Anyone here work in public relations?

[LaraMN]

I'm trying to narrow the scope of my studies so that they pertain to a more specific segment of the local job market. I'm majoring in communications, but have been dragging my feet about what area of comm. I'd actually like to work in.

I'm starting to think that p.r. might be the field that my interests/strengths gravitate toward.

I'm curious to hear from anyone who has actually worked in a public relations capacity.
What did/do you do?
What are the aspects you find most positive/negative about the field?
What might an "outsider" not realize about the nature of p.r. work that is essential to be aware of?
What type of skills are most essential to functioning effectively in the field?

tia to anyone with any insights!

[1gobluedem]

1. I did PR for a big company

And PR is a big part of my current job. To answer your questions:

What did/do you do? Wrote press releases, fielded press inquiries, monitored interviews, wrote and updated staff bios, wrote crisis plan, acted as spokesperson (still do so in my current job)

What are the aspects you find most positive/negative about the field? The most positive is getting the publicity the company wants and needs and the press getting it right. I personally enjoy tussling with the press when they mess something up and love the rush when I get a retraction or a new story out of it. I enjoy being the organization's spokesperson and finally getting some ink from a publication I've worked on for a long time.

The downsides are the constant vigilance; having to be on top of everything all the time, making sure everyone in your organization knows who to refer inquiries to, reminding co-workers constantly not to talk to the press unless it's been authorized; even remarks that they think are off the record could end up being thought of as an official statement. In my previous job I hated having to reprsent a company owner/president whose personal beliefs I couldn't stomach and in my current job (which is in the media) because my name is fairly well known in my city, I don't feel that I can display my political beliefs on my lawn, on my car, or in endorsements because it could be interpreted as a compromising the station's editorial integrity and neutrality.

What might an "outsider" not realize about the nature of p.r. work that is essential to be aware of? It's not all glamorous-standing-in-front-of-a-microphone work; there is so much behind the scenes whether it's arranging press coverage for an event, shepherding a guest around, or writing, writing, WRITING, then taking it to about six people to sign off on then having to work in their ridiculous edits.

What type of skills are most essential to functioning effectively in the field? Persistence, patience, assertiveness, and very strong writing skills. You need to be articulate and not afraid to speak in front of groups; large or small.

From what I've read here and on your blog, Lara, you certainly have the writing ability and your stories lead me to suspect that you've got all the skills you need to succeed in PR. I think you'd be great.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. And we enjoy tussling with you

saying we aren't in the business of making your organization look good. :hi:

[1gobluedem]

3. But you ARE in the business of getting your facts correct

Which, in my most recent battle, patently were NOT. But I got a new story and a retraction out of it and the editor and I remained friends. :hi:

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. You got a *correction* out of it, or a clarification

Newspapers rarely, if ever, have to print retractions. When they do, it means, "We got it completely wrong — so wrong that we're humiliating ourselves to avoid a lawsuit."

If I knew what the story was about, or what organization you represent, I could be less of an ass about it, but I'm not gonna ask. I've written and edited a few stories about benefits put on by service organizations — the kind where a couple hundred under-privileged kids get new school clothes, for example — because I had the advantage of having been with those organizations and working on those types of projects.

Most newspapers don't have anyone with an understanding of how that kinda stuff works, and from the other side of it, I've gotten as angry at editors and reporters as you probably have. It's like, "Dude, I did NOT say the money goes directly to the schools! How could you get that wrong??"

[1gobluedem]

11. Well, I've now worked in the media for 16 years so I've been on both sides

But this was a retraction AND a new story. In a nutshell; we had a music program host who was fired for refusing to air NPR newscasts and telling listeners to go to FOX News for the facts on the invasion then launched into a personal endorsement of the invasion and Bush. We had added newscasts to all music programs during the invasion in 2003 rather than go to wall to wall coverage. This guy refused to run the newscasts, said he'd do so again when confronted by management so he was fired.

He sued our station manager for restricting his freedom of speech. Lawsuit was tossed out of district court twice. The guy appealed; the appeals court ruled that the suit had to be heard in district court. Local paper ran a headline saying this guy had won the suit and didn't mention until the 9th paragraph that the suit had actually never yet been tried; what the guy won was the appeal that sent it to district court to be heard for the first time. He did NOT win the lawsuit but the guy talked about his victory for free speech everywhere and how he felt vindicated and was looking forward to getting his job back. We were deluged with calls from listeners and donors and other media wanting to know when we were going to hire him back, what we were goingto do, etc. I spent 45 minutes arguing with the editor, going through the story line by line, forwarding him e-mails from listeners, letting him know comments from listeners who had called after reading the story, showing him how it misrepresented the actual facts of the decision. Further, he had only called our attorney, who hadn't seen the decision and therefore wouldn't comment and never tried to reach our station manager for his reaction.

At first the editor said he stood by the story and only offered to do a new story from our point of view. I said fine. This was on a Friday. On Monday morning he called me to say that he had spent a good chunk of the weekend going over the e-mail I'd sent and the story and concluded that, yes, their story misrepresented the facts of the case, and he would print a retraction. Not a clarification, a retratraction.

I am a strong advocate for the press; have worked at a newspaper and in radio and I know that it isn't their job to make my organization look good which is why I make sure everything I send out is accurate and clear. But, in this case, they were flat-out wrong and if I hadn't fought it a lot of people would think this guy had won.

Actually, we appealed to the state supreme court who sent it back to the appeals court telling them essentially to 'get it right;' they did and the suit is now for all intents and purposes dead.

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. I stand retracting

When you said "organization," I assumed (Oy!) you meant a non-profit in a snit over something like I described. Sounds like what you got was (a.) a reporter who buried the lede, and (2.) a copy editor who wrote the hed after reading not much beyond the lede. I'm guessing the reporter didn't source the story very well, either.

I jumped the gun and went after "retraction" because it gets bandied about so much by those who don't know the difference between a retraction, a correction and a clarification.

The poster regrets the error.

Now, excuse me while I go whip up some bacon to go with the egg on my face. :blush:

[1gobluedem]

14. No problem at all

I am very familiar with those who don't get it; especially non-profits who want every fundraiser covered as a news story. Or who believe that you have to run a psa on every single thing that they do...

This was an atypical situation as you can see. And the editor, reporter, and I have all remained friendly.

They reported the supreme court and second appeals court ruling correctly.

[LaraMN]

7. Thank you!!

This is exactly the kind of info. I was hoping to get.
It sounds like quite a job!
I gather from your comments that it's fairly high-adrenaline in some regards, and pretty versatile in the range of tasks you are responsible for.

I may prod you with additional questions in the future. }(

[trof]

4. You need to know how to BS really well.

Many, MANY years ago I had a stint as an advertising manager for an office chair manufacturer.

I was also the defacto PR guy.
A lot of that involved writing 'press releases' about 'new' products, manufacturing processes, facility expansions, etc. and getting newspapers/magazines to run them as 'news'.

It helped a lot if you actually bought a fair amount of paid advertising in those publications.

Any time you read an article with no byline, or by 'Staff' it's probably a press release from some business or other.

It's a little dated now, but read Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders".

From Wiki:
His million-selling book The Hidden Persuaders, about media manipulation of the populace in the 1950s was a forerunner of pop sociology: science-based thinking without the weight of detail or eloquence, geared for sale to the mass market.

In The Hidden Persuaders, first published in 1957, Packard explores the use of consumer motivational research and other psychological techniques, including depth psychology and subliminal tactics, by advertisers to manipulate expectations and induce desire for products, particularly in the American postwar era. It also explores the manipulative techniques of promoting politicians to the electorate. The book questions the morality of using these techniques.

[LaraMN]

9. Well THAT aspect I'm pretty proficient at.

:rofl:

Thanks for the insights; I'm definitely bookmarking this thread.

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. You nailed this

Any time you read an article with no byline, or by 'Staff' it's probably a press release from some business or other.

More likely local organizations or the city's public works department or some other agency, but, yeah. Everything you see in the "news briefs" and probably three-fourths of what's in the business section is from a press release, and newspapers generally welcome those because they're purely informational. We also don't mind stuff like "Mervyn Schlepp named Arschlocher's VP of sales," but we're gonna cut it right below Schlepp's bio, because the three other grafs that say "Arschlocher's is the veeblefetzer industry's leading manufacturer of..." etc. etc. etc. aren't news, just like they weren't news in the last 27 press releases from Arschlocher's.

I get so sick of hearing, "They didn't even have the guts to put a byline on it." That's because a reporter didn't write it, so no byline was called for. Rather, a reporter or copy editor whittled it down to its news elements and to conform with style.

[Faygo Kid]

6. Almost 30 years, business and association

Investor relations, corporate communications, association communications, legal PR, crisis PR, government relations.

Most positive: Making a difference on issues I care about. Negative: Banging your head against a wall working with leaders who think your job is all about "image."

Outsiders may not realize that successful PR work requires not just outstanding communications skills, but an insatiable appetite for information and curiosity about the world around you, and not just in your field. "No surprises" for you or those you work for should be your mantra. You need to lead, to identify opportunities and make recommendations for acting on them successfully; you need to anticipate potential problems AND suggest solutions. Passive or reactive PR people are worthless.

You have to be able to write. Let me repeat that: You must be able to write. You must be able to speak with clarity and conviction. You have to be an advocate for your position, because you will be challenged by those who think you are a flack, and you have to nip that in the bud. You have to be able to build consensus. You have to be able to listen to others, and recognize that you may not always prevail, because someone else has the final say. You have to be knowledgeable. You have to be personable (helps in any field, and in life generally). And again, you MUST be curious. The fact that you post here is a very good sign.

I have been fortunate, and at this stage in my life I am able to do advocacy work for an organization that is making a real difference in people's lives. Nonpartisan, but definitely not pro-Bush (to say the least). In the past, I was in a powerful position for a decade in an organization I loved, maybe too much. I left it when the winds blew in a direction I could not go. It was the right thing to do, but I will never be so totally invested in a job as I was then. And that's a good thing at this point, too.

If you go for PR, go for it 100 percent. But PR means a lot of different things. Check out the student section of PRSA for membership, and think about what matters to you. Then go get an internship, paid or unpaid. You will never regret it. Identify an organization for which you would like to intern, and contact their communications director. Or, maybe your school has relationships with companies/associations already set up for internships. I mentored about a dozen interns in the past, and it was a great experience for them (and me).

Anyway, you don't provide much info, and I got carried away here, so I will end it by just saying, good luck.

[LaraMN]

8. Thank so much!

I just started an internship last week.
I'm not certain what my official title is, but I'm working at a company that has experienced significant growth and did not previously have anyone performing in exclusivity the tasks that I'm now responsible for carrying out. Since I'm stepping into a somewhat undefined position with the potential for it to become permanent, I'm curious to see how my role will evolve during the course of the internship. Perhaps I will get some experience relevant to p.r.

[rug]

12. They'll be hiring tons of PR people.

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Blackwater_PR_firm_aided_Chalabi_Works_1022.html