Social Media Tracking Week Four: Celebrities Get by with a Little Help from Their Friends

Demi Lovato

As per usual, Demi was very active on social media this week. She posted about a variety of subjects, spanning from a new haircut, social activism, and going to a club for the first time in years. After looking at the number of retweets and favorites on each of her tweets, I can conclude that the tweets that get the most attention are about Demi’s personally life. This is especially true if the tweets have a positive connotation or a life lesson. For example, Demi posted a tweet saying that no matter what, everyone is equal and deserves to be loved. In just under 2 hours, the tweet has over 21,000 retweets and over 25,000 favorites. Posts about social causes unfortunately get much less feedback. Demi posted a link to a video about Malala, the young woman who got shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating for education. This tweet only received over 12,000 retweets and 13,000 favorites, which is much less than her tweets about her personal life or thoughts. Interestingly, the same post about Malala got significantly more feedback on Facebook than it did retweets on Twitter, reaching about 34,000 likes. This is most likely because Facebook has significantly more users than Twitter. On Instagram, Demi’s most-liked picture by a wide margin was a picture debuting her new haircut. Before posting the Instagram picture, Demi teased and joked with her fans via Twitter about her hair change. The hair debut, which included Demi’s hair going back to brown, received about 596,000 likes. Finally, it seems that fans respond well to posts that include other celebrities. For example, Demi posted picture with popular YouTube stars on Twitter and the tweet got over 19,000 retweets and over 38,000 favorites. Aditionally, Demi responded to a tweet that popular singer Ed Sheeran mentioned her in, earning her about 16,000 retweets and 19,220 favorites.

Taylor Swift

Coincidentally, Taylor Swift also had a few posts involving Ed Sheeran this week. Her posts about Ed were even more popular than Demi’s posts with him. This is because Ed and Taylor are very good friends. They recently went on a world tour together and many people want them to date. Ed recently released a single and Taylor took it upon herself to promote her friend’s work via her social media accounts. She posted a link to the YouTube video with the message “‘If you love me, come on, get involved!’ BLASTING Ed Sheeran's insane new single in the car right meow. #SING #LOUDER.” Like some of Demi’s posts, this link got a lot more attention on Facebook than on Twitter, getting 71,000 likes and 15,000 retweets. This backs my theory that Facebook posts typically get more attention than Twitter. Both Taylor and Demi have more followers on Facebook than on Twitter, presumably because there are more Facebook users than there are Twitter users. Taylor also made a guest appearance on SNL this week to support Ed, who was the musical guest. She posted a “picstitch” of the two of them on stage together with the caption “PROUD FRIEND ALERT.” This post was extremely popular, receiving 514,000 likes on Instagram, 330,000 likes on Facebook, and almost 10,000 retweets and almost 14,000 favorites on Twitter. Taylor also posted pictures with another public figure this week. During the Olympics, Taylor tweeted about how much she enjoyed figure skater Gracie Gold compete. The two apparently became friends and enjoyed each other’s company recently, baking and making funny faces. People seem to like this cute friendship story because the picture for 561,000 likes on Instagram and 503,000 likes on Facebook. It seems that celebrity posts involving other celebrities are very popular with the public.

 

Taylor and Ed.

Cara Delevingne

In terms of Cara’s social media use, she tends to focus on her Instagram the most. This is where fans can find Cara’s personal photos. Cara seldom uses Twitter to post original content. Instead, virtually her whole Twitter feed consists of Instagram photos that she “pushed” to her Twitter. This makes her whole feed appear as links. This week, Cara went to popular music festival Coachella. She posted many pictures from the famous event, which she attended with her sister Poppy. Her most-liked picture on Instagram this week was a close up picture of Cara and her sister, with 306,000 likes. Coming in second was a very fun group picture of the people she went to the festival with. Many people commented saying how cute the picture was and that they wish they could go to Coachella with Cara and her friends. On Facebook, Cara hit 1 million likes. She posted a status thanking all of her fans, along with another picture from Coachella that was different than those she posted on Instagram. In addition, Cara once again saved her professional modeling pictures for Facebook, as opposed to posting these pictures to Twitter or Facebook.

The Mindy Project

The graphic inviting fans to tweet about the #MindyMixer.

The Mindy Project had a big guest star this week and they made sure to stress this on their social media accounts. Max Greenfield, who plays Schmidt on the popular show New Girl joined the cast for Tuesday’s episode. New Girl is virtually The Mindy Project’s sister show, as they air on the same network back to back and attract generally the same audience. Leading up to the episode, the show tweeted pictures of the two actors with the word “SCHMINDY” written across the bottom. This is a mix of the two character’s names, Schmidt and Mindy. The show also retweeted a few of Max Greenfield’s tweets about working with the cast and being on the show. This episode was special because show creator and star Mindy Kaling live tweeted the episode. The show’s Twitter account retweeted many of Kaling’s tweets as well. Because an actor from New Girl was joining The Mindy Project for the week, the show created #MindyMixer and used the hashtag both on Twitter and Facebook. They invited fans to live tweet along with the cast using the hashtag. The show posted an album of behind-the-scenes pictures of Max and Mindy on their Facebook page and posted one of the pictures to their Twitter account. Again, it seems that posts with other celebrities are very popular.

Pretty Little Liars

As I said last week, PLL is currently on hiatus until June. However, they are still very active on social media. Since they can no longer live tweet episodes or share previews and fan reactions to episodes, they need to be creative. The account has been retweeting fans that are expressing their excitement for the June premiere via Twitter. In addition, they retweet fans that tweet pictures of PLL related things, such as the infamous red coat and ubiquitous letter A. Aside from tweeting fans, the account has also been posting pictures of the actors. For example, two of the shows stars, Shay Mitchell and Ashley Benson, went to Coachella together and took lots of pictures. The Pretty Little Liars Twitter account shared some of their pictures together. On Facebook, the account posted a picture of star Troian Bellisario for their “Woman Crush Wednesday.” The Pretty Little Liars social media accounts shows that just because a show is not currently airing, it is possible to keep the conversation going and the show relevant via social media.

Scandal

The "visual party checklist." 

As Scandal is approaching its season 3 finale this week, the show’s social media runners are doing something interesting. The show has created a “visual party checklist” which is a graphic containing a picture of some of the main characters, a checklist of the things viewers will need for the finale, and the hashtag #SCANDALFINALE. The first five items on the checklist are things related to the show and what viewers will need to watch it. Items number 1 and 2 are popcorn and red wine, which are two snacks main character Olivia Pope is known for. The next three items on the checklist are a charged phone, phone on silent, and a defibrillator. The sixth item, which has its own section and is written in bigger font, is the most interesting. It reads, “Use #SCANDALFINALE, Break Twitter.” The show’s social media runners are already prepping viewers to tweet about the show by hyping up both the finale and the hashtag. This is a very useful PR tactic because it is guaranteed to create buzz and awareness about the show and its finale. The finale item on the checklist is interesting as well, because it is inviting viewers to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live after the show to view a segment on Scandal. Here, they are using this Scandal graphic to cross-promote another show on their network.

Social Media Tracking Week Three: Cross Posting and a Few Scandals

Demi Lovato

Demi’s social media use this week was extremely varied. She shared things ranging from videos of pranks pulled on the last night of her Neon Lights Tour, personal pictures, links to sponsored material, and personal thoughts and observations. On Demi’s Twitter and Instagram, she posts links to the websites of companies of which she is a spokesperson. For example, she is a spokesperson for Acuvue contacts and the Be Radiant line from Tampax. Therefore, she posts links to these websites, often relating the brands to her tour or her life. The sponsored content certainly gets less of a reaction from the public than her personal or career-related content does, but Demi knows the trick to getting the posts a decent amount of attention. To do so, she includes exclusive videos or contests in these posts, which draw people to check out the links, regardless of the sponsorship. This is much more effective than simply sharing links or material solely about the brands. Demi’s Twitter activity this week was especially interesting. There are alleged nude pictures of Demi circulating around the Internet. Though not explicitly stated as a response to these rumors, Demi posted a picture that many believe is related to the potential scandal. The picture is of her working out with boxing gloves. The caption is in Spanish, but is roughly translated to, “I am strong. I am a fighter. So do not underestimate me.”

The picture Demi shared that is a speculated response to her naked picture rumors.

Taylor Swift

Taylor's most-liked picture this week, taken in Las Vegas. 

Taylor Swift seems to live by the saying “less is more” when it comes to social media. Swift has not been known to excessively post content on her social media accounts. Instead, she posts the occasional photo or musing. This week, she mostly focused on Instagram pictures and cross-shared the pictures on her Facebook and Twitter. These pictures seem to get the most positive feedback on Facebook and Instagram. Less people retweet or favorite these pictures presumably because when shared to Twitter, Instagram pictures appear as links that users must click on to see. Once these links are clicked, the user is brought to a separate page to view the picture. The extra effort and steps may deter people from looking at these pictures. It may be better for Taylor to save the Instagram picture to her phone and then share it on Twitter as a Twitpic to make it more accessible to her followers. Taylor’s most-liked picture this week got over 655,000 likes on Facebook and over 708,000 likes on Instagram, compared to only about 8,500 retweets on Twitter.

Cara Delevingne

Cara's most popular Facebook picture this week.

Cara’s social media use is definitely centered around Instagram. This is most likely because Instagram is solely made for sharing pictures and videos, which makes it the ideal networking site for a model that wants to get their face out there and known to the public. Virtually every single one of Cara’s tweets this week was a link to an Instagram picture. These links on her Twitter seem to follow the pattern of Swift’s, meaning that Instagram pictures get much less attention on Twitter than on Facebook or Instagram itself. What sets Cara apart from Swift is that she does not post the same things on all of her social media accounts. In fact, her Instagram and Facebook pictures are almost entirely different. This is interesting because this means that people must follow her on both platforms to see everything there is to see. On Cara’s Instagram, she tends to post funny or artistic pictures, while saving the more professional pictures from photo-shoots and runways for Facebook. For example, Cara’s most-liked picture on Facebook this week was a page out of her spread in Vogue China. On the other hand, her most-like picture on Instagram was an artistic drawing of Cara as Snow White.  

Cara's most popular picture on Instagram this week.

The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project’s social media accounts were particularly active this week because the show returned from a two-month hiatus. Fans were left wondering what would happen between Mindy and her coworker after they finally kissed. The wait after this cliffhanger was extremely long and everyone, including the show’s social media runners, was excited for the show to return and to find out what happened after that long-awaited moment. In terms of sharing links to behind the scenes pictures, interviews with the cast, and articles about the show or its actors, the content on Facebook and Twitter is virtually the same. However, the most active account for the show is Twitter. This is because fans are invited to engage with the show’s account by mentioning them in tweets. The show’s account even prompts people to engage with them by asking followers to tweet their favorite moments or lines. They then retweet or respond to some of these tweets. In addition, the social media runners “live tweet” as the show airs, meaning they tweet about what is happening on the show as it happens. This does not occur on the show’s Facebook or Instagram pages. This means that fans that truly want access to the show should follow their Twitter account.

Pretty Little Liars

Exactly opposite of The Mindy Project’s situation is Pretty Little Liars. Instead of returning from hiatus, the show just ended its season and will not return until June. However, they did not let this deter their social media use, as they were very active this week. Because there are not yet promos or pictures released for the next season, the people behind the Pretty Little Liars Facebook and Twitter accounts have to rely on old material. To do so, they have been sharing pictures and videos of moments that have already happened in the show. In addition, they are sharing behind the scenes pictures. In addition, they often repost or share the cast’s personal pictures, interviews, and ad campaigns. It is challenging to run a show’s social media accounts when the show is not currently airing, but the Pretty Little Liars accounts are doing exceptionally well and are continuing to post content and engage followers.

Scandal
As Scandal is nearing its season finale, the show’s social media activity is more prominent than ever. As they usually do, the cast of Scandal live tweets the episode. The official Scandal account retweets the most prominent tweets from the cast. This is nice for people that watch the show live. However, it is a little annoying for people like myself, who often wait until the weekend to watch the episode. This is because these tweets often contain spoilers, meaning I, along with many others, have to avoid their social media accounts until I watch the episodes. On both their Facebook and Twitter accounts, Scandal has been posting screenshots from the episode, with a powerful quote from the show written on the picture. In addition, the show has been utilizing their pages to post trailers, sneak peeks, and promotional items for the cast. These items are the same on both of their social media pages. However, the cast retweets, live commentary, and fan engagement are limited to Twitter.

One of the screenshots posted to Twitter and Facebook.

Social Media Tracking Week Two: TV Show Suspense = Social Media Success

Demi Lovato

Demi's most-liked Instagram picture of her new piercings.

Demi Lovato is very active on social media. Throughout the week, she has posted Facebook statuses, tweets, and Instagram pictures. From my observations, it seems that Demi uses Facebook to promote business ventures such as upcoming interviews, shows, and appearances. For example, she posted a status about an online audio interview that was now available for listening. In addition, she shared several photos from her Neon Lights Tour, all of which received an overall positive response in the comment section. On Instagram, Demi’s popular post on Instagram was a video clip of her Clean and Clear commercial. This post reached 317 thousand likes. However her most-liked Instagram post was a picture of four new ear piercings, which got over 476 thousand likes. On the Twitter front, Demi tends to be much more personal and open. She often tweets random thoughts or funny stories. This week, the tweets that got the most attention were her personal musings rather than business-related posts like those on her Facebook. Her most popular tweet, which got almost 29,000 retweets and 31,000 favorites, reads “Always remember.. while you're procrastinating, there's always someone else killing the game.....” Her second most popular tweet was an ambiguous and cryptic personal tweet, simply saying, “Wish you were here” with heart emoticons. This tweet got many retweets and favorites, as well as responses from her followers speculating who this tweet was about.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift is definitely less active than Demi Lovato on social media, however she still has a distinct online presence. Like Demi, Taylor saves professional and business-related posts for Facebook. This includes posts about voting for award shows, her various endorsements with companies like Keds and Diet Coke, and deals about her online merchandise store. These posts seem as if they are written by her publicity team rather than being personal messages. However, Taylor often “pushes” her various social media posts to her other social media pages page, meaning that the posts appear on both social media outlets. For example, Taylor posted a picture that she painted on Instagram, and pushed it to both her Facebook and Twitter accounts. This means that fans and followers on all sites were able to see her picture. While she does this with most of her social media posts, there are some tweets that she leaves solely on Twitter. Like Demi, these tweets are more personal. This week, Taylor tweeted about her celebrity friend Lena Dunham, who is the star of HBO’s Girls, praising her interview on The Tonight Show. She did not push this to her other accounts, which I found interesting.

Taylor's tweet about friend Lena Dunham, which only appeared on her Twitter.

Cara Delevingne

Cara Delevingne’s social media activity differs from Demi Lovato’s and Taylor Swift’s because all of her accounts (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) significantly vary. While she does push some of her Instagram posts to her Twitter, Cara’s social media posts are typically unique to the outlet the posts originate from. This week, Cara took to Twitter to express her support for a charitable cause called drop4drop.org to promote World Water Day. These posts do not appear on any of her other social media accounts. These tweets did not get many retweets. Cara posted one picture to both Instagram and Facebook. It was a “Throwback Thursday” post of her first Burberry campaign. The post was very popular on her Instagram, getting over 245 thousand likes. However the same picture got only 14,000 plus likes on Facebook. I thought this was interesting because there was such a vast difference between the reactions on the different vessels. Contrarily, a picture Cara posted only on Facebook received over 60,000 likes, which is significantly more than the picture that was posted on both Facebook and Instagram. This leads me to believe that pushing a post to various social media accounts leads to less feedback on each social media outlet. This may be because people may have liked a post on Instagram and do not feel the need to like the same post on Facebook.

The Mindy Project

The Mindy Project has been on hiatus since February. The show returns on April 1^st and the people behind the social media accounts of the show have been heavily promoting it. On both Twitter and Facebook, the show’s accounts have been posting screen grabs of the upcoming episodes, often with the number of days until the premiere printed on the picture. In addition, the social media runners have been sharing and retweeting content from the show’s writer, producer, and star Mindy Kaling. The posts they share from Kaling are typically her promoting the return of the show. The thing that really stands out about The Mindy Project’s social media presence is that their accounts consistently interact with fans. For example, on Facebook, the account responds to individual fan’s posts, often with personalized messages. I myself have been retweeted and responded to from the show’s Twitter account. I think that this interaction with fans of the show keeps viewers invested in The Mindy Project and makes them feel personally connected with the program, which is a great public relations strategy.

Pretty Little Liars

PLL's success on social media during the finale.

The star of social media this week is without a doubt Pretty Little Liars. This week, the show’s much-anticipated season four finale aired. The episode was entitled “A is for Answers” and involved the show’s most mysterious and interesting character sitting down with the main girls and answering many of their questions. Fans have been waiting for these answers for years and the finale was very hyped up on social media, even before it aired. A few days before the show, the social media account runners started the hashtag #AliTellsAll in order to promote the finale. The Pretty Little Liars fans, known as the PLL Army, trended #AliTellsAll before the show even aired. During the finale, the show broke many social media records. After this episode, Pretty Little Liars is the most tweeted show of 2014 and the fourth most tweeted show in television history. This involved 1.5 million total tweets with 9.9 thousand tweets per minute, resulting in 82 trending topics. These are remarkably impressive stats. During the broadcast, the show flashes hashtags such as #IsEzraAlive and invites viewers to tweet it, which most likely contributed to the show’s social media success. More details about the season four finale’s success is available in the infographic below.

Scandal

While not as successful as Pretty Little Liars this week, Scandal also was very active on social media this week. Last week’s episode ended in a cliffhanger. The show ended with a gunman shooting towards a group of two men, leaving viewers unaware of which of the two men got shot. Both men were significant characters, which left viewers dying (no pun intended) to know the outcome. The show started the hashtag #WhoGotShot, which was promoted on social media accounts throughout the week. When the show airs on Thursday nights, the majority of the cast “live tweets” the episodes. The Scandal Twitter account retweets many of these tweets, allowing followers to see what the cast is saying about the episode without having to follow each individual actor. I think this is a good tactic, however these tweets often contain spoilers. As someone who does not often watch TV shows live as they air, it is kind of annoying to have to avoid social media in order to avoid finding out what happens on the show. 

Social Media Tracking Week One: An Introduction

I am very passionate about pop culture. I am always keeping up with celebrities, TV shows, movies, music, (and yes, I’ll admit it, the Kardashians.) In today’s day and age, a big part of “keeping up” with my passion entails closely following social media. I religiously follow my favorite celebrities on all forms of social media. In addition, as a self-professed TV addict, I also monitor the social media accounts associated with my favorite shows.

For Comm 471, which is a class about public relations writing methods, I am going to monitor the social media use of selected celebrities and television shows and note the public’s reactions. I will be looking for what works, what doesn’t work, which types of posts get the most feedback, who knows what they’re doing when they post, and who does not. I want to work in the public relations industry, more specifically entertainment PR, and social media has become an integral part of the field. I feel that monitoring and evaluating social media accounts of people I look up to will help me learn how to effectively manage social media from a public relations perspective.

I have chosen to follow six accounts for this project. Three of these accounts belong to celebrities; the other three are TV shows. The three celebrities I have chosen to follow are Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, and Cara Delevingne. The television shows I am tracking are The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, and Scandal.

For the first week, I have decided to give a brief introduction of each person and show, describing who/what they are and their current social media presence.

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato

Demi is a singer and actress who became popular by starring in the Disney Channel movie Camp Rock alongside the Jonas Brothers. Since then, Demi’s career has been a whirlwind. She came out with two successful pop/rock albums after Camp Rock and even starred on her own Disney Channel show called Sonny with a Chance. However, Demi checked into rehab in 2010 for a multitude of problems. When she got out a few months later, Demi was extremely vocal about her issues. She admitted to struggling with eating disorders, self-harm, and bipolar disorder. Instead of letting this end her career, she used it as inspiration. Since leaving treatment, Demi has put out two more successful albums, has been a host of the X Factor, and has inspired millions die-hard fans, known as “Lovatics,” to speak out about their own issues. Demi has accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. She is not afraid to speak her mind and share her opinions on social media, specifically on Twitter. She currently has over 21 million Twitter followers, over 31 million Facebook “likes,” and over 4 million Instagram followers.

Taylor Swift

Swift on her Red Tour.

Since starting her career in 2006, Taylor Swift has made herself a household name. The classy has arguably the most impressive and successful career of my generation. She started out singing country songs in dive bars in Nashville and now has sold-out, worldwide arena tours. She has put out four albums, all with resounding success. Her albums Taylor Swift and Speak Now each sold over 5,000,000 copies worldwide. Her most recent album, entitled Red, sold about 6,000,000 copies worldwide and Fearless, her most successful album, sold over 8,500,000 copies worldwide. She has won countless awards including American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Country Music Awards, and of course, infamous VMAs. Most impressive, Swift has won seven Grammys at the age of 24. She was even the youngest artist to every win “Album of the Year” for Fearless and was nominated again in 2014 for Red. Taylor is known for her girl-next-door charm and befriending both her fans and other celebrities. Taylor has accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. She has over 39 million followers on Twitter, over 56 million “likes” on Facebook, and over 8 million Instagram followers.

course,

Cara Delevingne

A few years ago, Cara Delevingne was unknown. However today, her face is ubiquitous. Cara used social media to gain popularity for her high-fashion, international modeling career. She is loved around the world not only for her modeling, but for her funny, relatable, and bold personality, which many times come through on social media. She is in virtually every show during Fashion Week, modeling for major designers such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Oscar de la Renta, Fendi, Jason Wu, and many more. She has done print ads for H&M, Chanel, and Burberry. This year, she walked in the famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In addition, she has been on the cover of many international magazines, including British Vogue. Cara is not afraid to push the envelope on social media, even going so far as to film a live video while walking down the catwalk during Fashion Week and posting it to Instagram. Like Demi and Taylor, Cara has Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts. She has over 1.5 million followers on Twitter, over 930,000 likes on Facebook, and over 4.6 million followers on Instagram.

Cara Delevingne

The Mindy Project

Lahiri and her hilarious coworkers.

The Mindy Project is created by actress and author Mindy Kaling, who is best known for her role as Kelly Kapoor on The Office. Kaling left The Office to create her own show, which turned out to be a great decision. Kaling writes and stars in the show. The program follows Mindy Lahiri, played by Kaling, a doctor who is successful in her professional life, but all over the place in her personal life. Lahiri is a pop culture-obsessed, witty, colorfully-dressed gem of a character whose antics are hilarious to follow. The show highlights her many dating woes as well as the lives of her hilarious coworkers. The Mindy Project has had many famous guest stars such as Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, James Franco, Ellie Kemper, and Allison Williams. The show was just recently renewed for a third season and is currently on hiatus until April 1. The Mindy Project has accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The show has over 49 thousand followers on Twitter, around 255,000 “likes” on Facebook, and over 5,000 followers on Instagram.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars is a smash-hit television show on ABC Family. The show is a mystery, but also incorporates aspects of a drama, comedy, and thriller. Pretty Little Liars follows four high school friends who are trying to solve their friend’s murder while simultaneously being stalked and harassed by an anonymous villain known as “A.” The show has been on for several years and has not stopped gaining popularity. The mix of action, suspense, and a great wardrobe has allowed the show to gain a cult-like following. The program keeps viewers watching by never fully revealing who the mysterious “A” is and leading viewers to wrong conclusions and dead-ends. The show is very prominent on Twitter and Facebook. The show has over 2 million followers on Twitter and over 12 million “likes” on Facebook. There is no official Instagram account for the show.

One of the many stylish looks of the Liars.

Scandal

The scandalous affair in action.

Scandal is an extremely popular show on ABC. The drama is centered around Olivia Pope, a “fixer” who has very close ties with the White House. In fact, she has an ongoing affair with the President, who is a married man. Each week, new problems and cases come up that need to be “fixed” by Olivia and her team of “Gladiators,” all of who come with their own drama. Aside from fixing the scandals of high-profile D.C. figures, Olivia has to deal with having an affair with the President, covering up a rigged election, having a terrorist as a mother and a secret CIA agent as a father, and unbelievably, much more. The show is high on drama and is very, ahem, scandalous. The show is very prominent on social media. The majority of the cast “live-tweets” as the episode airs, adding commentary and interacting with the fans, known as “gladiators.” The show has over 2 million “likes” on Facebook and 450,000 followers on Twitter. There is no official Instagram account for Scandal.

Things You Need to Know to be Successful in PR

            As much as I love Penn State’s College of Communications and public relations program, there are some things that you simply cannot learn in a classroom. My apologies to Comm 370 and Comm 473, but this summer at my internship I learned skills and tips that could never be conveyed through a PowerPoint or lecture. After four months of interning at Gloss PR, a Philadelphia-based public relations firm that works closely with the businesses of Rittenhouse Row, I realized that there are certain things you need to know and skills you need to have to be successful in the industry. As I sit and reflect on my amazing experience interning, I decided to formulate a cohesive list of my newly attained knowledge. Without further delay, here is my list of  “Things You Need to Know to be Successful in PR”:

1. It really isn’t a 9-5 job.

Carnegie building: Penn State's College of Communications headquarters

Kudos to professor Steve Manuel who, as anyone who has taken Comm 370 can attest to, drilled this into our heads. In class, I always brushed this off. However, within one week of interning, I learned just how true this was. The first event I worked called for a 12-hour day. I thought my boss would give me a day off to make up for this grueling Sunday, however there was still so much work to be done in the office. This would soon become normal. I often worked standard days and hours in the office during the week and then helped run events at night or on the weekends. Some of these events entailed very long hours. I realized that with public relations, a large part of your job does not take place in an office. Events and other promotions typically take place outside of normal office hours and you have to be prepared to accommodate your personal schedule. Even though the hours are demanding, I learned that the more you put into your job, the more you get out of it. 

2. Client relationships mean everything.

In the PR industry, if you do not have clients, you do not have a job. Therefore, the relationships you build with your clients are critical to your success. From months of observing, I learned that the best way to create strong relationships with clients is by balancing both professional and friendly aspects. In terms of the professional side of your client relationships, I learned the most effective way to keep them satisfied is to create a timeline of your course of action. So, if you want to have two events and three promotions within the next six months, it is best to set up a meeting and provide the client with copies of your plan of action and calendar and get their feedback. This provides an unofficial agreement of your responsibilities, keeps both you and the client on track, and is useful if there are any discrepancies regarding your services. While maintaining a professional relationship with your clients is of the utmost importance, it is also extremely beneficial to know your client on a more personal level. I’m not saying you and your client have to by having slumber parties and braiding each other’s hair, but you should establish that your client can talk to you as a friend. So crack some jokes in your meetings, compliment the manager’s new hairstyle, and turn on your charm. After all, people will be much more inclined to hire you and recommend you to others if they are a fan of both your work and your personality.

3. Being shy is not an option.

In the past, if my pizza delivery order were over two hours late, I would not have had the courage to call and ask about it. However after my internship, I would be on the phone faster than you could say “extra cheese.” Working at Gloss PR, I quickly learned that in the public relations field, you cannot be afraid to talk to people. I frequently had to make phone calls to clients, sponsors, and event guests to go over details, discuss payment options, and clarify information. It took a while, but I eventually got the hang of how to professionally convey my message on the phone and how to leave an effective voicemail. At first, I got nervous every time I had to make a phone call. But by the end of my internship, I had no hesitation when it came to communicating with clients. Phone calls are not the only form of communication you need to be comfortable with. Face-to-face encounters are even more important. I often had to go into stores and speak to managers about hanging event posters or giving out promotional items. I had to speak with confidence and professionalism. If I had allowed my shyness to take over and used a quiet voice while stammering, the managers probably would not have agreed to help us out. In a job that focuses so heavily on communication, it is simply not an option to be shy. Therefore, confidence is the best weapon a PR professional can have.

PR guru Samantha Jones certainly does not have an issue with being shy.

4. The key to success is to love what you do.

No matter how skilled you are or how much you know about your job, you will not be successful unless you love what you do. I can honestly say that I was excited to go into work everyday. I loved that no day was the same as the other and that I never knew what exciting new task or adventure laid before me. I also loved that I was gaining experience and knowledge of immeasurable value. Realizing that I love what I am going to be doing for the rest of my life was amazing. Judging by my bosses’ unfaltering affection for their jobs, I know that this passion for public relations will not fade. After months of interning, I have concluded that the number one key to a successful and happy career is being passionate about your work. 

This post originally appeared on The PRSSA Lawrence G. Foster Chapter blog.