In my opinion, being a PR Working Girl can be summed up in one word: waiting.
You'd think the hard part would be getting the reporter/editor/blogger interested in your clients' news, but no, I think I've been doing this long enough that I am pretty confident I can pitch anything you could throw at me (but that's not a challenge). The hardest part of my job is waiting, sometimes months, for that dang reporter/editor/blogger to keep his/her end of the bargain and publish something, dang it. I mean, they said they would, right?
Although, it does makes getting a hit, i.e. press coverage, that much more sweeter. It's almost always worth that agonizing wait and knashing of teeth, hair pulling, horribly frightening dreams about work and all that ...
So since I do a lot of waiting, I think being a PR Working Girl has taught me a lot about patience. And I'm thankful for that.
(Sorry if this is all just jargon and boring to some of you, but just wanted to provide an inside peek into a PR Working Girl's life for those who were interested.)
I am grateful for my career, and grateful that I have become a more patient person because of it. And because I am also working on perfecting the art of the "follow-up," which is basically applying your best negotiation skills, I have pretty much learned how to get my own way 99% of the time outside of work, hee hee. Don't tell that to my husband, though. Ah, you just can't put a price on the art of the "spin."
Is there anything you guys want to know about what it's like to work in the PR industry? Anyway, if you want to leave a comment with your question(s) I'd be happy to address them in my next post (my blogging shift here is on Fridays or Saturdays). Or if not, tell me instead, what life lessons has your Working Girl career taught you?
Sometimes, I think it's kinda nice to stop and think about our jobs as more than just what pays the bills.
Friday, April 23, 2010
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4 comments:
I <3 your banner . . . how did you get so creative?
In my business, we have a saying that describes that aspect perfectly: "Hurry up and wait," or "Standing by to stand by." So often there's 30 minutes of mass chaos, 2 hours of standing around waiting, and another 30 minutes of running around like my hair is on fire. Patience definitely required!
I'm always interested in what pulled people to their job. Also, how you got started/what education/what intrigues you/what do you like about the PR world.
At 28, I still don't know what I want to be when I "grow up" and it's starting to drain on me.
I'm a beauty/fashion blogger who gets sent products to review. For me it's a matter of personal integrity to post about the product with an honest review, and then send the PR person a thank-you email with a link to the post. I don't mind follow-up emails, but at times the follow-up seems to be hasty and impatient. Case in point: I was sent a lash serum to review and the product's instructions said it would take 4 weeks or more to see full results, but within the first week I got a check-in email. That to me comes across as unprofessional and makes it seem like the publicist doesn't know enough about the product she's promoting.
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