9:05 - 9:15 a.m. The Canvas: The State of PR and Your Role

The PR News team sets the stage for the day’s curriculum by sharing the latest trends and insights on the power of PR, the role of the PR practitioner and how you can be a leader in your organization.

• Where is PR going in the 21st century?
• Brand journalism and sponsored content: PR’s historic opportunity to lead the online marketing revolution
• How PR can boost its ROI and earn a coveted “seat at the table” for bet-the-business strategic decisions

9:15 - 10:30 a.m. Media Relations: Day to Day Tactics for Successfully Working with Reporters, Editors and Bloggers

• Key media relations principles, no matter who you are pitching (e.g., researching your targets, crafting the right pitch, developing relationships, becoming a trusted source)
• How to develop valuable long-term relationships with journalists
• How to think like a journalist to anticipate their needs
• What you need to know about pitching to bloggers
• Interactive pitch session with a working journalist and media relations expert panel

10:30 - 11:45 a.m. Measurement and Metrics: The Keys to Managing PR Success

Measurement has often been referred to as both the holy grail of PR and its Achilles’ heel. To prove the value of your PR successes you must deliver metrics that speak to your organization’s bottom line. This session will tackle the following essential measurement questions:

• How do you set measurable PR objectives that are aligned with corporate objectives?
• How do you monitor and measure your efforts?
• How do you report them back to management?
• What are the best KPIs and metrics to use to measure sentiment, tone and audience impact?
• What should you look for in social media dashboards and measurement tools to be sure you have the information you need?

11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Networking Break

12:00 - 1:15 p.m. Working Lunch: Managing a Crisis

• What are the hallmarks of a crisis in today’s connected society?
• How can you prevent or deter issues from escalating into a crisis?
• Cutting down cycle time: how to stay in touch with your online audience even as management is scrutinizing every word
• How to identify a crisis, how to evaluate emerging situations and what to do in the first 24 hours
• How to engage company employees as well as friends, fans and followers in the crisis communication effort
• Interactive exercise: Working tables will be handed a major online PR crisis and will have to work quickly as a group to brainstorm solutions that they will then present to the group

1:15 - 1:30 p.m.  Networking Break

1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Becoming a Much Better PR Writer

If you're a PR pro then you probably pride yourself on being a good writer. But being a good writer is not the same thing as being a great PR writer who knows how to edge out the competition and connect with journalists, bloggers and consumers across all channels, including social media. In this session you’ll learn:

• How to train your eyes and ears to “think like a journalist” and discover stories within your organization or client
• Storytelling essentials: how to include dramatic elements in your PR writing
• How to write for social media and the Web
• How to optimize your content to give it the edge in search rankings
• Know your audience: organizing and writing your copy to inform and persuade, whether you are writing a white paper, press release or blog post
• Revising, reviewing and editing: How to make sure your copy is as good as it can be
• How young PR pros can build better writing habits into their jobs and careers immediately
• Worksheets, tips and writing exercises: your opportunity to get started as a better writer

PLUS: A 15-minute primer on SEO essentials from search engine optimization expert Sally Falkow

3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Social Media: How to Build Brands, Find Followers and Attract Fans

• The content marketing revolution: how brands big and small use social media to reach millions
• Listening and engagement: the keys to social media
• Which tools are right for you? Recommendations on which dashboards and measurement tools will help you succeed
• Best practices and case studies: brand success on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and more
• Using social media and other online tools to enhance your media relations efforts
• Do’s and don’ts: A day in the life of social media PR pros

4:30 - 5:00 p.m. The Finish: Key Takeaways and Open Floor for Questions

After an information-packed day, this is your chance to ask any additional questions to our speakers and your peers, and to leave the course with dozens of takeaways you can use when you get back into the office.

Certificates will be presented to attendees.

5:00 - 5:30 p.m. Networking Reception