Last week, The PRIMA Group hosted its fourth annual Meet The Media panel series on campus. Meet The Media is an interactive student-led panel discussion about the relationship between public relations, journalism, and social media. Members of this years panel included professionals from Rochester Business Journal, WROC-TV8, WXXI, Dixon Schwabl, Rochester Regional Health, Seneca Park Zoo, Democrat & Chronicle, and WHEC-TV10. Here are the top 5 things students took away from Meet The Media 2018.
The world is at our fingertips as social media is ever changing.
As social media continues to evolve, we must grow with it. Social media is a great way to engage with people, find new audiences, and monitor your brand or company. Everything is instantaneous on social media, therefore, it gives you the ability to respond immediately, especially if incorrect information is spreading quickly. With social media becoming increasingly popular everyday, we shouldn’t forget the importance of face-to-face interaction. It’s crucial to go out and meet people. According to Adam Chodak, Evening Anchor and Managing Editor at WROC-TV8, “The best way to receive information is to be in the community and listen.”
Relationship building is one of the most important skill sets necessary to succeed.” - Sarah Hanson, Director of Marketing at Seneca Park Zoo
No matter your college major, it is paramount to form meaningful relationships and network with others. Julianna Monacelli, Director of Consumer Public Relations at Dixon Schwabl, said “The most important part of the job [Public Relations] is relationship building. Whether it’s your client, team, or the media, it has to be open and honest.” Be approachable, accessible, and authentic.
Do your research!
According to our panelists, you’d be surprised at how many people come in for an internship or job interview and don’t know exactly what the organization does. Preparing for an interview goes far beyond bringing your resume and perfecting your elevator speech. Make sure you know the organizations mission statement, their past work, the future of the company, and more. Be prepared to ask questions to show that you’ve done your research. Lack of research is a waste of time.
Intern! Intern! Intern!
Internships are a necessity for all majors. Start off on the right foot; introduce yourself and shake everyones hand. Be proactive! If you want to make the most out of your internship, be passionate and eager to learn every aspect of the field. If you want to learn the ropes of a different department, all you have to do is ask! Lastly, having a bright personality will make you stand out from the crowd and be remembered in the future.
Last question: “As students, how can we develop relationships with the media while we’re in school?”
Sarah Taddeo, Reporter at D&C immediately responded with, “What you’re doing right now” We’re [students] listening to Rochester media professionals through these PRIMA sponsored events. “... ask us out to coffee, we want to help you”, as Taddeo stresses the importance of networking. Ending the panel series with a great piece of advice, Maureen McGuire, Anchor at WROC-TV8 told us to “Go out and have a really good, interesting life.” Sometimes we forget that although our class work is extremely important, it’s more important to be a good person and be happy.
Thank you to the all the panelists and students that joined us for Meet The Media 2018! Stay tuned for more PRIMA events!