media update’s Talisa Jansen van Rensburg looks at five of the things journalists need to know before moving over to public relations.

1. PR moves at a slower pace than the newsroom

This might not seem like an issue at first, but if you are a busy body, you might find that PR is just too slow for you. This is not to say that a PR pro is not busy, but the pace at which a PR pro works might not suit yours. So you will either need to adjust to the new pace, or you have to stick to your adrenaline vibes in the newsroom.


2. PR is not easier than journalism

Every job comes with their own type of stress. No job is easy, because if it was, everyone would be doing it! You will have to be willing to adapt to the changes and new challenges that will arise from your new job. If you want to change careers in hopes that it will be easier, PR might not be the job for you!


3. Journalist will have respect for you because you already know what they want!

There is a stereotype surrounding PR pros: the stereotype is they just copy and paste their pitches in their emails, and the moment they press send, they pick up the phone and make a call to the journalist to follow up and ask if they received it.

Luckily, since you are coming out of the journalism industry, you have already built up relationships with journalists and you know what they want; therefore, they will look forward to your pitches.


4. Public relations is a big deal

PR pros play a vital role in ensuring the success of brands putting their name out there.

Once you move over to PR, you’ll be comforted in the knowledge that you’re not leaving behind an important job and moving into a job that doesn’t matter. PR pros help build clients’ credibility; they help raise awareness to newsworthy information from different brands and they help manage their clients’ reputation.


5. You will need to be a full-time storyteller

You have to remember that your story will be your currency; this is what puts the bread and butter on the table. The stories that you tell will need to have a significant meaning. You will want the stories that you share change the world, so you will have to ensure that the stories you tell will affect the lives of the people reading it.



Do you think that journalists make good PR pros? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Hey journalists: Before mingling with PR pros, take a look at what they have to say in our article, Dear journalists: Here are five things PR pros want you to know
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