The Early Days of PR

As someone who has recently been introduced to the world of PR, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss what I have learnt. Who knows this might be a good way to relive the past or for you to figure out if a career in PR is right for you.

Wait – I’ve been here HOW long?

Deciding to write about my early experiences of a career in Public Relations started with a small existential crisis. How does it feel like I have been working for ages but also feels like no time at all!

I am sure every new-starter has had the exact same feelings as I did. Not quite believing how long they have been in their new role. Personally, I put this down to being a part of a perfectly sized team. This means I am able to connect with my colleagues and develop friendships whilst also being given more responsibility and personal training than you may find with large agencies. 

Perhaps an element of this is flexible working. I spent much of my first two weeks online, with only one day in the office. Now we have moved to a two/three split in favour of remote working. This has meant that I am given loads of great training and development in person. I can then use and implement this training while I work from home, at my own speed. For me, it’s been great and I’m pretty sure it’s here to stay in the PR world. 

So, what actually is PR?

A question I have been asked many, many times in recent months, and one my colleagues have been subject to ten-times over. So if you’re starting out in PR, get ready for friends and family who don’t quite understand what you do.

In my first few months my eyes were opened to what PR truly entails, and the close collaboration with journalists. I have been involved in coordinating interviews between journalists from the largest national and international newspapers and our clients. This helps make our clients’ stories as topical and reader-relevant as they can possibly be to meet exact editorial standards. I have already had a few of these exciting moments in my career so far, but I am sure there are many to come. 

I have been involved in writing bylines, blogs and social media posts for some of the largest tech companies, as well as brainstorming whole marketing campaigns and strategies. Some of my ideas were better than others…

Media lists have become a common part of my week, and anyone who works in PR knows the feeling. Creating these datasets with journalists, their roles, their emails and phone numbers (as well as which route they prefer to be contacted by), researching what they have written on relevant topics recently and tailoring your pitch can sometimes be a mammoth task.  But it’s all worth it when that sweet, sweet coverage for your client appears.

PR is this great, and quite unique, balance of creativity, writing and research. More than this, it offers both tangible and intangible results. From creating a great piece of social media content or national newspaper coverage that drives engagement, to providing you with a, “yeah I did that”, moment. 

Fast forward to today

I have learnt so much in my PR career already. Yet the learning doesn’t stop in B2B tech PR, or any form of PR in that case. I can’t wait to see what the future holds in store for me!

While you’re here why not check us out on LinkedIn!