When I joined the Market Buzz team a couple of months ago I took the plunge and changed my career from marketing and CRM to PR. This was a challenge I was greatly looking forward to, PR had long appealed to me but I knew that whilst a lot of my skills were transferable to PR I would still have a vast amount new things to learn, and I wasn’t wrong. So two months in, here are the top 5 things I have learnt so far.
PR is a blend of everything – PR is like a melting pot of jobs that are media-related. Storming new ways to promote a client via different channels is a form of advertising campaign. When you’re working at maintaining a company’s image, that is brand management. Writing press releases, the best press releases are the ones that make it straight into the newspapers – so that’s journalism. Last but not least, pitching a press release to an editor, that’s definitely salesmanship.
Relationships are everything – While this is true for a large number of jobs it has never been truer than in the world of PR and you have to create/build those relationships fast, from clients, to journalists, bloggers to social media pros. Your network is vital in this business, as the saying goes “it’s not always what you know but who you know.” You need that relationship to help you get their attention and in order to stand up to a client or journalist in a firm but polite way and have their respect. Never miss an opportunity to connect with someone new, you never know who you will meet and where.
You have to have a thick skin – You will hear “no”, people will be abrupt with you, your call or email may go unanswered and you cannot take it personally. Everyone in PR and the media is busy, all of the time, and it’s not personal. Try a couple of times but don’t become a pest that no-one wants to deal with.
Always keep writing – anything, all the time. The more time you spend writing the better at it you’ll become. Write whenever you have the chance, start a blog, write LinkedIn posts. You stand more chance of getting a client’s feature published if you have written a decent piece that the editor likes and has to make minimum changes to before it goes to press, editors are busy people.
You’re always learning something new – PR is not for someone who has trouble taking in new information, it is coming at you from all angles. Your clients latest offerings, the newest publications, fresh social media, new terminology, staff name changes, so be prepared to soak it all up. My notebook is my new best friend and never leaves my side. Remember tackling something unfamiliar should always be a goal, not a fear.
