”Learn, ask questions, try new things, and don’t be too hard on yourself when things go wrong – what’s important is that you learn from your mistakes and integrate your learning in the future.
MADDISON BIJELICPR ACCOUNT COORDINATOR
So you’ve just finished your studies? Or maybe you are just looking for a career change and have decided that you want to enter the field of PR? Great! PR is a rewarding and sometimes challenging field that plays a crucial role in supporting businesses to achieve their objectives, one of which is often to build a positive brand image.
Build your knowledge and keep learning
Starting off in any new career as a beginner is always going to require a significant amount of learning. However, PR is an especially dynamic field that includes many disciplines, such as social media, media relations, graphic design, event management, just as a few examples. So there are plenty of aspects of PR to learn, and your learning should not stop as you advance in your career.
Instead, you should continuously strive to develop your knowledge. Attend workshops, conduct research on your relevant industries and don’t be afraid to take the initiative to ask your managers or co-workers for some guidance to assist in your skills and knowledge development.
Develop strong communication skills
At the core of PR is effective communication. PR is about communicating ideas, influencing outcomes, and creating change. Without effective communication skills, you can’t do this. Nor can you engage the people you need to help you. In PR, you need to build positive relationships with the likes of media, influencers, customers, and other important stakeholders to deliver the outcomes you need.
Continue to develop and practice your writing and presentation skills. This will aid in developing compelling press releases, pitches, captions, and other PR materials to help secure the best media coverage.
Equally focus on being effective in your everyday communications with key stakeholders. Being courteous and professional at all times goes a long way in relationship building, and being considered and concise will help support effective delivery.
Keep up-to-date
Trends and the media landscape are constantly changing. What is relevant one day may not be the next.
It is vital in PR that you stay informed with current trends, news, and the media landscape to deliver the most effective and relevant PR strategies. Ensure you are continually researching your relevant industries, competitors, and customer preferences.
Network
As mentioned previously, strong relationships are vital in PR. Having strong relationships with media, influencers, and industry professionals can greatly assist in securing the best coverage and providing valuable insights.
To help build up your network, attend industry and media events, join PR associations, and connect with media and industry professionals on LinkedIn.
Be organised and detail-oriented
There are often multiple tasks and deadlines that have to be juggled when working in PR, especially if you are working in a PR agency across a variety of projects and clients.
Ensure you use tools to help you stay organised, such as online calendars, to-do-lists, and reminders. Review your work multiple times before distributing to target media or presenting to clients. There is nothing that destroys trust with your clients or leaders faster than if you miss deadlines or produce work with errors.
Being organised and detail-oriented will help ensure that your deadlines are met and help to build your professional reputation in the PR field.
And finally…..be patient!
No one is going to become an expert overnight in any career they are just starting out in – and nor will you be expected to. Learn, ask questions, try new things, and don’t be too hard on yourself when things go wrong – what’s important is that you learn from your mistakes and integrate your learning in the future.
Focusing on strengthening your capabilities with the above-outlined skills will help you to start your career in PR off on the right foot.
