With the bright, energetic, savvy young professionals on our staff, tips author Julia Sahin offers in “10 Things PR Pros Must Stop Doing” may resonate or already be in the rear-view mirror. Yeah, we have that kind of staff. And, our exceptional, seasoned professionals nurture best practices by guidance and example.
Still, good advice we think from Sahin, a monthly contributor to Muck Rack. In this article she looks at what young pr pros should do by telling them what they shouldn’t — be afraid to make mistakes, keep quiet and not speak up, transact media relations, ignore the numbers, monitor for stories instead of trends, and be a generalist are some examples.
To complement Sahin’s advice, we offer a few more tips to help you succeed in your public relations career:
- Play to your type in choosing your workplace. We operate in the fast lane. Young pros here like the dynamics of managing multiple clients with diverse needs as a daily regimen. It’s not for everyone. Choose an environment that nurtures your best professional self.
- Put in the effort to know your client as well as possible. Just like friendships, client relationships are built on familiarity. Understand your client, its culture, individuals, strengths and vulnerabilities. Do your homework. It pays off.
- Develop the art and skill of listening, not just hearing. Public relations is all about communicating, and that begins with listening. Listen actively to your clients, your sources, your company experts, your advisors, your sympathizers and contrarians. Your success in all manners of communicating from face-to-face to tweet-to-tweet is linked directly to how well you listen.
Time to time everyone needs a chance to reset their perspectives and lay foundation for more successful professional engagement.
The tips offered here are good refreshers.
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By Jayne Davis, SDI, February 24, 2015