Public relations comes with an abundance of joys, experiences
and opportunities.
The people, the places, the clients — it's an epic journey up the mountainside of communications — and trust you we, the view is incredible!
But there's more to it … including ways around unlocking this pathway to find the ultimate joys that it holds in the communications space. Keen to hear more?
media update's Robyn du Preez spoke to Jenny Griesel about how to go about unlocking the PR industry to ensure your professional success:
1. After having worked in PR for a substantial period, what would you consider to be the highlight of the job?
For me, the highlight is getting to work on brands you love and doing the work you love with people you love working with.
Once you have established trust in the relationship through consistent delivery, clients become open to your ideas and input. This puts you in a position to shape the trajectory of PR campaigns, which is both exciting and extremely rewarding.
2. What would you say is the most important factor in your approach to garnering new clientele?
I focus on the long term and aim to work with clients that are looking for long term PR support.
There is value in what they are doing, and it is important that they understand how PR can help them achieve their goals —
as well as how it can't. There must be alignment in the vision of the role that PR will play in their business.
You also need to connect with the client team and [make them] feel that you will be able to establish a sense of rapport with them.
Working with brands and organisations you love and respect is the ultimate goal of almost every PR. Aim high and aim for the ones you most aspire to work with.
3. What steps can people within this industry take in order to climb the PR ladder?
- Focus on consistent delivery. Anybody can wow a client in a pitch, but keeping them for the long term is where the work and the value lies.
- Apply relentlessly — stay determined in every single campaign you work on and deliver results.
- Never lean into formulaic approaches. Always think of new ways to generate value.
- Understand that client relationships are a vital part of the mix. As PR practitioners, we are brand custodians in a particular way, and clients must feel safe with you.
- Be contactable and always, always respond.
4. Do you have any general advice for those entering the field?
Spend your time in the trenches. I recommend working in media for at least 10 years before going into PR.
This will help you build your network of relationships and truly understand what makes good media content.
Once you understand that, you know what will stick and how to craft that.
You need to love and follow the media:
- listen to multiple radio stations
- read various news sites
- read several magazines
- watch loads of TV shows
- spend time on social media, and
- follow media personalities.
Additionally, keep up to date with who is doing what and the kind of content being created by the various media.
5. Are there any upskilling opportunities, courses or qualifications that you would consider to be non-negotiables for a PR professional to have? What would they be?
To me, there is no one particular course that stands above the rest, but achieving good results in a diploma or degree shows dedication and that the person comes with a certain level of skill and polish.
These qualifications also look good on company profiles and pitches and will help the person open doors.
Non-negotiable skills are:
- excellent writing skills
- the ability to multitask
- being organised
- creative thinking
- good negotiating
- persistence, and
- the ability to stay calm in any situation.
In most cases, public relations comes with a high workload. PR is definitely not a nine-to-five job. You have to work hard and smart, not one or the other, so in my mind, you need to love what you do to enjoy the process.
Have more questions on PR that you'd like answered by a pro? Drop them here in the comments!
*Image courtesy of Canva