Monthly Archives: October 2015

Need help beating writer’s block? Check out these 7 Top Tips

Posted in Notes for Novices by

Every single day 4.5 billion pieces of content are shared.

Read that again. Four and a half BILLION pieces of content.

Constantly writing, snapping and sharing fantastic content is a daunting challenge for any creative blogger; aspiring or otherwise. Incidentally, it is probably one of the key reasons (alongside work and flathunting) that has led to my being a bit AWOL this last month – sorry, guys!

Anyway, my lackadaisical attitude towards actually finishing a draft post has given me a few ideas that might help you guys not fall into the same mental traps as I did.

  • kitkatFirstly, Stop over-thinking it – This is the main crux of my issues and it might well be at the centre of yours. 63% writers claim the biggest causes of writer’s block were: their own high expectations, their fear of failure, and the pressure of unrealistic deadlines.
  • Take a break and do something else – 56% of writers say that doing something other than writing helped the words flow later.
  • Write little and often – Take a leaf out of Mark Twain’s book and write a little at a time.
  • Make notes – Inspiration can hit you at any time so make sure to always carry a notepad and pen for when you’re inspired.
  • Using a dictaphone or smartphone app, Walk and talk. That way you can get all of your random thoughts down to go through and organise, saving you time and effort later.
  • Create a mental memory map/ladder – Although this may sound a bit ‘Inception-esque’, building a simplified mental system of ‘rooms’ or rungs in which you organise your thoughts and ideas can be incredibly handy when it comes to remembering them for later use.
  • Work out when inspires you and make use of that situation. Me? I always have random creative ideas in the shower and organisational ideas right as I’m about to sleep. Using the condensation and a notepad next to my bed have become invaluable tools in my mental repertoire.

Check out the handy infographic (below) by StopProcrastinatingApp for a few more ideas, and feel free to leave me a note in the comments section with any of your Top Tips!

Writer's block cure

GET INVOLVED in blogging! Behind the Spin’s #BestPRBlogs competition launches for a third year!

Posted in Behind the Spin, Competitions, PR by

Blog yourself a job!

Autumn has officially hit and the new academic year is about to launch itself in earnest, bringing with it all the lectures, seminars and assignments that become the staple features of our lives as we strive towards the best possible grades we can manage – after all, its those grades which are going to be the deciding factor in getting us a graduate job….aren’t they?

I’d actually argue that its in fact the ‘extra-curriculars’ which set you apart from your peers and get you that all important foot in the PR door.

Don’t mistake my meaning; securing a decent qualification (especially one that you’ve invested a considerable amount of money and time in) is of course important in showing people that you know what you’re talking about. But, saying that, in my job-hunting experience at least, my grades (despite being good) were always only a MINOR part of what grabbed employers’ attention when it came to my applications.

Instead I discovered (admittedly to my shock) that it was my social media presence and in particular my blog that secured me my interviews and, eventually, my role at London-based agency, Houston PR. I know that my position at Houston in particular was gained in this manner as I was invited to interview via Twitter after Managing Director, Hamish Thompson, read through some of my posts.

However, what my interviewers and employers may not know is that without Behind the Spin‘s annual ‘Best PR Student Blogger’ Competition, I might never have stuck with my blog long enough to fall in love with writing and appreciate the ways that my own unique ‘voice’ can break through the noise.

My love for blogging is by no means unique however, as last year’s winner, Livi Wilkes (whose blog ‘Live, Love, Laugh PR‘ was commended for its “honest and engaging” writing style) shared this love claiming that:

“I blog because I love it’… …’ being recognised so highly for something I love doing is such a lovely feeling!”

So what IS #BestPRblogs?

Offering aspiring PR students the opportunity to learn, practice, build their networks, and promote their expertise within a lively community, Behind the Spin’s contest now enters its third year of highlighting the best blog posts written by UK-based PR student bloggers.

Keep in mind:

  • It doesn’t matter if your blog has all the fancy bells and whistles that make it visually perfect.
  • It doesn’t matter if your posts are written as an assignment or in response to something topical you’ve seen or read.
  • It doesn’t even really matter if you don’t manage to write something each week (though the more you post, the more chances you have of being chosen as a weekly winner.

The important thing is that you are interested in what you’re writing about; that you have proofed your work before publishing (Typos never look good); that you use social platforms to promote and try to build a community around your work; that you reference the source your images/videos if they’re not ones you’ve taken yourself; that you use relevant hyperlinks when appropriate; and (without sounding ridiculously cheesy) that you have fun – after all, it’s enjoying the experience that makes it easier to type out the cacophany of brilliance in your head.

WORKING

Each week, PR academic and Behind the Spin‘s Editor, Richard Bailey, will browse the #bestPRblogs and #PRstudent hashtags, and collate a selection of the best blog posts written by UK-based PR students (plus the best photo taken by a PR student (usually taken from Instagram)).

Weekly winners will be recorded in an ongoing leaderboard which will determine the final shortlist of talented writers announced next April. These five bloggers will then be given just four weeks to polish, edit and impress the discerning and digitally-savvy, Michael White (Associate Editor for Behind the Spin and Digital Account Manager for Lansons), who will go through each of their blogs with a fine comb before announcing Britain’s Best PR Student Blogger 2016!!!

There are plenty of blogs out there you can use for inspiration such as:

If you’re still really stuck on where to start after reading all those though, you can always read: How to write a blog post, which outlines all the basic things you should be paying attention to.

Happy Blogging!!!