I was reflecting recently on what led me down the path to a career in PR. I started writing at an early age, just for fun, poems and journal entries, even short stories. That love of writing led me to a role working on my high school paper, where I reported and edited stories. My long-term career goal was to someday write a column for a magazine. I went on to study Journalism at The Ohio State University, where I wrote for The Lantern and learned so much about the news business. I elected to focus on PR as my area of concentration. At that time, I think I liked the way it sounded, more than anything. “Public Relations Practitioner” had a ring to my young ears!
Since then, I’ve come to truly embrace PR as a profession and have developed a real passion for getting my clients “ink.” To me, there’s no professional high like getting my client in a news story. I honestly get EXCITED about this, because I know what it can mean to a company. Many times, it gains momentum and leads to other media opportunities. It puts them on the map in a way that’s tangible. Once that story appears, it’s forever…and there’s no end to the ways it can be leveraged and the ways it can benefit the client company.
It can lead to more customers, more prospects, more funding, more exposure, more attention, more visibility, and a sense of pride for employees, vendors and current customers who love seeing the name of the company in the news. With social media, stories can go viral, meaning the snowball effect is amped up even further.
For those who have a passion for PR, like I do, it’s a way of life. One sees everything through the eyes of a reporter, which may be why I’m always trying to cut to the chase. What’s important about what you’re telling me? What information must one need to know? How can I say this so that anyone can understand what I’m trying to convey?
I guess at the end of the day, although PR always had a certain ring to it, I never knew I’d grow to love it as I do today.
