Need some great places to turn for fresh story ideas? Are you in search of becoming further knowledgeable in the world of PR? It is so vital to have a place to pickup stories, be the first to hear news, in addition to sharing with one another outlooks on various subject matters. The world of web is an excellent place to start. Here, in no particular order, is my top ten list of exceptional websites every person in the PR industry must check out, participate in, and most importantly learn from.

• HARO (Help a Reporter Out): Peter Shankman is behind this immense social media phenomenon used by PR and marketing companies alike. This is a genuinely helpful and successful community network that reaches out to journalists and businesses with the drive to inform and promote. As HARO declares, “everyone is an expert at something,” really speaks numbers with assisting in roughly 7,000,000 media pitches since establishing in 2008. (www.helpareporter.com)

• Public Relation Ideas: PR ideas is filled with daily blogs employed to assist in every aspect of public relations. I find that the topics discussed each day are consistently accommodating and very relatable. The audience will unquestionably take something away following the read. The best part: you can subscribe to their daily tips via email to make it effortless and easy to acquire. (http://publicrelationsideas.com)

• Pitch Engine: The social platform allows one to gain a large number of content with the intent to market. The nice feature on Pitch Engine is that it allows users to personalize their “pitchfeed” with specified themes or keywords. Very distinguished companies are taking advantage of the site and reaping the rewards, such as Xerox, American Red Cross, Dove, and Harley-Davidson to name a few. (www.pitchengine.com)    

• YPS (Your Pitch Sucks): Unfortunately this fantastic website is temporarily down due to working on a current project, writing a book. However, be sure to check it frequently to get your notable piece of Your Pitch Sucks guidance. (www.yourpitchsucks.com)  

• Pitch for PR: This easy to follow website opens the door to anyone seeking to reveal their story to a large audience. The greatest gift to the writer; the process is completely free of charge. Every weekday Pitch for PR forwards 10-15 of their users’ ideas to its subscribers and if there’s a sparked interest in your pitch you will be contacted just like that. Just be sure to include up to 3 areas of discussion with your pitch for acceptance. (www.pitchforpr.com)

• Twitter: Jack Dorsey is whom we all have to thank for creating such a noncomplex messaging tool for today’s culture. The website is a resourceful means of communication for public relations to know what everyone is talking about in the heat of the moment. Twitter is growing in popularity each day by connecting such a wide circle of people around the world together through easy to access information. One can obtain “tweets” through the web, text messages, as well as instant messaging. (http://twitter.com) 

• 360 Days in a PR life: This site is a social blogging network one can follow through numerous feeds written by very diverse people, which make the reads even more appealing. The subject matters vary greatly anywhere from PR industry, to parenting, books, and even to green marketing. Be sure to tune in and get your desired fill of PR and marketing from a well-designed site. (www.360prblog.com)

• PRSA (Public Relations Society of America): Join the world’s largest association of public relations experts at this site. PRSA prides itself on being a clear and top voice for PR and helping develop its members, which today counts over 21,000 professionals in the field. Additionally, there is a society focusing on students at colleges and universities, which is Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Finally, PRSA’s mission is to contribute to your networking, present recognition to deserving professionals, initiate additional learning of the line of work, as well as provide information that presents leading news and assists in research. (www.prsa.org) 

• PR in Your Pajamas: Looking for a site that is completely relatable while remaining entertaining to read? I am confident that you will find just that in PR in Your Pajamas. Writer, Elena Verlee, successfully connects with her readers through easy to understand blogs in an assortment of subjects. Each of her writings is so significant in the PR world, yet, she finds a way to tell it in her voice and make it personal. Once you read one you will be sure to be hooked. (http://prinyourpajamas.com)

• Business Wire: Business Wire offers a place for thousands of organizations and companies to deliver news through press releases that is incomparable to anywhere else. The well-known site makes large impressions on markets worldwide by providing such services. Furthermore, Business Wire allows users to execute a great number of things, for example, acquiring news, forwarding press releases, discovering events, and needless to say, reading blogs. I strongly suggest this website to accommodate all of your wants and needs in one place regarding your growth in public relations. (www.businesswire.com) 

By: Courtney Bomkamp

This entry was posted on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 10:50 am and is filed under Blogroll. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.