Tips for success from a public relations professional

In public relations, it’s not always about what you know, it’s about who you know. University of North Texas 2017 graduate, Keoni Holoman came to a journalism class to give advice, tell about what it’s like after college and share her tips for success.

A short biography of Keoni Holoman

Holoman is a Mayborn School of Journalism graduate. After graduation, she worked as a marketing and communications manager for the RKD Group in Richardson, Texas. There, she managed internal and external marketing and communications efforts. Last November, Holoman transitioned to become a public relations specialist for Carter BloodCare. She has been quoted by channels such as NBC 5 and Dallas Morning News. She says her “endgame” is keeping her organization in line with its mission, building meaningful relationships and reaching exciting communication goals.

Care about the messages you send

Although Holoman covered topics ranging from media training, research planning and social media campaigns, the thing she stressed the most was caring about the work that is produced. When speaking about how to find a company’s voice, she mentioned that is all starts with research, but those plans need someone to care about the message those plans send to the organization’s target audience. According to Holoman, when you care about your work and how other’s view your work, it makes for a more authentic campaign that publics can really appreciate.

Advice to college students

Holoman gave the journalism students advice to help them after college. She made it clear that a portfolio with a variety of writing was imperative. In addition to that, she suggested updating resumes, LinkedIns and personal websites. A helpful tip that she passed along was always be ready to present, because employers like people who speak confidently. Some skills Holoman passed along is to be self-motivated, be able to provide a quick turnaround, but always have strong ethics going into any environment. She said with these things, you should get the job.

Even more than the tips and tricks of the industry, Holoman showed the pr students how to present themselves. She spoke with confidence, represented herself well and modeled what a pr professional is supposed to look like.