PR & Lattes
The PR & Lattes podcast is your jolt of information on everything related to PR and communications. Join host Matisse Hamel-Nelis and her latte as she dives deeper into issues and topics important to communicators today with industry experts and thought leaders. No topic is off-limits.
PR & Lattes
A latte with Claudia Costello
In this episode, Matisse chats with Claudia Costello, a senior account executive at 104 West and the community manager for The PR Habitat.
About Claudia Costello
Claudia Costello (she/her) is a senior account Executive at 104 West, a strategic communications firm in Denver. She is a (self-proclaimed) media relations expert passionate about telling stories for B2B tech companies. She is also the community manager for The PR Habitat.
Follow Claudia and The PR Habitat:
LinkedIn- Claudia Costello
LinkedIn - The PR Habitat (Company page)
LinkedIn - The PR Habitat (Group page)
Instagram - The PR Habitat
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Host: @MatisseNelis
Hello and welcome back for Season 5 of PR& Lattes, the podcast where you can fill up your cup on everything PR and communications. I'm your host, Matisse, Hamel-Nelis, and I am thrilled to have you join me today for a brand new episode and season. Before we get started, make sure you subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening to it, to get notified each week during the season when a new episode drops. You can also subscribe to our newsletter by visiting our website, PR AndLattes.com. On the website, you'll find our podcast episodes, plus our amazing blogs with new ones being uploaded every Monday morning. And of course, make sure you're following us on Instagram at@PRAndLattes and on LinkedIn, PR& Lattes. On today's episode, I'm chatting with Claudia Costello, a Senior Account Executive at 104 West in Denver, and the community manager of The PR Habitat. She is a self-proclaimed media relations expert and is passionate about telling stories for B2B tech companies. I'm so excited to share my chat with her when we talked about PR, Gen Z and, of course, The PR Habitat. So grab your latte, sit back and enjoy. I am so excited for today's episode. It's an area of communications and PR that I think we're sleeping on and I'm excited to have our guest, Claudia, here from The PR Habitat to talk to us today. Welcome Claudia.
Claudia Costello:Hi. I'm so excited to be here.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Oh, this is gonna be so much fun again. The Gen Z era of communicators coming into the fore of our profession is such a I think it's a breath of fresh air, different perspectives, just different viewpoints. But at the same time, there are a lot of challenges and things like that happening around it. So I'm so excited to get to talk to you about your perspectives and insights and how we as a profession can grow and embrace and do amazing things together. So let's dive into it. So let's start off easy, easy, easy question, hopefully tell me about yourself and your own PR journey.
Claudia Costello:Okay, so I went into college at the University of Colorado, Boulder, completely undecided. I had no idea what I wanted to do, and I just I kind of knew I gravitated toward English and writing language based subjects, and they came natural to me. So I took one intro to advertising PR and media design class during my freshman year, and it just kind of clicked, this is what I want to do. And I think I got really lucky in that sense, where I found something really early on in college that was interesting to me, and I just kind of ran with it throughout my years, I took the classic writing for PR strategic communications, research methods, those types of classes and those just furthered my interest. I also joined the Public Relations Student Society of America, so PRSSA. And within their newsletter in my senior year, I saw an internship in Denver and decided to apply. Somehow I landed it, even though I was definitely under qualified and under prepared for the interview. I think my boss just saw something in me and my writing specifically, and that was the internship started my spring semester of senior year. So after graduation, I felt super prepared, in the sense that I had, like a writing portfolio from the internship, my boss connected me with a bunch of agency leaders, and I just kind of had one foot forward. So after graduation, I applied to a ton of tech startups across the U.S. and agencies just kind of trying to land a job. And I was lucky enough to land one in Denver at 104 West, which is a boutique strategic communications agency, and we do a lot of work, specifically with B2B tech companies and startups.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Awesome, awesome. All right, let's, let's just dive into it. Let's dive into the good stuff. And given the fact that you, you know relatively new into the industry like these, this is a conversation, I think, like all students and new practitioners need to listen to. So I'm excited to get into this. So number one as a Gen Z year entering the PR industry, what challenges have you faced, and how have you navigated them?
Claudia Costello:I think the number one challenge is it's hard to break into the industry. It really is hard. I was lucky enough that I had a mentor who had connections in the industry and was able to kind of connect me with different agency agency leaders. It's just really hard and school prepares you definitely. I felt prepared with writing and AP style, I learned all of that, but it didn't prepare me for the types of roles I needed to apply for. Specifically, I didn't know whether I was applying for account coordinator roles, more internships or. Yeah, honestly, I probably applied to some senior account executive roles just not knowing what I needed to be. I think another challenge is that when you're the youngest person at your job, you tend to be overlooked by leadership and by clients. I've worked really hard to prove myself over these past couple years and show my worth as a member of the team, especially with clients who I feel like traditionally, look to those leadership at the Agency for guidance.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Interesting. I feel like that what you said at the end is also sort of a strength that you have and that you were confident enough to show your worth and your value, right? Here, a lot of recent graduates, or some of my students who just entered the industry feeling like, you know, I can't really step on any toes, or they feel that way when instead, it's like, no, you're just showing your worth. You're showing your value. You're showing your voice and sharing your thoughts that can potentially help in a campaign in a way you didn't realize. Yeah, yeah.
Claudia Costello:And I think it definitely takes time to learn to do that. My first couple months, I don't know if I spoke a word in a single client meeting, and that's okay. I was told by some of the leadership at my company that if I feel like I don't have anything to say, I can just ask a question. Questions are so important, and they start conversations, and that's something that really helps me kind of learn to speak up and prove my worth.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:I love that. I love that. What other unique strengths do you think, not maybe not just you, but in general, when it comes to Gen Z, that they bring to the PR industry? And how do you feel that they can leverage these strengths to really sort of level up in their success?
Claudia Costello:Yeah, I mean, Gen Z is the future of the PR industry. So I think we bring fresh ideas to the table and provide those unique point of views for clients that our elders just wouldn't be able to think of. I think specifically, we're going to change the industry for the better. I've already seen it in my short three year career. We're leveraging social media, other technologies, to connect with journalists and to tell clients stories. I think the last thing is, traditional PR is dying, and the companies that still use it are kind of falling behind. Gen Z is redefining what PR means for companies.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:It's true. I definitely agree with that, and I think that ties into my next question really well, in terms of the role of digital digital literacy, as I get tongue tied, the role of digital literacy and social media expertise, Gen Z have grown up with digital stuff in their hands, whether it be a computer, a cell phone or whatever, and social media is just always been there, like I remember, and I'm going to date myself back in 2006 when Facebook was just for colleges and university students, and I was able to get in on that. Now people think Facebook, and they're like, um, little dated. It's fine. So how has, or how do you see the role of the digital literacy and social media expertise evolving for Gen Z, PR professionals as they move forward, given that they already have this sort of innate prowess with it?
Claudia Costello:I mean, I think you said it perfectly, social media has blown up over the past 10 plus years, and especially recently, I feel like companies have started to leverage it more to connect with their customers and clients. Companies like Duolingo and Wendy's have leveraged it to build a trustworthy brand, and even in present day, Kamala Harris's her campaign for president leverages Tiktok in short form, short form content to connect with Gen Z. I feel like social is no longer just a side effort for companies and within the PR industry in itself, it's become its own full thing. I've seen so many roles crop up for social media analysts, social media experts, and I think it's a great opportunity for us in Gen Z specifically, because we have that digital literacy. Whoa, I got tongue tied too, because we have the digital literacy to kind of fill those roles and prove our worth within those I also think because we're so fluent when it comes to the digital world, we're best suited to fit these roles, and we have the most expertise to develop successful social media content.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:And I think, you know, just naturally because you're using it all the time. And I jokingly say in class, you know, oh, the people on the Tiktok. I say, the Tiktok, why not? What I what I find really interesting and fascinating is how quickly if I ask a student, or my students, to create a campaign that would resonate on Tiktok, not necessarily go viral, because, you know, you never know what's really going to go viral, right? But create something that would resonate. And the idea is, they come up with that usually in, you know, most boardrooms, they would say, oh, that's just a little too out there. Or, like, we've tried that. In the past, it wouldn't work. But there's a spin to it that the Gen Zers are putting on it, that you're like, No, that could actually work, right? Like mentioned Wendy's, for example, and Duolingo, who would have thought that sort of character, if you will, that they've created the personas that they've created for their brand would work in the professional sense. But that's who people are looking to to say that's the type of brand we want.
Claudia Costello:And especially I feel like for Duolingo, their social media and their marketing and advertising, it worked on me. I downloaded the app like, yeah.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, exactly, exactly. So from your perspective, we, you know, digital literacy definitely a huge, a huge win for Gen Z years. What other strengths do you think that they possess that needs to be highlighted, needs to be understood, needs to be appreciated, really, from those who are, you know, a bit older, even as millennials,
Claudia Costello:I would say, along with the digital literacy, I think just we understand technology, and there's so much development within technology, every single day, I'm seeing a new, generative AI tool come out, and that, I think that we are the generation that understands it the best, and it's important for our elders within the business world to come to us and look for us for advice on how to do these things. I mean, generative AI is so confusing. And I mean ChatGPT is awesome. I leverage it every day at work, but I feel like some of the older people I work with, even my mom and dad, they are like, staying away from ChatGPT and not using it to their advantage, and I feel like they might fall behind if that's the case, because it's gonna become such a prevalent part of how we do work every single day.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, I love that. I love that. I and you're so right, it's going to be the Gen Zers who really appreciate and learn the insights and nuances of generative AI to really, you know, shape what that could be in a creative sense, in PR and communications, versus just saying, like I've put in a regular prompt write a press release. It's something regular. Instead, I can see Gen Z really taking it and running with it and creating something where it's like, this is the playbook on how to properly use it to read with everybody, versus just the general, you know, "In the ever-evolving world of" type content.
Claudia Costello:Yeah, no. I mean, I use it every day for kind of just brainstorming. It's so helpful to brainstorm ideas and specifically, like titles or social media, copy, that sort of thing. It is honestly a lifesaver. It's great.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, and I think because, you know, the with the mindset I, at least I've seen with my students, who are Gen Z years, there isn't a fear of the technology. It's rather, how can I add that as a toolkit to my tool? So there isn't the fear of like, oh, it's going to take my job, rather, okay, how can I use this to make my job easier and help overall? Right? You're it makes it easier and it helps with the the amount of work you can do in a short period of time. Why not? Yeah, right.
Claudia Costello:100%
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Love it. Love everything about it. All right. So we talked about mentorship. You said you had a really great mentor who helped you to understand the industry a bit better when you were looking for jobs and that sort of thing. How important do you feel that mentorship with young PR professionals is and how would you recommend them finding and building that relationship? Because usually it can be daunting. Yeah,
Claudia Costello:Yeah, I think mentorship. Mentorship is a huge part of how I got into the industry and have managed to build so many connections with different PR leaders in Colorado and nationwide. If you're in school, I recommend looking to your professors for mentoring. Mentorship. Sorry, let me re answer that. No worries. I get tongue tied on that word for some reason. Can you re ask the question?
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, for sure. So how important is mentorship to people who are just entering the field or who are young PR professionals, and how would you recommend that they sort of go and build those relationships.
Claudia Costello:I think mentorship is a huge part of how I got into the industry and have managed to build my connections with so many PR leaders in Colorado and nationwide. If you're in school, I definitely recommend looking to your professors for mentorship. It's their job to support you, and chances are, they have a large network of prior students who can they can connect you with those prior students who have built their careers already. I think also for those who have just landed their first role in PR, the easiest way to find a mentor is just by looking to your peers at your company. Find someone who is excelling at their role and. Look to them for advice and guidance on how to excel in your role. Mentorship definitely does not have to be a formal process. Also, I've had so many mentors in my career that don't even know that they've been my mentor, as well as formal mentors who I email all the time and just ask general questions. It's it really is such a broad thing. And I feel like people try and focus on, oh, my God, I need one mentor who will do this for me. And that's just not the case.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah. And I think the other avenue that students or young professionals either feel it's daunting or don't take advantage of, is networking like networking events and that sort of thing, where they could find it. So for yourself, how has your networking adventure or journey being like and what tips would you provide to somebody who's looking to network but really make it an authentic networking experience where they're building relationships with either young other young PR professionals, or those who they could, you know, potentially be their mentors or provide assistance and guidance.
Claudia Costello:Like I said earlier, I was in PRSSA in college, and I think that that is probably the easiest way for PR students to network with other PR students and professionals in the industry. It was seriously so easy to join, and meetings were optional, which was great because I wasn't able to attend every meeting, obviously, as a busy college student. And then as I graduated, I transitioned into the PRSA group, which is just the Public Relations Society of America, and I think that that has helped me to connect again with more agency leaders. I've attended a few events. They recently had an influencer event that included local Denver influencers, and you got to hear kind of their side of how they work with PR teams, which I thought was really interesting. And then, so yeah, just joining local PR groups, or if you're a student, see what kind of groups are available at your university. And then also in-person meetings have been the best way for me, personally, to build meaningful relationships in the industry. I think since the pandemic, we've kind of forgotten how important it is to meet with people in person and to form those genuine relationships. It has seriously been great. And when you meet with someone in person, it just it shows a different side of both your personalities, I think. And then the last one is probably the easiest, which would be just connecting with people on LinkedIn and joining groups like The PR Habitat and building relationships through online communities. I think joining those groups is great, but it's what you're, what you make of them, and connecting with people is great, and what you it's what you make of them, even if it's just like, Hey, I saw you do this. I'd love to chat for 30 minutes. That person will remember you forever, honestly. And I think that they can be instrumental, maybe in the future of your career. Maybe they can't help you right now, but in 10 years, who knows?
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, and I love the fact that you mentioned that you know, with the pandemic, the networking side of things, people sort of got rusty, or just didn't even get the opportunity to try it out for the first time. So now we're getting back into the swing of things. I remember going to the IABC World Conference when it was back in person after the pandemic. And these are, you know, people who have been in the industry for many, many years and have done a bunch of networking and conferences, and everyone was just like, I forget how to do this.
Claudia Costello:Yeah, it's hard.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:It's a skill set you need. It takes practice. And you know, with my students, we'll go to because we're based in Canada, there's the Canadian Public Relations Society or IABC/Toronto, here locally. And what we do is, I will take them and I say you have to talk to three new people. That's all I ask you to and it can be about, you know, nice shirt. Oh, thank you so much, right? It doesn't necessarily have to be about PR, but I want the practice of, like, breaking the ice and having that conversation, and watching them grow from event to event to event is always something heartwarming for me, because it's like, okay, look, they're growing their wings, they're flying. They're doing it. But it's very intimidating. But it's also nice to know that for those of us who've done it quite a bit, it's also nerve wracking and daunting and intimidating as well, because what if we say the wrong thing? What if, you know? What if we go there and it's like, oh, we either overdressed, underdressed, forgotten business cards and all this stuff. We may be thinking of different things, but we're also sort of sitting there going, Okay, we're doing this right? Well, we're getting into the networking. So everyone's sort of on the same playing field. And I think for new practitioners in particular, don't be afraid to be nervous. It's okay. We were all there. We've all been there. We all went there. Again after the pandemic. So we're all, we're all in this together.
Claudia Costello:Yeah, I totally agree. And I mean, I don't want to sit here and say that it's easy for me, because it's not easy to go to these in person events. I think you said it best. Now it's a different type of hard. Where it is the is my outfit correct? What if I say something to the wrong person, that sort of thing. But I mean, in person events are awesome, and I love them, and I think that they are so instrumental in building relationships.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, we PR and lattes in August, held the PR & Tacos event. It was a networking event, but we had food involved and feedback that came not just like finger foods, but it was like, we have legit tacos and a bunch of appetizers, like, go enjoy their seats. Take a seat at a random table, meet people. And a lot of folks came back and said, the fact that it was an actual guess meal, if you will, the food helped break the awkwardness, because it could be like good food, right, or, like, bad food was, luckily, was good food. But, you know, they could have those conversations and sort of ease into, like, Oh, can I sit here and then have those conversations? So I think also picking the right networking events to sort of get you over that fear, or that initial, how do I engage with people? And then, you know, picking maybe one every couple of weeks or every couple of months, and saying, Okay, I'm going to go to this one now, and I want to try something new, or I'm going to do this and just expanding and seeing which ones you like, which ones you don't, right? Because they're not all going to be a perfect fit. Um, but overall, as long as you get out there and you network, you know, that's, that's the big thing, I'm, like you said, whether it's online or in person, just start doing it.
Claudia Costello:Yeah, I think just building your network is, yeah, the biggest thing especially is you're transitioning from the academic world to the business world.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, exactly. All right, let's move into sort of your tips and tricks for breaking into the business. What are some of the misconceptions that you think of the PR industry that potentially young PR professional professionals should be aware of.
Claudia Costello:One of the biggest misconceptions is that PR is just marketing or just social media. I think as I've built my career in public relations, I've realized that it encompasses aspects of both and is also so much more. It's about forming those relationships with customers and journalists and every stakeholder involved, and building the image and reputation of a brand.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:And what resources, whether it be books, podcasts, online courses, groups like you mentioned, and we're going to talk more about The PR Habitat shortly. But what would you recommend somebody who's just starting out in PR to either read, listen to join that sort of thing?
Unknown:I love Coffee With A Journalist. It is my go to podcast, and it's so great for someone who's just starting out in PR and looking to build that media relations expertise. A little about the podcast is it interviews journalists and gives tips and tricks specific to the journalists being interviewed. I also tend to listen to podcasts from top journalists. So on with Kara Swisher is a good one, and then TechCrunch has a bunch. But I also I listen to the Equity Podcast the most frequently. Outside of that, I would recommend reading anything and everything about the specific industry you work in, whether you're in house or on the agency side. Like me, I am subscribed to, I'm not joking, probably 30 plus newsletters that I receive in my inbox every single morning, and I at least skim every single one of them. I think some of the good communications newsletters are the Axios Communicators newsletter, and then also On Background by Tonya and Emily. It's a substack newsletter, but it kind of just provides information about journalists leaving their jobs where they're headed, events, awards, it's, it kind of just wraps up everything that you need to know.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, love that. Love that. And one other resource that you mentioned, and I just want to, like, hammer that home, where you said, read anything and everything about your industry. I know students, when they learn about media monitoring, like, oh, it just seems so boring and so dull. And when it's an assignment like, oh my goodness, and you get all the like, you know, it's not the most glamorous in PR, but I will say, when I started out in PR, media monitoring was the best thing I ever did. You know, not just about the industry that I'm in, but for my client, who are their competitors? What are they doing? What are the big trends or insights of that are happening within that particular industry for my clients, so I could be that subject matter expert, almost for them, from a PR perspective, saying, This is what's happening in the news, what people are talking about. This is what we need to pitch. This is what we need to do. This is what we can, you know, promote so on and so forth. And it. And it was until, like, from agency to going in house. It wasn't until where I worked in house, they were like, okay, so you're a little too senior to do this, and we're gonna rip it from your hands. And I was so sad. Like I was a manager, and I'm like, I still want to do it. Like, no, no, let somebody else do it. It's okay. You have other things to do. And I was like, Oh, but I love it, absolutely love it. To this day. Still do it for myself, just you know, I love it because you learn so much.
Claudia Costello:I think as when I first started out, like you said, media monitoring was the easiest way for me to become that subject matter expert, and it helped me prove my worth, like we were talking about earlier, I could just say something like that about a client that nobody else had known because they weren't monitoring the media. And it was so I mean, to this day, same thing. I love doing it, and I have no problem with it, and it helps me, especially when we're starting out on a new client, to understand the industry better. And it just really is. It's a hidden gem. I would say, as far as learning how to do things, it is, like, the biggest, the biggest help.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Agreed, agreed. I love that you said that I'm gonna, like, grab that little piece and share it to my students and be like when we complain about media monitoring. This is why it's important. So you mentioned newsletters and the podcasts and, you know, we just talked about media monitoring. How else do you stay current with industry trends and news, especially with so much it's but when you're an agency side, you may have six or seven clients. They're in different areas of the same sector, so there could be a little bit niche. How do you ensure that you're staying on top of those trends in that news? And what role does continuous learning play in your career development with all this.
Claudia Costello:I think I take probably 30 to 45 minutes every single morning going through those newsletters I'm subscribed to as well as I have Google alerts set up for every single client and their competitors, so I can just quickly scroll through those Google Alerts and see if there's anything big going on in the industry, and make sure I'm not missing out on any important news or reading. And as far as continuous learning, when I first started out in PR, one of my mentors told me that if I wasn't learning something new every single day, I wasn't doing my job. And to this day, I completely agree with the sentiment, which is kind of when she first told me that I was a little nervous. I was like, how much can I possibly learn? But it is so true and continuous learning has also played such a huge role in my career development. Since I keep up with industry trends and stories, I'm able to jump in on calls and answer questions that clients have and provide input during those important conversations. It's helped me to grow in my position. It's helped me as I've excelled in my roles and gotten promoted and everything, and on the opposite end of that, I've also seen people kind of fall off and stay stagnant in their roles because they don't understand certain topics, and because of that, they aren't able to bring those new ideas to the table.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, very, very true. And I love that. Your mentor said, if you're not learning something new every day, then you're not doing your job. I always say, if you're not learning something new every day. You're not You're not getting the most out of this career. And also, if you're doing the same stuff every day, you're not getting the most out of your career. I find whether you're in house or at an agency, there's always something new that will throw off the mundane of a day, right? And if that's not happening, then how can you make that happen. It's sort of how I see it right. Like, is there an idea that you want to sort of run with and sort of see how it goes? You know, is there something else you could be learning to add to your skill set, that sort of thing? So I love that you said that. Absolutely love that you said that. But let's get to the like, the exciting thing for me about this whole conversation. So, The PR Habitat. I stumbled across this on LinkedIn when I was looking for information that I can provide my students about, you know, organizations, networks, that sort of thing, that could help them with their career, or at least provide them insights and a support group, if anything about PR and communications and just, you know, getting into it, because it is a struggle, like you said at the beginning of this call, right? It is a it. The landscape has changed a bit. Um, budgets are getting a bit smaller, and, you know, it can be very difficult to get in. So when I saw The PR Habitat, and it's focused particularly on Gen Zers. I was like, Oh, this is amazing, absolutely amazing. So for those of you who aren't aware, and you will be aware by the end of this, and we'll share links in the description of this podcast as well, so you can follow them. The PR Habitat is described as a community for young PR professionals, right? So what was it that inspired the creation of this group and what are its core values?
Claudia Costello:I can't speak for everyone on the leadership but the reason I wanted to take a leadership position within the PR habitat and get involved was to expand the reach of sharing resources with students. So exactly what you were looking for. I can't tell you how many times I've sat down with PR students, and they're completely lost on what to do post grad. And I think LinkedIn, while it's helpful, can be overwhelming if you don't even know where to start. So our LinkedIn group specifically is a great way for students and early career professionals to get connected. We've all been in that position post grad, and the goal of the group is kind of to make the transition from education to industry a little bit easier for everyone. The core values at The Hab would be community authenticity and diversity. I think at The PR Habitat community seriously means everything. Our growth has been tremendous so far, and we've been able to connect people with each other, and it's also just a safe space for people to post informative content about breaking into the industry. We provide job listings and career opportunities. Recent successes, that's been a really big one in the community, is professionals posting some client wins they've had, and also just finding like minded professionals. Authenticity is also really important. We want community members to reflect diverse voices in the role at large. The PR industry is changing, like you said earlier, especially with the rise of social media and digital and we want to expand the idea of what specifically makes someone a PR pro. I think that. I guess this also falls under diversity, and you can see it firsthand within our leadership board, everyone deserves a voice in PR, and we kind of want to provide a community for that, where anyone is welcome. We have seen so much change within PR, and I've noticed that a lot of the people I work with and I talk to maybe didn't major in public relations, but they're like, this is something I want to do. I've seen sociology majors, psychology majors. It's not just...public relations is not just for people who majored in communications or PR anymore. It's kind of broadened out. And I think The Hab is just a place where anyone who's interested in PR can come and explore more of what it's like and how to break into the industry.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:And how does The Hab you said The Hab? So I'm gonna say that because it just sounds cool. So how does The PR Habitat look to sort of close that industry gap between being in the industry and academia, right? Yes. Why is it important for the future of PR to do this?
Claudia Costello:Yeah, I said it at least a few times in this podcast, and everyone knows it's difficult to make that transition. I didn't really know what entry level jobs to apply for, whether in house or agency was the right path, or even how exactly to connect with people at the companies I was interested in working for. And because it's so difficult to break into the industry, I think that they're missing out on a lot of talented people and bright minds, and it's so important for us who have made it into the industry to help guide other people in the right direction for the future of PR.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:No, I definitely agree with that. And I think there is still very much this disconnect between the industry itself and academia. I think some places do better, better job than others in preparing the students for how do you properly use LinkedIn to network, right? Is it just a spam type situation, or do you properly, like, sort of vet who you're going to network with, right? So it's a proper connection. You've done a bit of research, and it's not this awkward, like, hey, let's connect. Why? PR and your PR. We're friends now, right? That's not gonna fly. But also, I think the whole concept of providing that connection, if you will, where it's if you are missing some of those, those insights or information, like you said, you for yourself, like I didn't know what jobs to apply for. You see, account executive, an account co-ordinator, or account specialist, or specialist, or, you know, just account. There's another phrase that I'm drawing a blank on, but these different terminologies, what level is, what right? And I think that's something, as an educator, you saying that I was like, I don't think I even talk to that with my students when we do professional practice, I just, you know, look for what's supposed to be the lowest one, specialist or co-ordinator, but don't really explain more. So why? Why those are the roles they should be looking for, and why? Might change from either agency to agency, or even in-house to agency. They could be the same rule, just different names. So I think you, you've just given me like a light bulb moment. I'm going to change all my lecture slides for next semester. But I appreciate that, but that insight as well. I think from an academic side, we need to find ways to also help bridge that gap, so like asking our students or going to or places like The PR Habitat to say, Hey, this is where we're at. How can we do a better job? How can we help alleviate the gap, or make that gap significantly smaller within our classroom, so that there is more opportunity for them to really get out there once they graduate and thrive, versus saying, Okay, so now what, how do I do this, right? So thank you so much for saying that I for me as a as a teacher, very much appreciated.
Claudia Costello:Of course, and also The Hab is not only for, like you said, it's not only for Gen Z to post if, if older people come in and have questions on how they can help assist Gen Z Oh, my God. I'm sure you'd get 20 plus comments from Gen Zers saying you should do this, or you should do that. It is just, I think it's more to build up how we will shape the future of the PR industry.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:I love that because you are that that's what Gen Z is here to do. It's to shape the future of what PR will be all about down the line. So you know, when we think about all this, and you know, there are going to be Gen Zers who are listening to this. There are going to be people who are more senior in their careers listening to this, what would be one tip or one piece of advice that you'd give someone starting out in PR that you wish you had known when you started? And what is one piece of advice you would give to those already in the industry when it comes to Gen Z's entering the workforce?
Claudia Costello:One tip I would give and I think this goes across both both groups, is to read, read, read. And when you're done reading and learning about a subject, read some more. You can never, you can seriously, never know too much about a topic or industry, especially when your job as a PR professional is to tell stories about that subject. I think reading and learning are the only things that will make you an expert on a subject, and they're so, so important in development for PR professionals who are first starting out, and also for leaders in the PR world to help get those professionals who are just starting out to the next level.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:So what is you know, to wrap it up, what is the one thing that you think the industry needs to improve on as a whole?
Claudia Costello:I think as an industry, we need to get better at opening doors for aspiring professionals and to help get them into the industry. There are so many opportunities once you're in, it's just so hard to break into it. And I've seen it firsthand where there. I know students who are trying to gain experience, trying to get internships, and they just aren't able to kind of get there. There aren't resources, whether it's through their university or agencies, just not offering opportunities. And I just again, we're missing out on so many bright minds by being closed off and being so hard to break into. And I think that if we're able to open up and provide even if it's just kind of an intro to PR writing course as an agency for whoever's interested or however we can get people into the industry is just, it'll make us so much better.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Yeah, I would totally agree with you. I think the gatekeeping is a big issue, right? It's, you know, you want people to thrive and succeed in this, in this line of work in this industry, and we need to share the this magic sauce, the secret sauce, so that they can do it too, right? Like, I think, like you said, offering those types of classes, whether it's through an agency, just to engage people to understand what it is, and that sort of thing is a fantastic idea. Completely agree with you. So before I let you go, this has been a fantastic chat. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I really, really appreciate it. I've learned quite a bit. I hope the listeners have as well. But before I let you go, this is PR& Lattes, so I have to ask, what is your favorite go to caffeinated beverage?
Claudia Costello:I would say, Nothing. Absolutely nothing beats a neighborhood walk on a crisp morning with a chai latte. That is my ideal morning. And if that could be every morning, I would do it amazing.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Oh, I love, like the visual of that now, now I need it to be a little bit cooler outside. Oh, I'm down with that one. Absolutely love it. So again. Claudia, thank you so much for being on today's podcast. If people want to get in touch with you or learn more and get in touch with the PR habitat, where can they find out?
Claudia Costello:Yeah, The PR Habitat is on LinkedIn and Instagram. On LinkedIn, we have both a company page and a group page. They're both under the PR habitat. So it shouldn't be too hard to find. I think another thing that's good for aspiring pros is our company page does a weekly roundup of early PR jobs every single Wednesday. So look out for that. And then my own LinkedIn is just my first and last name, Claudia Costello. I'm always around to talk to new people and kind of help them, help guide them on how to break into the PR industry. I've only been in the industry, obviously, for a few years, but I love to pass on any and all information and knowledge that I can.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:Amazing. And we'll make sure to put all those links in the description of this podcast, so it's easy for everybody to find and join The PR Habitat. Again Claudia, thank you so much!
Claudia Costello:Thank you. This was awesome.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis:You've been listening to the PR & Lattes podcast. Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, so you can get notified each week when a new episode drops. You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter by visiting our website, prnlatas.com on the website, you'll find our podcast episodes as well as amazing blogs with new ones being posted every Monday morning. And of course, make sure to follow us on social, on Instagram,@PRAndLattes and on LinkedIn. I've been your host. Matisse Hamel-Nelis, thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you next week with a new latte and guest. Bye for now you.
