Thinking.
Paris hasn't changed, New York hasn't changed, London hasn't changed. These cities are as beautiful, romantic and fast-paced as they were one, two or five years ago. But the world has changed. And how we are looking at the world as changed because of the internet. It has given us a digital park bench and we all are allowed to share with the rest of the world everything that we experience and capture on camera for example. I often hear myself and other people as a matter of fact saying "I just love people watching." Well, now you can watch people all over the world. Just go onto blogs such as the Sartorialist for example and you can look at people in Paris, Milano, Los Angeles and Toronto. But then it is up to you of course whether you prefer this or not. Maybe you are like me. Someone who just loves to sit on that park bench with a coffee on that early fall day in October and watch the people in the park. Real life I mean. The whole world is open to you now and it is up to you what you are willing to make of it.
Inspire people to do things that inspire them.
So, I have been bad at giving you updates and fun blog-posts recently /..once again. Working everyday is now a part of my every day-life as a PR girl and sometimes I can't even tell you if it is Tuesday or Friday. But after all, when you have a huge dream, it's important to work hard and set mile-markers for yourself. Even though I am working everyday I see the end date as a mile-mark and this job as something new and chic to put on my resume. Even though I enjoy to work in this position, it is not my dream-job or big goal. But little goals that you can achieve in the short term are important - so that when you do, it gives you that much more of a drive to keep going and try and accomplish your next goal (whatever that may be)...all because you kept yourself interested, determined and confident. Each small "win" will only help push you to that fabulous achievement of all - taking the world and making it into exactly what you want it to be.
Beautiful.
Pitch the perfect pitch..
When leaving my previous internships, I couldn't have been more happy with everything that I learned. Except one little detail. Well, honestly it is not that small of a detail. I am talking about pitching and whether we like it or not, pitching is an important part of being a writer and working in the PR industry. I was used to write the actual pitch but when it came to pitching it, aka sending this over to the big ppl (eg the editors) I have to admit that I had no clue of what I was doing so I handed it over to the Account Executives. And while attending a writing class in Los Angeles which taught me a lot about travel writing, getting into the magazine industry and journalism vs PR, I was still looking like a question mark at the end of the seminar when the professor once again went through the principles of pitching to editors. Therefore, the other day, I was doing some research of do's and don'ts when it comes to pitching. Even though it can be tedious and stressful at times, media relations can be rewarding and a great opportunity to stand out among colleagues. Therefore I am gonna share with you the tips I found at nycprgirls this morning! Read and take notes.
- Avoid mail merge at all costs. Even if you’re sending the same email to every one of your media contacts, it’s easy to tell when you’ve sent one giant merge.
- Personalize your pitch as much as possible. This may be a given, but any indication that you’ve actually read what they wrote sets the stage for a response.
- Use read receipts. Some find them annoying, but I can’t stress how vital they’ve become to my pitching strategy, especially when sending event invites. If the editor/reporter deletes without reading, you give them a call or send to another appropriate contact at that outlet.
- Get them on the phone. Even if you have to make continuous calls throughout the day, if this media contact is a fit for your pitch, talk to them live. You can easily win them over in a conversation as opposed to email.
- Don’t take no for an answer. If you receive a response from a media contact declining your pitch, kindly ask if there’s another contact at their outlet that would be more applicable. The worst that could happen is not receiving a response back, but at least you asked!
Monday Meeting.
It's bizarre not to have the time available in the day to keep up with my favorite hobby - writing (...on my blog) Luckily I work for a company that allows me to bullet point - in writing articles together with my other working tasks. It's easier to be good a something that you truly love, am I right? (Pst, look at my Spanish calendar...I'm making progress!)
H2O..OHH!
Living in Barcelona I am used to hot HOT weather and as I love to go out running, I am also addicted to water - a lot of water! We all know that you are supposed to drink a lot of water everyday. Drinking 8-12 glasses of aqua daily has countless health benefits. For example, water hydrates your skin making you look younger and it assists in weight loss.
Of course you deserve some frizzy drinks and cocktails in the summertime, but try to drink a lot of water in between.
I read some tips from Lauren Conrad on how to jazz up your H2O
- Fruit – Slice it up and toss it in. Try different fruits or even different combinations of fruit. Some popular ones are cucumbers, lemons, limes, oranges, strawberries, raspberries… and the list goes on.
- Mint – Try adding a few mint leaves to your water. It will give it a refreshing twist.
- Ice – Fill an ice tray with your favorite all natural fruit juice and put it in the freezer. When the cubes have frozen try adding a couple to your water for a hint of flavor.
The world is yours. Go get it!
Writing, big cities, making to-do-lists, travel, socializing an meeting new people, knowledgeable meetings, photographs. These are just a few of the things that I love about my career. After an interview today, I was asked: Where do you see yourself in your future career? Well, I answered (and I believe the lady could hear me smiling over the phone..) "In the magazine industry of course!" However, I can not help of being happy over where this dreaming-of-becoming-a-writer- motivation has lead me today. When driving down Sunset Boulevard in LA with my favorite songs streaming from the radio, helping important stylists and talking to editors in NYC. While walking down the beautiful streets of Diagonal in Barcelona or London, finally having my weekly column, traveling between airports and discovering new cities I know that I did what I could to make it happen for myself. Hopefully, in one-two years from now I am gonna think the same when glancing up at the skyscrapers in NYC with a Starbucks coffee in one hand and a notebook under my arm. Never stop following your dreams.
Ups and downs of working in PR
The best feelings:
✓ Landing the perfect internship you have been dying for
✓ Hearing back from a media contact that's been ignoring your emails
✓ Working late hours, knowing that you are one step away from a promotion
✓ Being invited to fun events and sample sales
✓ Seeing your story appear in your favorite magazine
✓ Having your boss or manager hugging you, saying you're doing a great job!
✓ Creating relationships with target editors, knowing that they are happy to work with you
✓ Getting an email back from your client that says "WOW!"
The worst feeling:
✓ Hitting the send button on a pitch email too fast (ahhh, I hate that!)
✓ Hanging up the phone after an awkward call
✓ Shipping away an important/urgent package to the wrong address (nothing worse!)
✓ When your friends at work think you are starting to become "bossy"
I love this picture.
So True.
Cropped.
You meet a lot of interesting people..
..however, a few fascinates you more than others and even do succeed to motivate you..
A few years ago (wow, time really flies!) while living on the east coast, I met an author over a coffee in Gramercy Park in New York. She was the author of the website and book called Getting from College to Career and knew Carolyn Kepcher, whom I worked for. Already back then, I was dreaming of becoming a writer and after telling her about my dreams and writing ideas she recommended me to meet up with a New Jersey girl who shared the same kind of dreams as I did. At the time, she was working as an intern at Seventeen magazine and told me everything about it over some cosmopolitans at Bryant Park. After that, she invited me to plenty of events in the city and we attended meetings such as New York Women in Communications together etc. By now, you probably wonder where I am going with all of this. Well, today (two-three years later), that same girl is the founder of three big non-profit organizations, works as a columnist for the famous US publication Huffington Post and manage her own website. Let me just say - WOW! After viewing her website, I was so impressed! I have another friend like this, who I worked with in Los Angeles. After our internship, she founded her own website with tips for students who are looking to start their first internship in the fashion industry. There is just one thing to say: Girls, we rock!
What is Paris H doing in Barcelona?
Yesterday I agreed to go out with some friends to a club. Recently, I have had no interest in that whatsoever and while going out it was like LA all over again! Paparazzis everywhere and Paris Hilton passing me by while walking in to the club. Not that I have anything against Paris Hilton but in my opinion, I think that her appearance at the clubs here is not Barcelona's style if you know what I mean. I say, be unique and keep it up in style BCN!
Fashion Update
You can read the rest of this week's Fashion Friday here: http://ht.ly/5am1I
Unzipped.
Vogue and Coffee
Dress for Success..
Oscar De La Renta's PR girl. Can I have her outfit please?!
✓Interview ✓Today's Article
You can read the whole interview here (however, it's in Swedish..): http://ht.ly/58jUO
Beach Wear!
Today has been one of those busy days. I had show up for work this morning to do some basic stuff and then I went out in Barcelona to shoot some photos for this week's fashion column. Hey, hey beach clothes and accessories! (Perfect for June...not so much for my economy) However the weather in Barcelona could be a little bit better - shape up please?! Anyways, my best friend here in Barcelona agreed to pose as a model. The pictures turned out great! Gonna work on the background in photoshop but here is a preview. Destination: El Born.
