Business Wire representative discusses public relations

By: Scott Allen

Erica Schuckies discusses the differences between public and investor relations.
Photo By: Scott Allen

Erica Schuckies, account executive for the Business Wire branch in Austin, spoke about the differences between public and investor relations in Old Main 234 on Wednesday.

The session started with a warm welcome from Michelle Anderson, an intern at The Center for the Study of Latino Media and Markets.

After an introductory applause, Schuckies started her discussion with the importance of press releases for both journalist and public relations professionals. She talked about how some people think that press releases are dead, but that they’re actually needed today more than ever.

“Press releases are used today to distribute breaking, timely and industry-moving news to a variety of audiences,” Schuckies said. “And the content varies on your target audience.”

Schuckies went on to elaborate on the importance of blogging. She said that blogging is used today, more than ever, as a trustworthy source. Schuckies also discussed the importance of multimedia producers and people who can multi-task on different social platforms.

“Social and mobile audiences are becoming increasingly more important,” Schuckies said. “Especially when you are putting out press releases.”

The classroom was nearly full for the discussion.
Photo By: Scott Allen

Lastly, Schuckies discussed the idea behind the press releases. She stressed that the message behind the release had to be relevant in some way.

“Was the release newsworthy?” Schuckies said. “And what need does it fill? Make sure you know how to measure the success and ROI of your press release.”

Katie Peloquin, public relations junior, discusses what she learned during Schuckies speech.

“It was interesting to know the new ways of doing press releases,” Peloquin said. “I also learned that there’s two types of press releases.”

Adam Goetz, journalism senior, thought it was interesting to learn about something that didn’t deal with his major.

“I really didn’t know anything about public relations or how to write a press release before this,” Goetz said. “It was interesting to learn.”

Students enjoyed Schuckies speech and would attend if she came in the future.