.

You will be frustrated if you are tweeting in your personal capacity with the mere goal of getting money. I had been blogging for almost 2 years when I first started making money from my blog and even then it was not much. Making money is great, but you will give up before then if that is your main objective.

2. Do not deceive people

There are so many blogs online and one usually has the challenge of trying to be unique and attracting the right attention from readers, brands and peers. Deceiving people is a sure-fire way to not only get attention, but irreversible embarrassment that comes with being caught out. Do not post untruthful reviews and do not steal other people’s work.

Pic via BlogMaven

3. Do not lie about who you are

We become thought-leaders through valuable contributions in existing conversations and starting our own. Do not fake credentials if you do not have any yet – your contributions as a student can still make you a thought-leader amongst your peers and will on top of that, make you relatable.

4. Be accessible

You might not be a celebrity, but your followers and readers treat you as such and want to be able to reach you. Feature your social media details on your blog in order for them to do so. Also include these as sharing tools and set them in such a way that you get a mention when someone posts one of your blog posts on social media.

Pic via Big Picture Web

5. The internet does not forget

It is often said that people may forget what you said, but they do not forget how you made them feel. When it comes to blogging, it is quite the inverse. People remember what you said and can save it before you even get a chance to delete it. Be responsible for what you post. If it is damaging, do not post it until you are able to articulate yourself in a manner that does not cause anyone harm.

There are so many unwritten rules, but I think these are fundamental for a PR student who is starting out in the blogosphere. All the best!

PS: My personal blog is www.randomramblings.co.za

The power of PR to guide the rebranding of a sports team

Sports stars never anticipate that there is more that goes into them being successful at their sport than just playing the game. One such function that is usually last on their list is that they will have to deal with people either than their coach, being doctors, nutritionists and even publicists.

The services of publicists, when leveraged correctly, could be very beneficial for sports teams. There are various tasks that they do that ensure the success of not only the players, but also the entire team. One such task is player relations. This is where the publicist devises programmes, with the coach, to promote team unity. Looking at the national soccer team Bafana Bafana, team unity goes a long way for the overall brand as they need to support each other through the public scrutiny and ridicule that they face. These programmes devised by the publicist can help counter negative psychological factors such as THIS opinion piece written on News24 that could leave the team feeling despondent.

Community relations is another task done by the publicist. The publicist strategically devises a plan that helps the team to interact in the community which they are from. When fans see the team involved in the community, they are even more motivated to support it. This programme includes the involvement of the team in charitable ventures.

Bafana Bafana, like any other sports team, needs public relations activities to strengthen the brand.

Investor relations is vital when it comes to helping the team and players to get financial reward beyond just winning games. The publicist plays an important role in negotiating sponsorships. The publicist speaks to brands to sponsor the team and furthermore negotiates endorsements for individual players. All appearances to enhance the public image are also handles by the publicist. CNN wrote a piece on how Oscar Pistorius lost his sponsorships. It is also the publicist's job to try and negotiate if there is rooms for negotiation although they are not miracle workers. Read the full article HERE.

The final and probably the most important function that public relations plays in sports teams is media relations. This is where the publicist arranges media conferences, writes press releases and most importantly, gives all the players in the team training in terms of dealing with the media.

It is clear from the above mentioned that public relations can be beneficial to the branding of a team when leveraged correctly.

Watch the video below of the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula lashing out at Bafana Bafana. One of the issues that they need the help of Public Relations in responding to.

Which other ways do you think public relations can assist when it comes to rebranding sports teams?