PRSA Radiance Award Deadline Approaching

Have a great PR campaign that was strategic and successful? Consider entering in the PRSA Radiance Awards 2015!

Save $20 per entry by submitting your Radiance Awards entries by May 1. Take this opportunity to showcase your talents and demonstrate your value to your executives and clients.

Apply for a Radiance Award by Friday, May 1.

The applications are easy. Just complete a 2-page summary for a campaign award or a 1-page summary for a tactic/product award. Then gather your supportive materials and submit everything electronically. Forget about postage. You can even pay for your entries online. The final deadline for entries is May 15.

View the full details in the Call for Entries.

Winners will be announced at the awards gala at the Sunshine District Conference in Orlando. Entries submitted by Friday are only $50 for members and $75 for non-members.

May Guest Speaker- Teresa Morgenstern

As the Director of Communications and Public Information Officer for Florida SouthWestern State College, Teresa brings more than 20 years of public relations and marketing experience. Teresa earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with specialties in sports and

feature writing from Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. before moving to Naples in 1990. She has worked as a local reporter for the Naples Daily News and Bonita Banner, and then as a public relations expert for a local advertising agency and a large corporation. In 2000 she launched WordPlay, Inc., a full-service public relations and marketing company. In 2010 she joined FSW.

Over the years, she has been involved with several non-profit and civic organizations. She is a founding member and served as the 2006 president of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)/Gulf Coast Chapter. In 2010-2011 and 2012-2013, she was honored

 by the Student Government Association (SGA) at Florida SouthWestern State College with the “Above and Beyond” award.

She also served as the public relations director for the Taste of Collier for 10 years, and was selected by Gulfshore Business magazine as a Top 40 Under 40 business

 professional. She has won multiple Image Awards from the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) for excellence in public relations, in addition to five Telly Awards for excellence in short videos and television commercials. She graduated from Leadership Collier in 2010 and Leadership Lee in 2014. Since 2011, she has served as the chair of the editorial board of Business Currents magazine, the monthly publication of the

Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, and twice has been named “Contributor of the Year.” Also in 2014, she was named a finalist for the APEX Award by the Women in Business of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. She presented at the Association of Florida Colleges fall convention, representing FSW as the 2014 Exemplary Practice Award winner for the college’s name change/branding and marketing campaign.

2015 FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter Image Award Winners

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER OF THE FLORIDA PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION


Division A - Public Relations Programs

A-3 Institutional

IMAGE AWARD

Tiffany Whitaker

Samantha Scott, APR

Entry: Rise Up – The Pushing the Envelope Internship Program


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Florida SouthWestern State College

Studio FSW

Entry: The ABC’s of ESC to FSW


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Jessica Boles

The Rapid Launch of DeSoto Psychiatric Services

A-4 Public Information


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Priority Marketing

Conservancy of Southwest Florida

Entry: Conservancy of Southwest Florida Pelican Injury Prevention Campaign



A-6 Internal

GRAND ALL IMAGE AWARD

IMAGE AWARD

JUDGES’ AWARD

Carla Ulakovic

East County Water Control District

East County Water Control District’s Internal Health and Wellness Program


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

LCEC Public Relations

HUB Project Team

Entry: Creating a HUB for employee morale


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

CONRIC PR & Marketing

Entry: Lee County Bar Association

A-7 Promotional/Marketing


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Samantha Scott, APR

Lisa Davanzo

Entry: The Grand Opening of Six Bends



A-9 Special Events

IMAGE AWARD

Priority Marketing

Salvation Army

Entry: Salvation Army – The Call Week


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Samantha Scott, APR

Lisa Davanzo

Entry: Six Bends Grand Opening Week

Division B - Printed Tools of Public Relations



B-6 News Release

GRAND IMAGE AWARD

IMAGE AWARD

CONRIC PR & Marketing

Entry: Ford’s Garage

Division C - Audio/Visual/Online Tools of Public Relations



C-2 Online Audience Engagement

GRAND IMAGE AWARD

IMAGE AWARD

Tiffany Whitaker

Diana Leadley

Entry: Best Catch


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida - Communications &

Development Department

Entry: Goodwill Celebrates 10,000 Likes



C-5 Video – Internal 

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Lee B.I.A. Builders Care

Lennar

Bill Rogers Productions

Entry: Lee B.I.A. Builders Care & Lennar Focused Acts of Caring Program Video



C-9 Video – Promotional/Marketing

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

CONRIC PR & Marketing

Entry: Spada Salon & Day Spa



C-11 Website

IMAGE AWARD

The Lee County Port Authority Public Affairs Team

Entry: Southwest Florida International Airport Website Redesign


AWARD OF DISTINCTION

CONRIC PR & Marketing

Entry: United Way Website

Division D - Student Projects in Public Relations



D-5 Public Relations Campaign

GRAND IMAGE AWARD

IMAGE AWARD

JUDGES’ AWARD

FGCU FPRA Student Chapter Board of Directors

Entry: FGCU FPRA Internship Fair 2014

Social Media and Journalists

As PR professionals, we know how important it is to correctly pitch stories and communicate with journalists. We know most journalists prefer an email over a phone call, but how do journalists feel about communication on social media? Is it okay to pitch stories via their Facebook page? Is engaging with them socially on Instagram or Twitter appropriate? PR Daily posted a great article exploring “The Dos and Don’ts of social media pitching” that answers these questions and more. The article gives further detailed responses and the reasoning behind the answers, but below is a brief synopsis of the top social media sites and best communication practices on each:

·      Twitter

o   Okay to socialize with journalists?

§  Yes.

o   Okay to pitch stories to journalists?

§   If you must.

·      Google+

o   Okay to socialize with journalists?

§  Yes.

o   Okay to pitch stories to journalists?

§  Probably not.  

·      LinkedIn

o   Okay to socialize with journalists?

§  Yes.

o   Okay to pitch stories to journalists?

§   Yes.  

·      Blogs/Tumblr

o   Okay to socialize with journalists?

§  Sure.

o   Okay to pitch stories to journalists?

§   No.

·      Facebook

o   Okay to socialize with journalists?

§  No, unless you are personal friends.

o   Okay to pitch stories to journalists?

§  No.

·      Instagram

o   Okay to socialize with journalists?

§  Sure.

o   Okay to pitch stories to journalists?

§   Nope.

            Communicating with journalists is a must in the PR profession, but knowing how to communicate appropriately is key to successful relationships among PR professionals and journalists. As previously mentioned, the article is far more detailed and is definitely worth the read.

http://prdaily.com/socialmedia/Articles/18372.aspx