Newbie. Novice. Greenie. Rookie. Call it what you will. If you’ve ever been new somewhere, and we all have, you know that it’s not easy. And it seems, to me anyway, that the older I get, the harder being The New Girl becomes. Maybe it’s because the older we are, the faster we feel we should acclimate to people and surroundings. Maybe the older I get, the more awkward I become. Yea, I’m going with Option B.

Anyway, a month ago, I started at Dittoe PR, and once again, I became The New Girl. If you aren’t familiar with Dittoe PR and what they do, the team specializes in media relations, and they’re damn good at it. In the months before I came, the Dittoe team had placed clients in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on Good Morning America. I’d only ever pitched local and regional media, so during my second week here, when I had to pitch New York and national media, I felt … nauseous.

But the thing about Dittoe is that the team here cares for one another and their clients, and we all want to see each other succeed. So, before I made my first call or sent my first email, I got a lesson in media relations that rivaled any I’d received in my collegiate (and post collegiate for that matter) experience. You see, Dittoe isn’t your run-of-the-mill PR agency; they are the best. And they know that pitching the media doesn’t mean pitching every media outlet. It’s about pitching the right outlets, giving them the right information, and developing mutually beneficial relationships. It’s what Dittoe does, and it’s what works.

Now in my second month here, I’m proud to say that I’m getting the hang of this whole thing. I’m no longer petrified of big name editors, and in fact, I’ve found myself even joking around with some. Best of all, I’m happy to say that I’m at a place that is fostering me into the best, most efficient PR person I can be (in record time). So, I think I’m over being The New Girl. Now, if I could only find the paperclips…

With so much devastation in the world this week - the earthquake in China, cyclone in Myanmar and tornadoes throughout the plains and southeast United States, you would think the "most popular" articles online today would be about rescue efforts and the relief the U.S. government is providing to these people in need, right?

Wrong.

What is today's most popular headline on Google News?  "Personalities: Idol's Archuletta, Vanessa Williams, Carrie Underwood" from the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Myanmar relief ranks second and U.S. presidential election is pulling up the rear at fourth most popular article.  Number three?  "Parents warned that pot increases depression risk in teens."  Hmm... groundbreaking.

What does this tell me?  More people would rather read about David Archuletta's overzealous stage dad than the thousands of people who are lost and may be dead in Chengdu.  Honestly, is it really any surprise most Americans can't show you where Afghanistan is on the world map?  We prefer to educate ourselves more on pop culture and celebrity gossip than on what really matters in this world. 

Choosing not to read or learn more about what's going on in other parts of the world doesn't make the "bad things" go away.  Choosing not to learn about each of the presidential hopefuls doesn't make for an educated vote come November. 

It's very disheartening as a public relations professional to see what makes the front page, online or in print, and actually gets read the most.  Especially when we work with so many innovative and diverse companies and individuals who are more newsworthy in our eyes than the dad of an American Idol contestant.  If anything, this "most popular" article only causes me to work harder to show journalists why my story idea will interest their readers.

Getting started with a new client always provokes a feeling of excitement, but it can also lead to some stress and anxiety. Familiarizing yourself with a client in an entirely different industry than what you’ve been exposed to in the past is always fun, interesting and a huge challenge. Nailing down a new client’s key messaging, target audience, correct verbiage, competitors, angles to pitch, etc., are all things that are developed and perfected over time.

While all of the steps to get to know a new client may seem overwhelming and incredibly time consuming, to everyone here at Dittoe, it’s just another day on the job. Spending the time to get quickly and thoroughly acquainted with a new client and their industry is just one of the great things we do at Dittoe Public Relations that sets us apart from the rest.

This week I had the pleasure of getting a new client in the field of geriatric care management—Indianapolis-based, My Health Care Manager. Dittoe PR is honored to be working with a company that is providing such a positive service for aging seniors and their families. I know from personal experience how difficult it can be as family members get older and face serious health and independence issues. I think we’ve all been there at one time or another.

With the number of Americans over age 65 expected to skyrocket from 35 million to 72 million by the year 2030, there is a HUGE need for geriatric care management services. My Health Care Manager helps adult caregivers sort through all the complexities of eldercare. Their recommendations and resources are tailored to the senior and their families’ particular situation and meant to achieve the best possible solution. 

Dittoe PR is proud to say that we’ve already lined up an interview for MHCM with one of the biggest news sources out there- the Wall Street Journal. It’s an exciting feeling to know that others can see the need and importance for this service, and the truth is, that need is only going to get bigger as time goes on. 

If you’re looking for unbiased professional guidance related to the health and independence of an aging loved one, please visit  www.myhealthcaremanager.com to find out how they can help.

10.       There is a one in five chance that it is Friday and someone may have brought in bagels for breakfast. 
 

9.         Bosso might get excited about something and kick around the empty water cooler jugs.

8.         Meghan Howard might wear something interesting.

7.         Taylor Strong might come back from the island of Yap in Micronesia.

6.         There might be an after lunch dance off.

5.         The Dittoe’s dog, Lily, might come in to visit and poop in Chris’s office.

4.         Jesus might call Chris and tell him to let us go home early for being such hard workers.

3.         Every editor that I pitch might return my email or call and decide to include my clients in their publications.

2.         Oprah might call to tell me that she wants to put all of my clients on her show.

1.         Oprah might call and ask me to be her best friend.

• Unathletic kids are less popular at school
• Teenagers drink to have fun
• Sleep and caffeine combat sleepiness
• Loneliness sucks

Really?  You're kidding!  To check out these studies, the findings and for a good laugh - visit MSNBC now.

Seeing your client on national TV – and knowing you worked to get them there – is a pretty neat feeling. I got to experience this last week when my client Bob Compton was on ABC’s Good Morning America talking about his documentary film Two Million Minutes.

It all started with Dittoe PR securing coverage for Bob in several national publications in the first few weeks of the month. USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, and TIME Magazine all covered Two Million Minutes – and discussed the implications of the issues raised by the film. We were already very excited to have such well-known media outlets spreading the word about the work Bob has been doing. Later in the day on which these stories all ran in print, we were contacted by Good Morning America, which is when the real excitement began.

Usually, securing such great coverage comes only after spending a great deal of time “behind the scenes” engaging members of the media in conversations about our clients. In PR, we have to mark our progress with “little victories” such as simply getting a writer to respond to an email pitch we send them or having someone ask us for more information on a topic. In this case, the print coverage we had already secured led TV stations to contact us about interviewing Bob.

I usually never watch TV in the morning before work – but last Wednesday morning, February 20^th, I turned on ABC as I was getting ready in the morning and watched for Bob’s segment to run. When I heard the anchor announce that “next up is Bob Compton, documentary filmmaker,” I rushed in front of the TV to see Bob and one of the students featured in Two Million Minutes broadcasted live across the nation.

Since the Good Morning America interview, we’ve received a flurry of interest from other media outlets – Bob has interviewed with FOX Business TV and NPR, and he’s scheduled to interview with Voice of America radio and C-SPAN next week. He has also screened portions of the film to Senators Obama and McCain, and he hopes to get in front of Senator Clinton as well.

With the amount of attention Two Million Minutes has received lately, it’s hard to predict the extent of media coverage we’ll be able to secure in the future. If it’s anything like what’s been generated in the past two weeks, it’s sure to be exciting!

My kind-hearted boss thought he would be nice to his staff and bring three colossal bags of mini candy bars to work. The rest of the staff thought that this was a very nice gesture, but for a person like me this is equal to giving a crack addict a bag a crack and a glass pipe.

Eight Twix bars later, I wake up from my sugar coma and tell my co-workers about my minor accomplishment. They were completely flabbergasted. They could not believe that I had managed to eat that many mini candy bars in such a short amount of time.

Really? This is not that big of a deal. Plenty of people can eat this many mini candy bars. After all, they are mini. These people are acting like I should be the next Kobayashi.

To prove my normalcy I looked at the serving size on one of the evil colossal bags of chocolate crack and read that a normal serving size is five candy bars. Ha! This means that I only ingested 1.6 times the normal serving.

Things are not always quite what they seem. This is a lesson that can be applied to all avenues of life, especially the world public relations. Journalists referred to as business reporters may seem like good contacts as you are pitching a new high tech client, but you may find out that they only really cover the coal mining business in eastern Kentucky. Suddenly, they do not fit the mold of a good contact anymore.

It takes a little bit of research, just like I had to research the caloric composition of my chocolate crack, to ensure that you are pitching the right people. Just because an editor’s name is Tracy Smith, you should never be so bold as to assume that Ms. is the correct prefix.

In this job, I am trying to spread the word about my clients and help them get exposure on a local, national and even international level. 

I am the little bird in reporters, writers, editors, producers and bloggers ears.  I'm informing them of something they don't know.  They might know about a technology, a company or an individual -- but the whole reason why I'm writing or calling them is to tell them something newsworthy.  It's up to them to decide if the story I'm telling is something they want to run with.  I'm just the messenger.

Spreading the word isn't as easy as it appears.  I try very hard to tell my clients' stories to the appropriate media contacts, but sometimes I, undoubtedly, reach the wrong person.  In the instances where I'm redirected, I'm extremely appreciative and apologetic.  By no means do I want to aggravate anyone in the media -- after all, it's my job to communicate with them every day.  Why would I ever intentionally jeopardize that relationship?

Ever heard the saying, "Don't hate the player, hate the game?"  I don't think I've said that since college, but it comes to mind today.  I am a player in the game of public relations.  I know it might sound corny, but it's true.  I work with CEOs, directors of marketing, company presidents and founders, lawyers and other PR professionals long before I ever involve the media, and once that communication begins there's no telling who I'm directed to.  To quote presidential hopeful, Senator Hillary Clinton, "It takes a village!"

Lately there seems to be a lot of buzz in various blogs and e-newsletters about PR professionals "spamming" editors and contacting media with incorrect information or inappropriate messages (i.e. Calling a journalist "Bob" when his name is "Rob" or pitching a sports writer on an entertainment story).  While I'm sure this happens frequently, I'd like to speak up for the PR pros who try their very hardest to avoid this stigma the media has placed on us.

Do I spam?  It seems this term gets thrown around quite a bit these days.  The definition of spam is the use of mailing lists to blanket groups or private e-mail boxes with unsolicited messages of a promotional nature. 

Do I use mailing lists?  No.  I also don't email to "lists" -- each contact gets a personalized email from me.  I do create media lists based off of research either I or someone else at Dittoe has recently done.  I also double check online to see if a reporter is still on a particular beat and if the contact has written something related to my story in the past.  I want to make sure I understand what he or she is looking for when it comes to content. 

Are my emails unsolicited?  This is what I struggle with.  Initially, no one asks to receive a pitch via email or telephone call from me.  So in that respect, my contact is unsolicited.  However, doesn't a journalist, blogger or producer who has provided an email address or phone number to the public automatically opt-in to be contacted?  Otherwise, how would they ever find out about new companies, products, services or rising business, sports, philanthropic and political figures?  After all, they can always "opt-out."

Our PR tactics at Dittoe are very simple but have proved to be extremely effective for our clients.  We don't want to anger anyone who could help us, and we definitely want to treat everyone with the same amount of respect we would want to receive.  If someone asks me to never email them again, I won't -- and I'll pass the word onto my colleagues as well.  

On behalf of all hardworking, honest public relations executives everywhere... I ask journalists and bloggers to hate the game, not the player.  Some of us are very genuine and don't deserve to be lumped into the category of "spammers" that we sometimes end up in.  PR people need journalists and journalists need us -- can't we all just get along?

This weekend I'm heading south to my alma mater, Hanover College, to participate in the Center for Business Preparation Colloquium.  The Center for Business Preparation is like a business school within the liberal arts college.  Students with any major can apply to be in the center and if selected, will gain hands-on business experience.  I wish it was available when I was in school!

My friends will be the first to tell you I'm slightly obsessed with Hanover.  I loved my four years there.  I got married on campus three years after graduation and this past fall was the first time I missed homecoming (but I did attend Coach Perry's last football game later in the season).  I feel incredibly lucky to have gone to such a great school. 

At the last colloquium I attended, a student asked me if I had any advice for him.  Even though I'm not at all wise, I do know what's important: "Write well," I told him.  If you are a poor writer, your job opportunities will be very limited.

With degrees from the Indiana University, Butler University, Notre Dame University and Hanover College, Dittoe PR is certainly comprised of a well-educated group of people.  More importantly, everyone here writes extremely well.  I am amazed at the amount of talent each account executive possesses.  Any company or individual looking for a quality PR firm to do business with will be amazed at the energy, education and talent this group has. 

On Sunday, approximately 45 Hanover students will hear five business problems and be randomly assigned one to discuss and provide a solution for in a presentation to the group.  Faculty and alumni will grade the students on how well they work with their group, the quality of their contribution and their overall participation. 

These students will one day be working in the real world and I hope they all succeed at what they do.  That’s why I’m going back to Hanover on Sunday.  Well, that and I could use a new coffee mug... maybe I can get one that says "alumni" this time.

In my spare time I instruct spinning classes at two local gyms. I do it mainly because I enjoy the workout and my participants’ good humor. As an instructor, you start to gather a following of dedicated individuals that come hell or high water will be at your class eager to work hard.  Some of these dedicated individuals are my co-workers (and on occaision my boss) here at Dittoe PR.

Seeing their smiling faces in the front row of my classes gives me the positive energy to motivate them to do their best for those 45 minutes. These girls are my cheerleaders. They inspire me just as much as I motivate them.

Last night, I instructed my third "Mount Everest Ride". This is a two hour ride that consists of two long and grueling climbs and other interval activities that build endurance and strength.

Even though some of the girls doubted that they could make it through an entire two hour ride, they eagerly signed up anyway. Lauren Littlefield came down with a horrible sinus infection so she couldn’t make it, but Meghan Howard’s upbeat personality helped set a cheerful tone for the class.

After 2 hours of great music, fatigued hamstrings, burning quadriceps, tired calves and aching glutes, we ended class with elated clapping and delirious cheering. The room was full of positive energy and feelings of pride and accomplishment. The participants smiled and took pride in what their bodies had just achieved. I smiled and took pride in my participants strength and willingness to overcome such a intense workout. 

Knowing that I am supported by my co-workers in everything that I accomplish is an awesome feeling. Whether I am looking for new press contacts, pitching the media for one of my clients, or instructing a room full of sweaty, spandex-wearing cyclists, I know that I have a team of hardworking, hard-playing young women who have got my back. We ain't no hollerback girls!

It's official.  I'm one of approximately 40 million Americans suffering from the sleep disorder Bruxism - commonly known as teeth grinding.  This weekend I received my mouth guard, which I now have to sleep with, and I'm already noticing a real difference when I wake up. 

So what is the main cause of my Bruxism?  In a word, STRESS.  I don't consider myself to be a "stressed out" person but apparently I have enough on my mind at night that I'm gradually wearing down my tooth enamel while I sleep.

Stress affects everyone differently and we each respond to it in our own way.  In a career as fast-paced and ever-changing as public relations, I encounter stress on a daily basis.   

The great thing about working at Dittoe PR is there's always something to be done so you don't spend hours and hours doing the same thing and stressing out over it.  We move from one client's needs to another's, one project to the next [oftentimes working as a team], ensuring we have complete control and an understanding of what's going on at all times.  Every client receives our undivided attention.  We work hard for all of them and have fun in the process.  Seriously, we have a lot of fun at work.

For the first time in my life, I am excited to go to work in the morning and feel a real sense of accomplishment when I leave at the end of the day.  The stress I endure at Dittoe keeps me going and makes me want to do more - it doesn't drag me down.

Honestly, a life without stress would be boring.  I'm thrilled to be a part of this team - even if it means I have to wear a mouth guard to bed.  I guess that's just the sacrifice I have to make to do what I do best (talk, write and promote) for the top PR firm in Indianapolis.

I say HOT!

This week has been quite exciting for my Indianapolis-based client, Vontoo! For those of you who aren’t familiar with the company, Vontoo is the world’s first provider of on-demand, permission-based, instant voice messaging.

As I am writing this blog post, the number one heiress herself, Paris Hilton, is sending her fans personal phone calls to promote her upcoming movie (all powered by Vontoo), The Hottie and the Nottie, which is scheduled to hit theatres on February 8! This marks a HUGE shift in the way movie marketers are promoting their movies – moving beyond the traditional online & TV advertisements – and into permission-based voice messaging.

Fans of Hilton, like you and me, can simply go to the movie’s Web site (www.thehottieandthenottie.com), insert their phone number (home or cell) and then begin receiving personal calls from the heiress and updates about The Hottie and the Nottie!

I’ve made sure that all of my Paris Hilton-loving friends have received the phone calls. They can thank me later.

ClickZ, a leading site dedicated to helping interactive marketers do their jobs better, has already reported on the personal phone calls from Hilton in a write-up yesterday titled “A Call from Paris: Hot or Not?” You can check it out at http://blog.clickz.com/080115-142945.html.

Go to The Hottie and the Nottie’s Web site NOW to start receiving the calls!

GO BLOGGING!

1. I traveled across the country successful promoting and representing my former employer and was able to spend time with co-workers I have come to miss.
2. I attended a copywriting workshop in Columbus, OH, where I learned a lot about effectively writing press releases, executing writing campaigns and writing in general and walked away with some great contacts.
3. I was nominated and accepted by the board of the Indy Chapter of the American Marketing Association to be the Vice President - Programming for 2007-2008.
4. I aided in the selection/application process for Hanover College's Center for Business Preparation by observing students work as a group to solve business problems.
5. I met Jerome "The Bus" Bettis and William "The Fridge" Perry while in Las Vegas.  Though it was only for a second, I'll never forget it!
6. I saw Dane Cook perform live at Conseco Fieldhouse - he's hilarious and if you haven't seen him yet, go get tickets now!
7. I saw the Colts beat the Chiefs at home, from the 18th row on the 50 yard line at the RCA dome.  AMAZING!
8. I took a job as an Account Executive with Dittoe Public Relations - my dream job!
9. Bought a house - bring on the mortgage!
10. I got married!  On June 9th I went from Lauren Williams to Lauren Littlefield at a beautiful outdoor ceremony on The Point at Hanover College in front of friends and family from all over the country.

All in all, a lot happened this year - not just to me but around the world.  I hope everyone else has a Top Ten of their own... full of memorable moments and much happiness! 

Happy New Year!