It seems like there are a number of standard mistakes that all PR people have to make. Call it a rite of passage. Here at Sparkpr we love to talk about those painful times “when we first started out.” The days when we were so green and sweet, and to tell the truth some of us are still are a bit of both. The thing is that when someone new to their career makes one of these standard mistakes, they not only have to live through the embarrassment of making the mistake, they then have to listen to all of the veterans in the room talk about what happened when they did it. Stories like, “Don’t worry about it, back when I was an intern, I used to forget to put subject lines in emails and my manager would make me put a quarter in a jar…”

Here are some of the most endearing and embarrassing of the Newbie PR mistakes, crimes we’ve all committed and hope to never repeat, but still love to talk about.

1. Sending emails with no subject lines
2. Accidentally forwarding an email to client (regarding client)
3. CC’ing instead of BCC’ing – particularly horrifying if a senior manager or CEO is involved
4. Dropping reporters on media calls due to confusing conference option on telephone
5. Recalling email messages (that trick never works)
6. Cut & pasted pitches (what!) with the wrong reporter info
7. Ignorance to the nuances of Salesforce vs. Bacon’s
8. Pitching publishers or ad sales people instead of journalists
9. Getting too drunk at CES in Vegas (one of the most common newbie and seasoned professional errors, turns out)
10. Misuse of the “reply all” function
11. Misuse of “highly scalable” PR jargon
12. Writing pubic relations instead of public relations
13. Wearing high heels to the Las Vegas Convention Center

-Pam, Sheila, Jacqueline and Syreeta

A few of us here at Sparkpr thought it would be fun to create a blog series called “Stuff PR People Like” and poke some fun at ourselves. Who doesn’t love a self-deprecating PR person? Don’t answer that.

Please be sure to do your due diligence by checking back here over the next few days for new posts, and don’t hesitate to ping us in the comments section. We’ll do our best to leverage your ideas for top tier coverage.

Stuff PR People Like, Entry #1 – Business Jargon

This list includes – but of course is not limited to – the following terms:

Circle back: [sur-kuhl bak]
I like where your head is at, but let’s circle back to that point later…

Touch base (TB): [tuhch beys]
You need to build a media list? Let’s touch base on that this afternoon.

Ping: [ping]
Listen, can you ping me later about this? My client is in crisis mode.

Drill down: [drill]
We really need to drill down to the key issue here folks. Is this interesting enough to write a whitepaper on or not?

Due diligence: [doo dil-i-juhns]
I know our client doesn’t have that kind of money! But I had to do my due diligence and ask just in case!

Top tier: [top teer]
(common PR interview question) What is the most notable top-tier coverage you’ve secured for your clients in the past?

Leverage: [lev-er-ij]
Let’s think of a way to leverage the fact that our client has never spent the night in the clink

Penny publications: [pen-ee pŭb'lĭ-kā'shən]
Oh that other agency? They get a lot of coverage, sure. In penny publications.

Slammed: [slam]
I tried calling Kevin Marshall, but he was so slammed he slammed the phone down on me.

Value add: [val-yoo ad]
Hey nice work Schmitty! Nice value add on that one!

-Sheila and Pam

I’m usually not the star struck type, but I’ve been talking about this a lot and thought I’d post it to share with all.

Just this Saturday, I had the wonderful experience of meeting my personal idol and comedienne, Margaret Cho backstage in her green room after her show at the Warfield. A friend of mine, Josh, is a writer for gay.com and has been interviewing celebrities for the popular online portal. Margaret Cho and Liam Sullivan (of Kelly Shoes YouTube phenomenon) were his last two interviews, which is how I got the back stage pass to meet both.

Backstage…

I was so nervous I actually asked one of the backstage staff members, “Is this where I go to meet Margaret?” which Josh chided me for, “Jeff, you can’t seem so eager.” Fortunately, I had professional celebrity interviewer, Josh to rely on. He somehow identified the tour manager in a crowd of twenty fans and staff, chatted him up and within moments we were whisked back to Margaret’s green room.

I told her that I was a huge fan, that she was an inspiration for me, and that we had many similar experiences (she went to my high school and grew up in the same town that I did). She complimented me on my glittery tshirt and I asked her to sign my book. I told her that I had actually met her before years back during a book signing on Halloween and she remembered it (or at least politely pretended to).

I asked for a photo and then pretty much everything else was a blur. I think at one point I grabbed her hand and asked her to excuse me because I was so nervous which she thought was charming I’m sure. Josh was a lot more professional and managed to get Margaret’s personal assistant to get his name on some email list for LA engagements. We both took photos.

Why I love Margaret

I know that most people don’t really understand Margaret, so I’ll take this time to explain why I love her. Beyond being hilarious, Margaret, more than any other comedian I’ve ever seen or heard, has a political point of view that stems from her unique background of being an Asian American queer woman, and uses her popularity as a platform for social issues.

Margaret is a champion for gay civil rights, women’s right to choose, and is the voice for smaller communities that don’t have as large of a reach as she does. She also speaks up regularly against body idealism that gay men and women face, and continues to challenge racial discrimination and stereotypes. She brought the first Asian American family to the small screen and will bring the second Asian American family to the small screen again this summer (“The Cho Show” VH1). She also talks openly about her own body issues, her challenge with weight loss, the obstacles she faces as an Asian American woman in media, and techniques to achieve personal happiness. She’s also a sassy diva and makes really inappropriate jokes on stage.

- Jeff