As a recent Bachelor of Public Relations graduate, I understand the importance of gathering resources to help guide and assist in all aspects of university and professional life. When I began my university degree, I remember how overwhelming it felt with all the newfound information. To help you out, Emilly and I assembled each of our top five public relations (PR) resources that you can add to your arsenal.
The CPRS is an international network of communicators—all dedicated to upholding the highest standards in practicing public relations and communications. The CPRS has a wide variety of members ranging from students to new practitioners (new grads like me), to senior-level PR and communication executives. The CPRS often have seminars and webinars, which are great networking opportunities. The best part is students can join for free!
With over 750 million members, LinkedIn provides a platform to connect with seasoned and new professionals from across the globe. It also acts as an online resume, as your profile highlights your career goals, aspirations, work, and volunteer experience. Building your network is critical to the success of your career, as you might land your next co-op or job through your connections.
- Spin Sucks Blog and podcast
Gini Dietrich is the author of the Spin Sucks blog, where she discusses PR, communications, marketing tips, and tricks for businesses, students, and practitioners. The Spin Sucks podcast is described as the “one-stop shop for modern communications” and is another fantastic resource for professionals. Episodes analyze how the lines of PR, marketing, and advertising content have blended—and how to navigate them. With short, bite-sized episodes (averaging about ten minutes), listening to this podcast is the perfect break-time treat.
Grammarly is a software that reviews spelling, sentence clarity, and grammar (shockingly). While there are paid versions of Grammarly, you can download a free version on your computer. It’s always useful to check your grammar through different software, as Grammarly might catch an error that another program missed. Although grammar-checking programs are useful, they’re not 100 per cent reliable. I encourage you to always double-check your work, as your knowledge and expertise trump automated tools.
Hootsuite is the world’s first social media management platform, with over 200 thousand users. This platform is utilized by leading brands worldwide. Hootsuite was beneficial for time management and organization during my co-ops when I produced daily social media content. This platform allows you to stay on top of trends, track the effectiveness of your content, and recommend specific times a post should be published to maximize effectiveness. If you land a co-op creating social media content or are a professional content creator, this platform may be useful to you.
This podcast is hosted by an experienced crisis management professional, Molly McPherson, who analyzes a wide range of PR crises happening in the news. I love that it is a great way to stay up-to-date on current global events while gaining critical insight into the job of a crisis management professional. Not only do you feel well-informed as a listener, but you also learn tips and tricks to deal with a PR crisis.
Loomly is a more affordable social media management option if Hootsuite is out of your price range. Although Hootsuite is always a good option, learning how to use more than one social media platform can add to your diverse portfolio and will be attractive to potential employers. While it lacks some items Hootsuite has to offer, it has many features that you can utilize and still feel like a social media pro.
PR News is a communications publication that helps public relations professionals stay informed on all things PR worldwide. The 75-year-old publication is excellent to read through on Monday mornings while drinking coffee and preparing for the day. Since it covers global topics, it is a great resource to supplement your local subscriptions like Symmetry. It was recommended by a professor on the first day of my PR degree and has continued to be an invaluable resource.
This one may be obvious, but it is important to always refer back to it. Long after you finish school, the Canadian Press Style books are a set of books you will reference countless times. In fact, it is a resource I used while writing this article. These books are the holy grail of resources for every PR toolbox.
Lastly, Pexels.com is a free photo website I’ve used many times throughout my degree, on co-ops, and even now when I write for the Symmetry publication. The photos are easy to download and add to websites, social media, and blog posts. A professor recommended it, and has never left my PR toolbox. There are many other websites out there, and although they are also great, I love this particular website for its organization, extensive database of photos, and quality. P.S. don’t forget to credit photographers where it is due.
We hope these ten resources have been helpful and will add to your PR toolbox as you grow your portfolio and skillset. Let us know in the comments what your favourite PR resource is for school and work.
By: Emma McCluskey, Alumni Contributor & Previous Symmetry Co-Editor-in-Chief, and Emily Brown, Symmetry’s Editor-in-Chief
