And the PR pro lived happily ever after …
ha! That is not exactly how this story might go. In real life, the best way to create your own 'happily ever after' in the PR industry is to take the lessons from rom-coms and apply them in your daily life. Unlike a romantic comedy, life is not scripted. Therefore, you have countless opportunities to make new choices and influence your career.
So what can PR pros learn from rom-coms? Well, let's get right into it:
1. Rom-Com lesson #1: Understand it's not all moonlight and roses
In the beginning of almost every cheesy rom-com
ever, the viewer will see the main character having it all and then losing it all (or vice versa). Loss is inevitable, both in romantic comedies and in life. This is such an important thing to take note of when looking to learn something from a romantic comedy.
In the PR industry specifically, there are countless challenges that you will face on a daily basis. Instead of getting upset about these issues, it is important to rather take note of them, understanding that not everything will be easy.
When a crisis appears, it's time to come up with and implement a crisis management plan as soon as possible. If you are not sure how to do this, be sure to check out
Crisis management 101: What to do when disaster strikes.
2. Rom-Com lesson #2: You have the freedom to choose your future
In romantic comedies, the main character is always faced with many choices throughout their journey. These choices essentially help them to reach their goals by the end of the plot. But in real life, it is not always that simple; we all know that romantic comedies are scripted and have a
certain structure, comprising the beginning, the crisis climax and the resolution. But this doesn't mean that you can’t choose your own journey.
For example, if you are stuck with a client that makes your life miserable, you can choose how to deal with the issues and the same goes for the company you work for. If you are not growing or learning at your current company, you have the option to look around for new and better opportunities. It's your choice!
3. Rom-Com lesson #3: Taking a chance is worth the risk
In the classic cheesy rom-coms, you will always find a character that wants to portray the amount of love that they have for the other person and they usually do this by being bold or courageous.
As a PR professional, you can focus on making use of
bold tactics. This can be done by:
- doing the unexpected
- being different, or
- trying new things when the opportunity arises.
By making use of these tactics, there is a better chance that the public will take notice of you.
An example of a PR stunt that nailed the area of bold tactics was
Deliveroo, which brought Rachel Green’s famous “Meat and Sweet” trifle from the popular 1990s series Friends to life. This was done to celebrate the last episode of the series that aired Thursday, 6 May 2004.
“
While fans were naturally dubious about the trifle’s taste, reports suggest that it was surprisingly good. Then again, I guess it wouldn’t have been much of a publicity win for Deliveroo if it actually tasted like feet,” says Nikki Gilliland, contributor for
Econsultancy.
This just shows what can happen when a PR professional decides to take big risks!
4. Rom-Com lesson #4: Always do the right thing
In romantic comedies, we see that the characters in the movie that are dishonest and unethical always lose. The protagonist, though, is always the one that is good, kind, ethical and good things end up coming back to them.
A PR professional
always needs to be transparent and ethical. This means that you need to be honest with clients, the public and with your team because “the minute you ask your team to be unethical by, for example, being dishonest with a client about something, you are encouraging a culture of dishonesty,”
says Bonnie Robinson, who runs The Reputationalist, in a previous media update article.
So,
what are ways of preserving PR ethics? Well, in a previous
media update article, we took a look at a few and they include:
- always being honest
- honouring time
- Being competent, and
- maintaining confidentiality.
5. Rom-Com lesson #5: Timing is everything
In rom-coms, the setting usually falls over a holiday period, national event or another significant day or season. This makes everyone, including the viewer, feel a little more cheery, thankful or in love.
It is important to remember that
timing is indeed everything; if you share a press release a moment too early or a day too late, it might not perform as well as it should.
Rom-coms show that timing is vital for the success of a new job or a new relationship and so you need to understand the right time to send out follow-up emails, or the right time of the year to hold an event.
The same goes for when you want to launch a new marketing campaign — do not leave it too late or launch it too early, because you want to ensure that you gain the right amount and kind of attention from your audiences.
So, what are some
tools that PR pros can use to get their timing just right, you ask? Well, let’s take a look:
- Technology allows PR professionals to choose from many different solutions to better help them with their work.
- Social media is a great place to connect with journalists who will better help you to figure out when the best time is to post content on a publishers site.
- Media monitoring allows a PR pro to have a record of where and when their client’s brand was mentioned on any media platform.
What are some other things you think that PR pros can learn from romantic comedies? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Did you know that as a PR professional there are many things that you can learn from the superior feline? Be sure to check out these
Five things every PR pro can learn from cats.
*Image courtesy of Unsplash