Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you've been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

With elections approaching, I've seen a lot of polls in the news recently. How do we know if the polls are accurate or biased?

Puzzled by Polls

*********

Dear Puzzled by Polls,

Three ProfNet experts provide some insight:

What You Need to Understand About Polls

"Creating and fielding a poll is not something that just anyone can do at the drop of a hat," says Jason Reineke, associate director of the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) Poll, which is a statewide, biannual poll of Tennesseans; as well as the university's assistant professor of journalism.

"It is both an art and a science, and the people who do it well usually have extensive training and expertise," continues Reineke. "Like a journalist, lawyer or medical doctor, being a pollster is a profession."

Polls are snapshots in time and not predictive tools, explains David Schultz, law and graduate school professor at Hamline University's School of Law, and editor of the Journal of Public Affairs Education. For example, polls conducted today about the presidential elections are not necessarily indicative of what will happen in November.

"A common problem with political polls is that they are often fielded by one party to support its agenda," adds Bob Clark, president of 24K Marketing.

Some polls are better than others, but the value of a poll can be better determined by the goals that it was designed to address, rather than one-size-fits-all rules, says Reineke. "Nonetheless, there are some standards that can be applied across most polls."

Transparency

Pollsters should freely and honestly report information about the poll's funding, affiliation, methodology, data and analysis, explains Reineke.

"If the source of a poll can't or won't tell you how they sampled respondents, how they interviewed them, what the questions and response options were, what the response rate was, or other details about the poll, then the results should be taken with a commensurate grain of salt," he advises.

Also, be skeptical of a poll if it was designed and conducted by someone without recognized credentials, experience and reputation, says Reineke. Just you'd be skeptical about a doctor without a degree or a journalist without any bylines.

Reineke suggests checking out the website of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). "If a pollster is not a member of AAPOR, or is dismissive of the organization -- or worse yet has never heard it of -- that should be cause for concern."

Poll Questions

One indicator of bias in surveys are leading questions, says Clark. For example: Are you better off now under the Obama administration than you were four years ago?

This question is biased because it ties Obama to the issue, says Clark.

"A poll is only as good as the questions asked," agrees Reineke. Questions should not encourage or discourage respondents to provide a particular response over others, and should only ask about one thing at a time.

Conversely, answers to questions should not include biased or politically charged words, says Clark. For example, phrases like "tax breaks for the rich" (instead of "tax reduction/reform"), "Obamacare" (rather than "healthcare reform") and "War on Terrorism" (instead of "War in Afghanistan") are all political labels with divisive meanings.

"Answers to questions that include these terms are more likely to be used by one party to validate their agendas," Clark explains. Thus, this is not a projectable measurement of public sentiment on issues.

Reineke also suggests considering these three guidelines regarding poll answers:

• Response options should be exhaustive, meaning that any possible response is represented by a response option.
• Response options should be mutually exclusive, meaning that participants will need one and only one response to indicate their answer.
• Pollsters, and consumers of their results, should also pay attention to potential order effects, meaning the ways in which a previous question, or a participant's response to it, might affect interpretation or response to following questions.

Population Sampling

"Polls work by contacting a sample of the population of interest," says Reineke. That sample should be representative, meaning it should have the same proportion of all important characteristics as the population.

Representative samples are often achieved through random sampling, which means every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected, he says. "Pollsters should be prepared to explain how their sampling is random if they claim it is so."

"In cases where sampling is not random, pollsters should be able to explain how their sample is representative of the population, and provide appropriate cautions about the extension of results to groups who were not adequately represented in the sample," continues Reineke.

Population Size

"The size required for a random sample to be representative of the population in question is dependent on the size of the population," says Reineke. "The larger the sample, the smaller the margin of error."

In the simplest terms, "margin of error" is a statistic that shows how well the selected sample predicts things about the entire population.

Look at margins of errors when evaluating polls, suggests Schultz. "I would say any poll with margins of errors greater than +/- 4 are meaningless, since that means the results could be off by as much as eight points."

Interestingly, there is not much difference between the margin of error for a sample of 5,000 Americans vs. a sample of a million Americans, says Reineke. However, there is a significant difference in margin of error for a sample of 500 Americans vs. 2,500 Americans.

Statistical formulas aside, as a rule of thumb, you should look for a sample between 500 or 1,000 for state polls; and 1,000 or 2,000 for national polls, says Reineke.

"For presidential polls, I am suspect of any poll with survey samples of much less than 1,000 people," agrees Schultz. "They probably need about 1,200 to 1,500 people to be accurate, especially if one wants to tap into swing voters or the views of particular subgroups."

Also, ignore any poll that does not have a confidence level of at least 95 percent, says Schultz. Some polls have confidence levels of only 90 percent, which means they are only 90 percent confident that responses were within their margin of error. In other words, 10 percent of the time they are not sure if sample answers were indicative of the true population (not good).

Furthermore, polls are only as good as the underlying assumptions that go into them, continues Schultz. For example, a poll that lists 50 percent of those who responded as Democrats is skewed in terms of over-representing Democrats.

That's why samples are sometimes weighted to better represent the population of interest, says Reineke. For example, if African-American males ages 18-35 are 1 percent of the sample, but 2 percent of the population, a pollster might mathematically adjust the sample so that responses of individuals in that demographic actually count as two responses each, thus better reflecting the population.

Regardless, pollsters should report their sample size and their margin of error, and provide information about how they sampled so that others can evaluate their claims and methods, Reineke stresses.

Gracie

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

image via Flickr user oatsy40

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you've been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I need help designing my Twitter profile. I'm trying to increase my number of followers and am wondering how important the design of the profile itself matters. What should my bio say? What should the background look like (pattern vs. solid color)? What about my profile picture? How do I stand out without overdoing it? Any do's or don'ts?

Profile Planner

*********

Dear Profile Planner,

Five ProfNet experts share their experience:

Bio: The Chance to Stand Out

"The bio for an individual should be 'pro-fersonal,'" says Kelly Lux, the online communication and relationship manager for the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. "Basically a mix of professional and personal."

"People generally want to know what you do for a living or where you go to school, and what you're passionate about," Lux continues. "Strike an air of business acumen and friendliness, especially if you are job-searching."

"Try to say as much about yourself with as few words as possible," says Michael P. Grace, founder of Virallock, a social media monitoring and management service. "Be witty and creative without being corny or cliché. This is your chance to stand out."

Maybe include some fun facts, suggests David Johnson, CEO of Strategic Vision. "We had a technology firm and one of the many things they included in their bio was that nobody who worked there was taller than 5'5". People actually mentioned seeing that when they contacted the company."

"If your bio says something to the effect of 'father, coffee lover and social media addict,’ that doesn't really set you apart from the crowd," says Lux. Stay away from words like guru, ninja, rockstar, etc.

"Browse around and see how others describe themselves," advises Grace. "Don't copy others, but pay attention to users who have had a Twitter account for a longer timeframe."

Hashtags, Handles, Links

"Use hashtags in your bio so people with similar interests can find you," says Lux.

Jonathan Rick, digital and social media director at Levick Strategic Communications, says that if you want to be publicly associated with your employer, don't write: Director at Levick Strategic Communications. Instead, write: Director at @Levick.

And if multiple people manage a company account, call them out either by their full handles or their initials, says Rick. For example:

• @Poynter's bio lists handles: School for journalism & democracy, with tweets by @juliemmoos, @myersnews, @mallarytenore, @jeffsonderman, @abeaujon
• @AmericanExpress' bio lists initials: Follow Amex's Mona Hamouly (MLH), Matt Burton (MB) & Amy Tokarski (AT) for insider news, offers & more. Chk out our Favorites page to turn Tweets into savings!

Also, definitely include a link -- not in your bio -- but as part of your profile, says Lux. "Many people link to their personal website or blog, or LinkedIn profile." The link allows people to find out more about you than they can from the 160 characters allowed in the Twitter bio.

Adding links helps describe and reinforce who you are, and drives traffic between all of your social media vehicles, agrees Grace.

Expert/Company Bios of the People Quoted in This Article:

Here is the text from the Twitter bios of the experts (or their companies) included in this article (links not included):

• @Levick: Levick Strategic Communications is the world's leading crisis communications firm. We are unparalleled in building brand equity and protecting reputations.
• @KellyLux: #CMGR & SM Strategist @iSchoolSU / Borg Queen of #NEXIS / Co-founder #CMGRchat / Opinionated Wine Connoisseur and +1 Dog Lover / Instagram Fanatic
• @Virallock: Virallock evaluates, optimizes and monitors social media profiles to help students and young professionals avoid negative perceptions to their personal brand.
• @StratCommun: Communication consultant. Marketer. Social media explorer. HR/management coach. Teacher. Golfer. Reader.
• @DavidJohnsonSV: CEO of Strategic Vision | PR Professional | Republican consultant | Facebook: DavidJohnsonSV

Profile Picture: Say Cheese!

The profile picture is probably the most important component of your Twitter presence, says Lux. Your profile picture should be YOU -- not a cartoon avatar; not a picture of your dog or the San Francisco skyline; and not a picture of you with your kids, spouse, pet, etc.

"You need to appear approachable, which, in this sense, means: smiling," says Lux. The picture should be distinctive enough that people recognize it as they scroll by it in the stream.

"You want your Twitter avatar to reflect you as you write about yourself in the bio," adds Lux. For example, unless you are a business consultant, stay away from the suit-and-tie look.

Johnson once worked with a romance author who wanted to be known as the "Queen of Naughty and Nice." "She wanted to use a professional headshot from her Wall Street days, but we told her that her photo needed to convey the image she wanted branded in her book," he says. "So we added a more racy photo."

The picture should also remain fairly stable, says Lux. Don't change it as often as your Facebook profile picture, but do change it often enough that the picture still actually looks like you (i.e., more than once every decade!).

Linda Pophal, CEO of Strategic Communications, notes that if a Twitter account is for an organization, rather than a person, then the company logo works well as the profile picture. For example: @ProfNet

Wallpaper: Keep It Simple

Trying to establish a perfect Twitter background shouldn't be the main focus of designing your profile, says Grace.

"I don't believe the Twitter background is all that important; I've never made a decision on who to follow or not follow based on their Twitter background," agrees Lux.

"That being said, you don't want to make it look like you're selling too hard!" she continues. "If your Twitter background is a bunch of pictures of you, your latest book, your Facebook page, etc. -- you're trying too hard."

"Use a consistent pattern that is not distracting," says Grace. "Twitter provides a handful of design options that are decent, but feel free to explore colors, patterns and textures that may create a more pleasing aesthetic to viewers."

Make sure that your wallpaper is consistent with all aspects of branding, like color schemes, adds Johnson.

Rick lists four approaches to wallpaper designs:

• The Visual Way: employs big pictures that immediately communicate the brand, a la @Disney, @Staples or @WWF
• The Logo Way: uses the company logo as the background, a la @Ford or @LinkedIn
• The Informative Way: lists contact info and links to other social channels in the wallpaper itself, a la @Intel or @mashable
• The Product Way: displays Photoshopped pictures of the company's key wares, a la @Pepsi (can of Pepsi) or @LAYS (bag of Lay's potato chips)

Overall Look and Feel: Be Consistent

Your Twitter profile should be designed for the audience you are trying to reach and the image you are attempting to convey to them, says Johnson.

Profiles should reflect the individual or organization's brand identity and communication strategy, agrees Pophal.

Approach the profile from the standpoint of crafting an "elevator speech," Pophal continues. What is it that you do that represents value to your target audience?

"Every profile on Twitter has a voice," concludes Grace. "Always consider how you want your voice to be represented to those who haven't met you, and let your personality shine through as much as possible."

Gracie

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you've been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I'm looking for some quick tips on how to build relationships with journalists. What do journalists like to see from PR people? What do they dislike?

Press Pleaser

Dear Press Pleaser,

Seven ProfNet experts share their experience:

1. Pitch Relevant Information

It's important to have background information on the journalist and their audience, says Dan Collins, senior director of media relations at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "Don't pitch a writer for a seniors publication on Lindsay Lohan's latest doings. Go the extra mile."

"Ask reporters and they'll tell you that the most annoying thing about PR people is they don't read their outlet and don't understand their audience," says Abe Abrams, director of communications at The DSM Group. "Think about what the publication, blog, show, etc., covers and how."

So if you're pitching to a journalist you haven't worked with before, read their latest work and think about how your client might tie in, says John W. Morgan, associate vice president for public relations at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

Ask yourself: What makes your client the best to address this issue? says Abrams. Don't focus on why your client is competent or knowledgeable -- focus on what makes them the best. Are they from the biggest firm? Do they have the most unique insight? Did they found a successful upstart?

"Do not blast pitches out to media lists," says John Goodman, president of John Goodman PR. "Often, those lists are outdated and inaccurate. Send the pitch because it's the right story for the right reporter or producer. Media contacts open my email pitches because they know, from past experience, that they're on target."

And whatever you're pitching, make sure it qualifies as real news, says Collins. Journalists hate propaganda; they will not run a free ad for your client.

(Check out: Dear Gracie: When Clients Want to Distribute Non-News)

2. Just Get to the Point Already!

Do not wine, dine and schmooze journalists -- just pitch them stories that synch with their beat, says Goodman.

Reporters get tons of ideas and pitches per day, so you need to be short and to the point, says Jon Weiner, account manager at Capstrat. He finds that Twitter is a great way to cut through the clutter.

"A Twitter stream is crowded, but if you can find an active journalist on Twitter and tweet them a specific idea, they're very likely going to read it," says Weiner. "It's tough to send a good idea in 140 characters, but if you can cut to the core of what you have to offer, it works."

"I recently struck up a relationship with a reporter simply by tweeting him an idea and ending with 'interested?'" says Weiner. "The reporter replied and said 'send me the details.' Then I fleshed out a pitch, identified my Twitter handle in the subject line of the email so it didn't get lost, and we started talking. The idea didn't pan out -- but we struck up a relationship that ended up in him using a client of mine in a separate feature story."

When pitching on Twitter, keep privacy in mind, notes Weiner. "Do your homework. If you find a journalist on Twitter who obviously doesn't want to discuss work or receive ideas through that channel, don't send them any."

However, if the reporter regularly shares their professional work on Twitter, then it's a decent indication that they're open to hearing ideas that way, he says.

3. Be Efficient and Timely

"Efficiency is an important trait for the successful media relations professional," says Morgan. "Once I identify an expert, I ask them to provide me with some context about what they would say, so the reporter has an idea of what to expect. Many reporters find that helpful as they frame their stories."

Journalists return to PR experts when they get timely, unfettered, high-level access to experts, says Maureen Bennett, senior media relations specialist at Summit Medical Group.

For example, there was a recent incident at a pharmacy in Chatham, N.J., where some prescriptions for a pediatric medicine had accidentally been filled with a breast cancer drug. Reporters descended on the pharmacy to talk to the store manager.

"To help round out their stories, I pitched our medical expertise by inviting reporters on the scene to immediate, individual interviews with our chief medical officer (CMO). Our main medical campus was only 10 minutes away from the pharmacy, so news outlets were cleared with security before arriving to campus, and escorted directly the CMO's office to sit with him one-on-one. No waiting, no waffling," Bennett explains.

Keep a careful on the calendar too, says Morgan. "For example, if I know the governor is going to sign a bill into law, I arrange to videotape a faculty member with expertise in the area that the bill covers discussing why its passage is so important. The moment the governor signs the bill, I release the video to journalists covering the issue and post it on our university's website and social media platforms."

4. Help Reporters Tell the Story

Make every effort to the help the journalist build their story, says Collins.

For example, Collins works with lots of reporters covering medical issues. If there is no doctor available for a particular story, he tries to find people outside of his circle who can help, or forwards the query to a colleague in the medical library to look for research the writer might be able to use.

"It might not result in a media placement for my client today, but it is building the foundation for stories for tomorrow," says Collins.

Also, read and comment on the reporter's work, outside of pitching, says Abrams. "Say nice things, but also challenge assumptions that seem wrong. Offer information. Suggest ideas."

5. Meet in Person, Don't Be Pushy

"I invite reporters to come and meet our experts," says Julian Teixeira, communications director for the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). "For example, we currently have a Mobilize to Vote campaign, which gets Latinos registered and voting. I invite key reporters covering the Latino vote to come to our offices and have an hour meeting with our civic engagement team."

"This allows the reporter to meet our experts, ask questions and learn about our efforts without the stress and desire of writing a story," he continues. "The reporter walks away with story ideas and gets to learn how NCLR experts can serve as spokespersons for future stories. And for NCLR, it allows us to meet and build a contact with a new media source."

Ultimately, these informational meet-and-greets get us into the news in the future, says Teixeira.

Abrams also suggests bringing three good ideas to reporters at desksides or events. "Make contact, offer sources or help, and then back off and don't be pushy," he says.

6. Be Thoughtful of the Reporter's Needs

"If a reporter is coming to your campus to interview a professor, be sure to reserve a parking space for them," says Morgan. Remembering small but important details like this goes a long way toward building good rapport with journalists.

7. Do Not Annoy!

Do not call journalists at deadline, don't call them if they prefer emails and don't follow up on press releases or pitches that they weren't expecting, says Collins.

Journalists also hate it when PR people try to control interviews, which is, in essence, telling them what to write, says Collins.

And don't tell a writer you have the perfect resource for them and it turns out you don't, adds Collins. "My first PR mentor always said, 'Promise less and deliver more.'"

Final Thoughts

"The media is actually very easy to work with and understand," says Collins. "If you respect reporters' deadlines, and if you are cognizant of what they really want and give it to them, they'll be back asking you for interviews and experts and information in the future."

"Target appropriately and zero in on the one thing you can offer that no one else can -- then make sure you deliver it on time and in full," stresses Bennett.

"Pitches have one function: to make a reporter's life easier. If you're not doing that, you're not doing your job. Give them what they want: be quick, succinct and reliable," says Weiner.

Gracie

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

image via Flickr user ~MVI~ (2012 anacom)

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you've been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I recently got into a good-natured debate with one of my colleagues about whether or not ethics can be taught, particularly in PR. Are ethics inherent (that is, based on our upbringing), or can ethics be more clearly defined into black-and-white rules ("right" vs. "wrong")? Is there a need for ethics classes in the PR industry?

Ethics Evaluator

**********

Dear Ethics Evalutor,

Seven ProfNet experts weigh in:

The Importance of Ethics

"Public relations is a tool, just like a hammer," says Dan Collins, senior director of media relations at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. "You can use it to build homes for the homeless, or you can use it to cave in someone's skull."

Collins provides an extreme example to consider: "I recall watching a documentary where a public relations professional was shown viewing films of Hitler's infamous Nuremberg rally that was the focus of 'Triumph of Will.' He commented that Hitler was 'using public relations techniques 50 years ago that are just starting to be used today.'"

This is a frightening example of how important morality is in public relations, says Collins. "PR must be used to inform and act with a social conscience -- not to manipulate, but to educate."

Also, consider the recent controversy (from about a year ago) when news broke of a marketing and PR firm that had Libya's Mumar Quaddafi among its clients.

"Should one do PR for a dictator?" questions Collins.

"If you are speaking on behalf of a client and putting forward an agenda that is potentially criminal, you have to be taken to task," he says. Claiming the "Nuremberg defense," -- saying "I was only doing what I was told" or "I was only obeying orders" -- doesn't wash. PR people are not above the law.

How Do We Define "Ethics"?

"Don't confuse ethics with morality," says Ann Willets, CEO of Utopia Communications. "Ethics is a way of doing something, and yes it can be taught." Morals, on the other hand, are dependent on one's culture.

"For example, people may have a good work ethic or a bad work ethic," continues Willets. "An extreme example is the Nazi party. They had an ethic, but it was immoral. All companies have ethics, but not all of them are moral ethics."

Willets offers this quote from the TV show "NCIS": "The ethical man knows he's not supposed to cheat on his wife; the moral man actually wouldn't."

Can and Should Ethics Be Taught?

When Marilyn Gordon, president of Mediatude, taught an ethics class, she would administer an ethics "quiz" and found that the scores surprisingly leaned towards a high percentage of unethical answers.

"Did that mean that some of my students were unethical?" asks Gordon. "I tend to think not, but it did show that in certain instances, there may be a slide towards what I would consider the 'dark side.'" At any rate, there's clearly confusion about ethical decision-making sometimes.

"The importance of ethics can be reinforced through the classroom," agrees Alisa Agozzino, assistant professor of communication arts at Ohio Northern University. Students should be asked to critically examine ethics and how it plays a role in the PR profession.

"All PR programs should instate a mandatory course in ethics," echoes Julie Sugishita, account executive at The Hoffman Agency. "First, it will help validate the professionalism of the industry. Incorporating generally accepted practices in ethics is commonplace in professions like accounting, medicine and law." And this is particularly important for PR professionals because they are constantly battling the "spin doctor" stereotype.

Second, with the influx of social media and personal branding, behaving unethically can increasingly tarnish the reputation and career of PR professionals and firms, says Sugishita.

So, like professionalism, ethics -- as a code of behavior -- can be taught, reiterates Sugishita.

However, Susan Tellem, partner at Tellem Grody Public Relations, points out that ethics are mainly learned in upbringing. "You can put a person in a classroom, but if 'right' and 'wrong' isn't there from childhood, it probably cannot be learned."

"I believe we learn our ethical base from our upbringing, culture and other life experiences that we call upon when we think of 'right' or 'wrong,'" agrees Gordon. "We then apply all of these components when an ethical situation arises in our PR job."

But despite the fact that it is often your gut or that annoying little angel on your shoulder that speaks to you, ethics should be taught in every business or PR college class anyway, stresses Tellem.

What Would Be Taught in a PR Ethics Class?

While there are clear-cut rules that guide what PR practitioners do (just ask the FTC), there are also grey areas in terms of individuals and situations that are not covered by legal guidelines, like how you treat a coworker, says Willets.

"Normative values do not always translate into hardline laws that we can follow in the real world," agrees Peter Lo, assistant account executive at Zeno Group. When teaching ethics, there should be anything but black-and-white rules.

Using a measuring stick is probably not a good idea either, he continues. It's "morally unsound" to use selected case studies to dictate what all publicists should do, he explains. "Each publicist will have his or her own individual ideals to appeal to that will match their unique situations."

On the other hand, despite all of the ambiguities regarding what one should and should not do in ethics, it is still worth questioning what makes a morally good or bad publicist, concludes Lo. "The best thing that could result from an ethics course in PR would be the moral awareness and consciousness that results from the classroom discussions and questions."

PR ethics classes should also go beyond the ethical decision-making process and focus on compliance, says Willets.

In Collins' ethics class, he reviews (among other things) the six core values of PR as outlined in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)'s Code of Ethics: Advocacy, Honesty, Expertise, Independence, Loyalty and Fairness.

Willets and Tellem also recommend checking out PRSA's Ethical Guidance for Public Relations Practitioners.

Gracie

ProfNet, a service of PR Newswire, has helped journalists and experts connect since 1992. Writers can search the ProfNet Connect database of more than 50,000 profiles; send a ProfNet query by email to thousands of subscribers around the globe; or get timely experts and story ideas by email.

image via Flickr user Brett Jordan

Each week, Dear Gracie answers questions from ProfNet Connect readers with advice from our network of nearly 50,000 ProfNet experts. Has there been a question burning in your mind lately, something you've been wondering that none of your colleagues can answer? Please send it to grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com

Dear Gracie,

I'm a communications student who is about to graduate this spring. I want to go into PR, and am wondering: what are the pros and cons of working in-house vs. for an agency?

Publicly Pondering

***********

Dear Publicly Pondering,

Five ProfNet PR experts share their career experience:

Agency Pros

"Agency life is a training ground for recent PR grads," says Josette Robinson, vice president of CJP Communications. "Because there is more exposure to a variety of clients, subject matters and situations, the ability to spot the right opportunities and provide client counsel is developed a lot quicker."

"Nothing compares to agencies for training PR newbies and developing PR talent," agrees Michele Spiewak, account director at Rhino Public Relations. "There are many opportunities for learning and professional development on the agency side, as you are surrounded by people who bring varied PR and marketing expertise and experience to one place."

For example, junior-level staffers at CJP are not only encouraged to build relationships with media, but to also develop other skills by taking the first stab at drafting a plan or even flexing their entrepreneurial muscles through new business, says Robinson.

"The advantage to agency work is variety," concurs Dan Collins, senior director of media relations at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. At his first PR job, Collins had close to 15 clients, ranging from a hardwood-floors company, to an independent TV station, to a guy who sold greenhouses. "Plus, I also did a lot of work on proposals to projected new clients," he says.

"You're being exposed to all of these different fields and industries, learning what makes them tick, the challenges each faces and how to promote them effectively," he continues.

"Agencies provide a diverse workload with changing activities: media relations, bylined articles, press releases, speaking opportunities and award submissions," says Spiewak.

"One client in the IT industry might require marketing communication support, another in healthcare might need crisis communication and a nonprofit client might need pro-bono help with fundraising or media relations," says Zeny Sarabia-Panol, professor at the College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University.

This ability to learn and develop skills also makes advancement opportunities more likely, she adds.

As a result of agencies' widespread duties, they also tend to have access to more PR tools like ProfNet, for example, says Rodger Roser, president of the brand and PR firm Eisen Management Group. Rarely are those functions contained entirely in-house. Depending on the tool, the expense might simply be too high for most small to mid-sized organizations. Additionally, in-house PR teams might not necessarily "need" those tools all the time.

Agencies tend to have larger teams of people with more diverse backgrounds, so the potential for fresh ideas and creativity is higher too, notes Roeser.

Agency Cons

Agency life can be a recipe for burnout, says Collins. Working with multiple clients does indeed provide a range of experiences, but at the same time, each client wants everything for free, 100 percent of your attention and (while you're at it) the cover of Time Magazine.

"Client A doesn't care if you're on deadline for Client B," Collins continues. And that's how you end up with a dozen No. 1 priorities.

Time-wise, agency work can be demanding, says Sarabia-Panol. Agency people tend to have extended workdays or even night functions depending on the client accounts. And with the variety of clients comes the constant documentation of work done for them too.

Reporters and media pros also have a tendency to think of agency PR people as suspicious, says Collins. "They perceive you to be a 'hired gun,' not as someone who 'really works' for the organization they are writing about."

When you're in-house, naturally you're going to be more aware of what's happening in an organization, rather than an agency worker who could be hundreds of miles away from the client, explains Collins.

In-House Pros

In-house gigs generally have good salaries and benefits, particularly in large corporations, says Sarabia-Panol.

Working in-house also provides the opportunity to work with a group of professionals who specialize in a particular PR or strategic communications area, and possibly have extensive resources to pursue projects, she continues.

Furthermore, working for a particular industry means that the PR professional will also deal with a particular set of journalists, says Sarabia-Panol. If a PR pro is in the financial industry, then they will deal with financial and business reporters, as well as specialized media outlets.

In-House Cons

"Depending on the company size, there may be bureaucratic procedures that tend to result in a long, laborious approval process for PR projects," says Sarabia-Panol.

Internal politics can also affect the success or value of PR, as well as media relationships, says Rodger Roeser. Ideally, PR controls the market, and not the other way around. But control comes from having the ability to lead and manage, and it's virtually impossible to do that if there is fear of honesty or candor internally. "Marketing and growth is not for 'yes' men," he says.

Internal politics can of course exist within an agency too, but agency professionals can speak candidly with clients without a lot of strings attached. This may not be the case for in-house professionals when talking to superiors from within their own organization, says Roeser.

Also, particularly in small corporations, there is not much opportunity for advancement, says Sarabia-Panol. "The PR practitioner might get stuck in routine activities with very minimal changes over time."

Conclusion

If you like structure, predictability and specialization, working in-house is a good option. On the other hand, if variety, flexibility and developing an extensive skill set seems more valuable, then agency work is the way to go, summarizes Sarabia-Panol.

"It really depends on the individual," says Sarabia-Panol. "Some of my students know they want to be in the music and entertainment industry, or healthcare, for example. Others are doing agency work. But both groups of students love what they do."

Gracie

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