We heard you may want a career in public relations... If so, you're in the right place! 😉 We are big believers that you don't need direct industry experience to succeed in public relations, just the right mindset to jump in!
If you really want to step into the world of PR or are just getting started with a career here, we've got ten very quick tips below to help you jumpstart your career below:
Be a sponge
Time to put any expectations in the backseat and open up your mind to all the new information that will pile in. Bring a notebook and be ready to soak it all up!
Stay on top of the news
It's important to keep up with major publications, but even more so to subscribe to newsletters, social accounts, podcasts and more that are relevant to the PR niche you'll be working in. For example, if most of your clients are food brands, you'll want to subscribe to The Kitchn and Eater right away.
Get familiar with the media In addition to familiarizing yourself with niche publications, you'll also want to start to understand who writes for them. Take time to dive into articles and features to really get to know what a writer covers and make notes about it. This will help you so much with pitching!
Find out what you don't know
There is quite a bit of terminology in the communication industries across marketing, PR and with influencer marketing that can be confusing. It's vital to get to know what they are! Make a note for any terms you might not know and ask colleagues or do a quick Google search to understand what you mean. You'll be a pro in no time by your next meeting ;)
Embrace flexibility
This is an important one! News can change in an instant along with what clients have available or want to share with media, so it's important to embrace flexibility now. This will save you so much stress in the long run!
Brush up on your writing skills
There's never been a better time! You'll spend a ton of time writing as a PR pro between press releases, pitches and emails to clients, so if you've been thinking about brushing up on your writing skills, this is the time to do it. Reading more can also really help with this.
Embrace numbers
PR isn't only writing - it also involves a lot of statistics believe it or not. You'll encounter lots of stats for KPIs, social media, and more so don't be surprised when numbers pop up if you're asked to put a report together or analyze data for a client.
Provide solutions
You'll also soon find that clients will come to your team for advice on roadblocks they might encounter, which is amazing for flexing that muscle of providing a solution. If you come in with a position attitude and the will to help come up with a solution, it will do wonders for your career.
Learn to stay level-headed
Again, you'll experience a multitude of scenarios where things might just seem a little crazy, but staying level-headed will help keep you in the right mindset and be able to face a roadblock head on.
Learn from your mistakes
This is a key tip for any job! We ALL make mistakes, especially when you're new to the job, industry, or company. The key here is to embrace it, make note and learn from your mistake. If you're proactive about learning and accept you've made a mistake, it will be much easier to move forward. We like to think as mistakes as lessons!
Do you have any other advice you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!