will ake sale next Reale eon i Ines oa vis " ructi nc nd VTL apple on v1 ancl ace cokl hau, ne is ‘an homo} Cee, al 3 Rorlal™ the wae del "S by Jack O’Dwyer (NAPSA)—People considering changing or beginning their careers can get advice and encouragement from an experienced professional. College students majoring in subjects such as “PR” and “communications” are wondering what kind of jobs will be available to them when they graduate. They have spent four years and up to $100,000 and now can’t find a job except at the mini- O’Dwyer > mum wage. But they actually have a lot of talent and skills that could earn them a good living. To do this, they must become entrepreneurs. For openers, they must stop billing themselves as “PR” people or “communicators.” PR Lacks Credibility PR is one of the most discredited terms in the English language. “PR specialist” ranked 43rd in credibility on a list of 45 publicfigures in a 1999 survey that cost the PR Society of America Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation $150,000. “PR”is subjected to nearly endless trashing in the media. Very few blue chips use the term, having switched to “corporate communications”long ago. Hang Out Your Shingle Entrepreneurs we know are making a good living working as writers for legitimate media and business. Some do full-fledged programsforclients. They ghost-author books for businesspeople, write books and articles under their own names, write op-ed pieces for clients, letters-to-the-editor, sales brochures, speeches, handle e-mail correspondence, help businesses to market on the b and create graphics using Quark and other programs. They also show businesses how to create their ownflyers. In short, there are numerous writing and related tasks that a grad can do for small businesses. They’re not apt to find such work via an ad or PR firm because of the way the finances of such firms are set up. Working by themselves, they could charge businesses $20 an hour ($140 a day or $700 a week) for helping in all the above named areas. If they charge $30 an hour this would equal $1,050 a week. FirmsBill at 3X Salary The typical PR firm bills out workers at three times their hourly rate. The $20-an-hour becomes $60 and the weekly cost to a client becomes $2,100. Individual entrepreneurs have no such costs. They can work out of their parents’ homes or own apartments for which rent has already been paid. Many costs associated Rankingsof “believable sources of information.” 1. Supreme Court justice 2.Teacher 3.National expert 4. Member, armed forces 5. Local business owner 6. Ordinarycitizen 7. Local religious leader 8. High-ranking military officer 9. Schoolofficial 10. National leader with shared traits 11. National religious leader 12. Network TV news anchor 13. Governor 14,Local business rep. board 15. Local newspaper/TV reporter 16. National civil rights leader 17. Local elected council member 18. U.S.senator 19. National syndicated columnist 20. Mayorof a big city 21. Head of a state agency 22. Head of a local agency 23. Reporterfor big newspaper or magazine 24. U.S. congressman 25. Head of a big company 26. NationalCredibility Index 27. Local civil rights leader 28. U.S. Vice President 29. Head of a national assn. 30. Community activist 31. Wall Street executive 32. Head, Presidential advisory 33. U.S. President 34. Member, Presidential cabinet 35. Pollster 36. Studentactivist 37. Local union leader 38. Candidate for public office 39. Head of a national union 40. Famousathlete 4]. Head of a nationalinterest group 42.Political party leader 43. Public Relations specialist 44, Famousentertainer 45. TV or radio talk show host. @ Ranking of leaders and/or public figures as “believable sources of information.” with a homeoffice can be deducted. Sixty percent of medical premiums can be deducted before taxes are paid. Another option is bartering. Manya PRfirm started out bartering services for meals at local restaurants, groceries, gasoline, car rentals and numerous other products and services. PR firms normally want a 60- or 90-day cancellation clause. Grads could propose projects one at a time and relieve businesses of the fear of getting stuck in a legal contract. Mom ‘n Pops Need Help Grads can bring writing and promotional services to many small businesses that otherwise can not afford them. Many such businesses go under because they don’t spend enough time marketing themselves. Computer and b savvy grads have a lot to offer a generation of small business owners that is largely computerilliterate. Forty million Americans are working out of their homes (onequarter of the workforce) because of high office costs and the ease of zipping work back and forth via the b. As Stephen King points out in On Writing, there’s only one way to be a writer: read and write seven hours a day at least five days a week for years. Students should to good writing since writing is a solitary occupation and distractions can be minimized. John Bruen, an executive of a major New York PR firm, used to urge his account executives to do their writing at night when they had time to think. Writers should save direct mail pieces instead of throwing them away. They are a good source of graphic techniques as well as tested copy platforms. Create Flyerfor Self Writers today should be able to create well-designed sales promotion pieces, including one for themselves that they can pass out to local merchants. Instead of claiming writing or graphics expertise, they can show it. Merchants will want a similar piece created for them. Buzz words such as “strategic,” “integrated,” “synergy,” “goals” or “clear goals” should be avoided in approaching prospects. Merchants are on to such words andwill think a con job of one type or anotheris coming. Since “local business owners” are numberfive on the Credibility Index and PR people are No. 43, it is the PR people who can learn from the businesspeople and not the opposite. Existing ad/PR firms can view the new generation of writer/entrepreneurs as competitors or as Proulx (The Shipping News and Postcards) and Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain). Mind-numbing “boob tubing” should be cut to a “farm clubs” introducing businesses to a wide range of writing, marketing, promotional and b services. Someof the small clients might turn into major ones as the clients grow. Then they might be able to afford a full-fledged ad/marketing program via an established ad/PR New writers should associate with other writers and reporters and not salespeople. A homeoffice is a great boon You can learn more online at www.odwyerpr.com. Jack O'Dwyeris editor-in-chief of the J.R. O?Dwyer publications. take many writing courses, keep a journal of 1,000 to 2,000 words nightly, and read a novel a week by authors whoare bold and imaginative with words, such as Annie minimum. firm.
