by Courtney Gillen
Being a publicist entails more than knowing how to write well, make impeccable lists, juggle multiple projects at once, and dig your nose into the news every morning.
Obsessive With Numbers
While the common misconception positions publicists as only vying for the front page, it’s not just about the placement and the story, but the numbers too. At the end of a campaign, sometimes the most rewarding thing is when it’s you, that Excel sheet and the numbers. Seeing your hard work, blood and sweat come together in a Media Report and bringing together amazing hits to a measurable outcome is just one of the most fulfilling parts of being a publicist. You’ll find that crunching numbers is actually relaxing.
Dating Your Inbox
Long gone are the days of obsessively checking your phone, hoping that hottie texted you back. Public relations brings that to a whole new level! Finding the right journalist, producer or blogger for that perfect pitch is already like finding the right partner in life (or at least feels like it sometimes), and once you find them, that pitch is scanned over, thought through for excessive time, rewritten over and over, and sent to a co-worker or two for a stamp of approval- much like that first text. You send it, it was perfect, and how couldn’t they read that and think, “Yes!”? This quickly becomes second nature, and eventually you learn how to accept the rejections and celebrate the wins. You win some and lose some.
Always Carry a Charger
Today, in our always connected society, your heart already drops when your phone makes that dreaded “low battery” beep, en route somewhere away from a phone charger. But this already seemingly world ending noise is brought to a whole new level when you work in PR. Your client is calling you with a DEFCON 1 situation? Good luck, buddy. That one journalist got back to you with an amazing opportunity and is on deadline? Forget it!
PRs aren’t just glued to their phones because they’re Tweeting a journalist or posting a photo on Instagram. Being a publicist is a 24/7 job, and you’re always on call. Your clients rely on you to be there when they need you, you pitched that journalist and they expect you to get back to them with the materials they need, and being as forgetful as forgetting a charger can range from being an “oops” moment and a missed opportunity to costing you a client.
She Who Knows Everything
In the best way possible, PRs are professional “stalkers.” From following every journalist’s platform, keeping tabs on their beat with every piece they publish to keeping a pulse on competitors. From digging deep into a potential client from past coverage, recent executive appointments, every social media platform and deep into the depth of their website to really knowing about that interviewee that’s coming in, it’s our job to know about everything, so naturally, we’re pretty good at it.
