It’s a hilarious – and also scary – take on how many of us PR professionals are dumping the word “excited” into each press release. And I won’t lie (because the internet lives forever), I’ve also used the word “excited” in releases from time to time.

So while it’s tempting to simply now offer a few thesaurus-ready alternatives to “excited“, I think what we (myself included) really need to do is re-evalaute the way we write quotes in general. As such, here are a few things to consider before falling into the age-old, “We’re so excited to….” quote:

• Can you skip over the excitement all together? Often, we’re opening with “we’re so excited” as way to stall the quote. Write the quote, then cut out the “excited” clause – the rest of the quote may work as a stand alone.
• Quotes are most effective when they sound like they were actually spoken by the attributed executive. Consider that executive’s “voice” and consider what they may actually say about the announcement (and I’m willing to bet few can’t wait to tell you about how “excited” they are.)
• Write down the top messages you’re trying to get across in the release. Are you missing any of them? Make that message the quote, and get straight to the point.
• Quotes are a fantastic tactic for when you want to insert opinion into a news release, and can’t simply type up a statement about your client’s perspective in a raw paragraph. Use the executive quote to put the opinion at the forefront. For example, “We’re the only company leveraging this technology to do X”, or “Our software is matchless in its ability to Y.”

Any other strategies for avoiding seeing your press release on the Everyone’s Excited in Press Releases blog?

Working with Strutta, an interactive promotions company offering an intuitive contest builder that enables businesses to manage fully branded online contests, we are calling for all applicants to get creative, think big and use social media to land a sweet summer job. If you think you have what it takes to work in the big city, then submit a video or photo to the New York Intern Project site, explaining why you would make a great intern. Contestants will then fill out an online questionnaire form that details why they would be an ideal addition to Affect’s team. The winning intern will receive $5,000 and a housing stipend of up to $5,000 to live in New York City for the summer. Rent’s high here, but you can find a nice place with that dough!

Of course, this is a contest, so there’s a catch. Once you enter, your entry goes to an open voting system developed by Strutta. You’ll have to find votes, because the top six vote-getters will move onto the next round. This means use your family, friends, Facebook, Twitter and every other form of social media you can think of to convince people that you’re the ideal candidate for Affect.

Once in the final six, our judges will narrow the field down to three. But these aren’t your everyday judges. Nope, they’re acclaimed tweeter, author and founder of Garage Technology Ventures and Alltop, Guy Kawasaki, and Mashable assistant editor Erica Swallow. Plus, Affect’s founder and President Sandra Fathi and vice president and partner for the agency Leslie Campisi will also weigh in.

The judges will want to see your smarts, creativity and overall personality. For more information, check out what the judges will be looking for here.

After the panel narrows the contestants down to three, the lucky finalists will be flown to NYC for an in-person interview. The winner of the contest will be chosen shortly afterwards. But if you win, don’t expect to be doing office supply work. You’ll be thrust into our day-to-day, drafting press releases, writing blog posts, attending PR, marketing and social media industry events, and sitting in on calls and agency meetings.

So hurry and get your entries in because the earlier you start the more time you will have to grab votes. All entries must be submitted by April 8, 2011.

Once you’ve entered, let us know on Twitter that you want to be the next New York intern with the hashtag #nyintern. Also, you can tell potential voters and rally more votes by submitting your video on our Facebook page.

So get your cameras rolling, and start drumming up support. We can’t wait to see your video!

Good luck!

1. Clean Up Your Online Image – First and foremost, make sure that your online image is Google-ready. Most hiring managers will Google a job candidate at some point in the hiring process – sometimes before an interview. Google yourself and find out what happens. Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? Has your personal blog been dormant for months? Do photos from a night of over indulging in Cancun come up in search results? Take a good inventory of how you appear online and prepare the groundwork. Make sure that content that a potential employer can access is appropriate. Use privacy settings whenever possible. Untag yourself in photos if you can’t remove them from the public eye. Ask people to recommend you on sites that allow reviews such as LinkedIn and Guru.com. Create new ‘favorable’ content to hit the top of the search results (see next tip).

2. Make Yourself ‘Findable’ – If you don’t have an online presence, you need one. Social media is a great way to quickly create an online reputation for yourself and build out your resume and profile. Most of the tools are free. Create a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook page, join Twitter and any relevant professional networks or communities in your field. Even adding your name to a directory or commenting on a high profile blog can create new content for a prospect employer to find when searching for information on you. You can create a YouTube video of yourself (but make sure it’s industry/job appropriate) or a a full website resume.

3. Be an Expert – In addition to looking for job opportunities, you should be looking for opportunities to put your skills into action. Consider starting a blog, or at least, a guest blog to highlight your field of knowledge. Create an online portfolio of your work with a Flickr account. If you are a marketer, answer questions on LinkedIn pertaining to marketing (this also puts your name  and business smarts in front of all of your connections.) Participate in message boards and forums that are frequented by prospective employers and be a helpful presence – answer questions, post articles, start discussions, etc. Focus your ‘tweets’ on Twitter to build a following in your field. Share your ideas, best practices, relevant articles and other information that ‘prove’ you are in the know and have up to date skills to share. Post PowerPoint presentations on SlideShare to show off your handiwork.

4. Join the Group – Groups on LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms offer more opportunities to connect with potential employers and colleagues. When you join a group on LinkedIn, you are often able to direct message members. This can be a direct line of communication to a hiring manager or executive at the firm of your desire.When appropriate, you can also post message to the entire group to help in your job search. In addition to groups, a single connection may be your gateway to the right job opportunity. Leverage individual connections to facilitate introductions to hiring managers.

5. Actively Listen – Don’t just rely on the traditional job boards to find your next position. Set up RSS feeds and Google Alerts to notify you when new jobs have been posted in your field. Check out non-traditional job boards. For example, LinkedIn also has job boards inside group settings where only group members can post job opportunities. If you ‘fan’ a company on Facebook, you might be the first to find out about job openings. Seek out and follow recruiters (professional recruiters and internal hiring managers) on Twitter. Many often post job opportunities on Twitter first before sending out mass communications to their network. In addition, responding via Twitter may separate you from the ‘death by inbox’ syndrome that plunges many resumes into the email abyss.

6. Turn Online Connections Into Offline Connections – Social media offers us opportunities to expand our Dunbar Number (theoretical number of sustainable social relationships that one person can maintain) from 150 to hundreds of thousands. However, when it comes to getting a job, candidates are usually only hired after they’ve met the hiring manager in person. And, influencers still tend to recommend candidates that they know and have met directly. So, take your online relationships offline. Participate in networking events, organize a MeetUp, take a connection out to lunch and ask for informational interviews to get some face-time with potential employers.

Additional Resources:

7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media (Mashable)

How to Find a Job on Twitter (Mashable)

Finding a Job Using Social Media (SlideShare)

General Information on the Topic:
PR Newswire Toolkit: http://prtoolkit.prnewswire.com
PRWeb Resources: http://www.prweb.com/writing_release.php
Publicity Insider: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
Online Marketing Blog : http://www.toprankblog.com/2008/02/seo-tips-for-public-relations/
Why Big Brands Struggle with Social Mediafrom Mashable

Twitter Resources:
Make Tweet Love – Top Tips for Building Twitter Relationships from Brian Solis
Twitter Etiquette: Five Dos and Don’ts from CIO Magazine
Getting Things Done on Twitter from Emily Chang
14 Tools for Highly Effective Twitter Users from Kenny Hyder
How to Get Retweeted from Guy Kawasaki

Presentation
The presentation is available online at SlideShare or here:

UPDATE 2/25: For full webinar replay (slides and audio) click here.