CSBA Presentation: Creating a Communications Internship to Brand Your School District

Arcadia USD has created a Digital Communications Internship program to help tell the district's story in order to help recruit the best teachers and students, advocate for funding via parcel tax and bond measures and create community engagement and support. More than 30 students participate in the internship program and work for the Public Information Office. The student-interns serve as news reporters who cover the entire school district. Since creating the program, Arcadia USD has received a drastic increase of positives stories in the local media and on social media. The internship program, which won an "Excellence in Communications" Award from the California School Public Relations Association, has partnered with two local news publications and has stories published regularly. Ryan Foran, Chief Communications Officer, Arcadia USD Cung Nguyen, Board Member, Arcadia USD David Vannasdall, Superintendent, Arcadia USD. 

FULL AUDIO FROM THE PRESENTATION BELOW, CLICK PLAY

4 Unique and Easy Ideas to Increase Social Media Engagement Podcast

Your social media pages don’t need to be all about you! Get tuned into your community and become a source and resource of valuable information for your followers. There are four unique and easy posts you can add to your social media strategy that will help drastically increase engagement almost immediately. The common theme among all four is “community.”

1. Scenic Photos

2. Sports Teams

3. Local Fire, Police, Utilities, City

4. Breaking News

Get creative and think about what posts are “universal” and appeal to the majority of your audience. What can most of your followers relate to? Listen to the podcast for more details and specifics on these four social media engagement strategies.

PLAY PODCAST

iMovie App Video Editing How to Zoom in and multiple camera effect with zoom

A great technique to correct framing issues on interviews, and another low to no budget way to make your studio video appear to have multiple cameras!.

Ken Burns Effect iMovie App Editing on iPhone Tutorial

Hoe to edit with the Ken Burns effect on the iMovie app, and how to make your photos and videos much more elegant and professional. 

High-Quality Videos On A Low Budget

Creating high-quality videos is much cheaper than you would think. It's also critical for anyone in the field of public relations, marketing, social media, or any form of digital communications. We all know video is king on social media and most other mediums, but finding the right equipment on a budget can be difficult. In addition to the video of our little low-budget studio below, you can create these videos in the field and on the road. This makes for very engaging content that your audience will appreciate. Below is a list of all the equipment from Amazon, and here is a link to another blog for tips on how to use iMovie to create these high-quality videos. For my latest podcast episodes click here.

Studio Equipment Links from Amazon:

Neewer 9 x 15 feet Green Chromakey Background Screen

AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag $23.49

BOYA BY-M1 3.5mm Electret Condenser Microphone with ¼ adapter for Smartphones $19.95

PlugLug 3.55mm Audio Splitter Cable Male to two Female $4.99

Neewer Photography 160 LED Studio Lighting Kit $67.99

Vastar Universal Smartphone Tripod Adapter $8.99

Fergie National Anthem Apology A Brilliant PR Move

Fergie’s national anthem apologize was brilliant from a public relations standpoint. Fergie shifted the negative narrative after her rendition of the national anthem went viral on social media. 

"I've always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA. I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best," Fergie first told TMZ. 

PODCAST - Hit play and listen 🎤

The former Black Eyed Peas singer who is from Southern California did several things correct in her apology.  

• She apologized
• Offered an explanation
• Gave no excuses
• Was humble and vulberable 

Great job by Fergie on the apology, and on second listen, I didn’t think her rendition was that bad… 

Podcast & Video: Giroptic 360 Smartphone Video Camera Review & Virtual Reality

Review and interview about the Giroptic 360 smartphone video camera. I talk with Arcadia Unified Chief Technology Officer Scott Bramley about the camera, and our first impressions after testing it out. What we like, and where it could improve. Overall, a definite 👍🏻. The video we shot is also below.

Podcast: How to Communicate Missing Students in Your School District

Five Crisis Communications steps to take when your school district has a missing student. 

1. Contact the family 

2. Work directly with law enforcement 

3. Stick to the facts 

4. Constant communication with school site 

5. Be sure to follow up

Full details via podcast. Play below.