You're interested in a public relations career. What are the first steps you should take?

I asked this question years ago. The advice I got was learn how to type…fast. I did that. I was also told to build a portfolio of writing. I did that. I wrote for teen magazines about pop stars. Ever heard of Roxette? I spent my high school holidays doing an unpaid internship at a boutique public relations firm. After school I worked there for 5 years. I was told to follow your passions. When your passion and the job meet the magic happens. I did the PR for my hero Johnny Cash. I worked for Apple for over a decade - a company I’ve always loved. I’ve never listened to the naysayers. I’ve never taken a conventional route. I never went to university. I’ve always led with the principle of what I learn I’ll give back to others.

PR is all about being curious. Having a long empathic journey with your audiences. Being strategic all the time and loving every detail of communication. If you don't like reading and exploring the news, it's not your business. If you'r not interested in real photos or good movies, keep away from PR. If you haven't had any experience in journalism - one of your target groups - you'll have a hard time in communicating to journalists. It's all about understanding and getting the hook to every target group by tailored messages and hard work, combined with patience and empathy.

Curiosity is definitely fundamental to a career in PR, because you will need to become an expert in your clients' industries to be able to tell their stories through press releases, unpicking newsworthy details from research, thinking ahead when suggesting features and so on. I would say grab any work experience opportunities because once you are looking for work, employers will put your CV above those that might not have been so lucky. Blog, write, design your web, research and get out there to network - being in PR is definitely full on and you will need to be comfortable talking to people AND able to 'read' them in a course of the first few seconds.

Embarking on a career in PR, it's essential to hone clear communication and a keen sense for research. Crafting pitches and cultivating strong relationships with journalists are crucial, aiming to become their go-to source. Organizing events, coordinating with vendors, finding the perfect locations, and gathering feedback from attendees could be a part of the role. Ascending to a managerial position transforms the landscape. Strategic foresight and the capacity to grasp the overarching narrative become indispensable. Leadership and team management, along with the skill to navigate crises smoothly and establish a strong professional network, stand at the core of advancing in a PR career.

One of the most important things to do is to start reading and understanding news. Read newspapers and understand what makes news and how!

If content is king, distribution is queen. So don’t rest on your laurels! Please ensure you amplify published stories through social media as well.

Weigh your skills, job availability and job type. Once you weigh that you narrow down your search and can focus on a niche. And keep in mind that if you are up to it or you feel it’s time, it’s ok to switch niches and go to something else especially if the one you are currently at isn’t panning out as you hope for it to.

Public Relations is the ultimate 'learn while doing' profession. Building a portfolio and network happens simultaneously with the hard skills needed to succeed. The best recommendation to find this is through volunteerism in the PR field - many nonprofits, faith based organizations, political campaigns, and other time/cost burdened groups are always seeking those to lend their skills. This allows newcomers to the field to develop the right tone and network for moving into paid positions.

The most important thing that they failed to teach me in college was networking. I got fantastic grades and graduated a year early. However, my PR career took a lot longer to move into high gear because I didn’t know the right people, or the techniques to meet them. People I went to school with who barely passed their classes but who were great socializers were moving up the corporate ladder far faster than those of us who concentrated on grades. Public relations, like most industries, is all about connections. It’s how you get your next client and it’s how you get your next placement. It’s who you know. And if you don’t know them, figure out a way to meet them.

Conoce y comprende el negocio, la industria o el sector en el que trabajarás. Nuestro super poder como Comunicadores/as y como R.R.P.P.s es la capacidad de crear puentes, de generar conversaciones y promover relaciones auténticas de mutuo beneficio. Y eso solo puede hacerse si entendemos lo que hace nuestro cliente o empresa. Y si aprendes lo básico de finanzas, ESG y DEI, ?te aseguro que se pelearán por ti!

In my opinion, i feel public relations is the only industry you can oversell yourself in the sense that once you have a general overview of a type of project you can learn the essentials on the job. So when creating your portfolio add those freelance projects, those volunteer work you don’t think really counts and properly market it. Make sure you know the basics and fundamentals and endeavors to learn the key stuffs as you go.

Its not just about who you know. The people that you know should know that you're great at what you do as well. It helps to be able to clearly communicate your strengths regularly.

Revamping your resume and cover letter is crucial—they’re your first handshake with potential employers. Make sure they spotlight your PR prowess, experiences, and successes, showing how you’ll be a valuable asset.

I switched to PR&Comms from journalism (and a major in political science), a field that is quite related. Yet, whatever your background, the key is to show how you understand the very idea of PR. Perhaps gather communication-related cases of your previous work (e.g., helping a colleague prepare an article, taking part in an event, writing a blog or social media posts) – and embed them into your PR vision. Do your homework and review the media profile of your potential employer – list the cases you consider good and the ones you think might be improved. Besides, get ready to ask the interviewer about internal processes and "chain of command/approval" – speed and in-team communication matter greatly in PR.

Public relations is a field that requires adaptability and resourcefulness and the ability to learn and think on your feet. The best way to sharpen these skill sets and learn about the field is to get hands on experience early on — volunteer or intern and try to absorb as much as you can. It also can add a lot of value if you study journalism (formally or not) to gain an intimate understanding of how the media landscape works. Lastly, look for ways your generational perspective and digital skillset can add value and efficiency to outdated processes. The field is always evolving and new perspectives are needed to innovate and build on best practices.

Learn to write well. Be a good storyteller. Show, don’t tell. Articulate insights supported by data. And remember: less is more.

Create a news media contact list, typically your local news reporters. These are the people who are going to be asking you for comments whatever article they’re writing, and could either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Building a solid relationship with your local media news partners will help in setting boundaries and creating a trustworthy partnership.

Starting your career in a PR agency will offer you an extremely different experience VS starting your career in house. Your first job and portfolio will likely have a heavy influence on the rest of your career. My perspective is that it would be good to get a breadth of experience before deciding on the industries that you want to focus on.

A wise colleague said to me once that if you’re publicising something, or trying to grab someone’s attention, you should try starting with “what’s interesting about this is…” and come up with an ending so compelling that anyone would be interested. I’d think about using that method. If you can sell the idea of a job in public relations to anyone, you’re more than halfway there.