5 Characteristics of the Ideal PR Professional

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If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve heard me say it a thousand times: PR isn’t a career for the faint of heart. By no means do I have the experience of many of my peers, but even I recognize that the field isn’t for everyone.

However, just because it’s not for everyone, doesn’t mean its not for some. In fact, if being completely honest here, there’s a sliver of society that dominates the industry. Who are they? What are they like? Are you one of them? 

To find out, read each of the following five points to see if you and the magnificent field of PR have a bright future together:

1) Friendly

PR isn’t what it once was. While traditional PR practitioners were constantly engaging in face-to-face interactions, unless you’re a PR representative for a large sports franchise or booming enterprise, you’re probably primarily limited to digital interaction. 

That being said, being a friendly person can take you a long way in the profession.

2) Honest

Seems like an obvious one, right? Wrong. Innumerable are the PR pros who fail to disclose affiliate relationships when interacting with journalists or even go as far as forging results so clients will stay onboard for another contract. 

Regardless of religious affiliation, karma is very much a part of what PR people do. Simply put, what goes around comes around. Stay honest and success will find you.

3) Urgent

In my opinion, urgency is one of the most overlooked of desired attributes. Urgent people don’t run around like wild men; moreover, they’re efficient in their promptness. 

Additionally, they don’t wait to be told what to do or how to find a solution to a pressing issue. They simply act for themselves and are continuously engaged in the betterment of a client and employing agency or firm.

4) Deadline-Driven

On a resumé, it’s not uncommon to see people list “attention to detail” as one of their top skills. Likewise, a startling majority of people also claim to be “deadline-driven.” Let me set the record straight on this one—few and far between are those who live for the thrill of meeting deadlines. And yes, it’s really a thrill.

I’ve interviewed quite a few up-and-coming PR people and few of them have actually understand how important this is. Why do you think most agencies force an internship on you before offering employment? While not the sole reason, this is a huge part of it. 

5) Thick-Skinned

Not big-boned, but thick-skinned. Trust me, there’s a difference. Anyway, this is tremendously impactful, believe it or not. Whether it’s a harsh comment from a client, coworker or even your boss, no matter how talented you are, throughout the course of your career, you’re going to be blasted for your work. 

Sometimes you’ll be in the wrong and will rightfully receive what you deserve. Other times, however, you’ll think you’re in the clear and will still catch some flak. Either way, you’ve got to suck it up and keep going. People pay way too much money for PR services to have you over in the corner pouting.

Now it’s your turn—what’s been left off of my list? If you feel the need to add something to what I’ve already presented, hop on Twitter and tweet at @EchelonCopy. As always, Echelon will respond in a timely manner to keep the conversation going.

 

Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

You’ve Got Mail: Why Any PR Person Worth His or Her Salt Quickly Responds to Email

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Don’t lie—on multiple occasions you’ve received a text message, read who it came from then subsequently placed your phone back in your pocket or purse. Even worse, sometimes, later on, you’ll run into the very person who you went out of your way to ignore. This is the pits. Seriously, it’s a pretty bad situation. 

However, if you think that’s bad, think of how it’d feel to be the guy or gal who’s on the opposite side of this interaction. Pain, heartache and an unavoidable desire to crawl into a hole and hang out for a long while is often the end result.

There’s Blood On Your Hands

Now, let’s turn this to PR. Believe it or not, this exact situation occurs all day, every day. No, I’m not referring to you shooting an email pitch to a top-tier journalist only to not even get a friendly rejection email in return. Nope, I’m talking about a different kind of culprit: it’s you.

Any time you get an email and do nothing to respond in a timely manner, you symbolically spit in the face of the sender. If you’re a PR person, you’re a professional communicator. Like, people actually pay you money for your ability to interact with other people, regardless of medium. For Pete’s sake, you work in communications—remember? It was that college major your parents told you to think long and hard about before getting into? Ring a bell?

No Excuses for Not Making Email a Priority

Heck, you’ve even got a smartphone, tablet, laptop and desktop computer with enough push notifications to kill a small mammal, reminding you of your responsibility to speak with those trying to get ahold of you. As a communicator, your number one goal is to interact in a prompt, concise and efficient manner. 

I’m aware that the list of accomplishments a PR person can have associated with his or her name is a lengthy one; yet, as far as I’m concerned, the more quickly you respond to my emails, the more seriously I know you take your job as a communicator. 

Respond to email and see success. Ignore it and, most assuredly, you’ll miss out on some great work-related opportunities. So, what are your thoughts on the matter? What’s the current state of your inbox: filled to the brim with unopened emails or completely up-to-date and organized? Hop down to the comments section to share your thoughts and feelings.

 

Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.