Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
So you wanna be in public relations? Not a bad idea, friend.
Between connecting with new media contacts, developing content for clients, supporting company milestones – and the list goes on – there’s never a dull moment in PR world. But don’t enter this field if you think it’s just some glamorous gig.
As my tenure here at Communiqué has taught me, public relations can be chaotic and stressful just as much as it can be rewarding and fun. If you’re serious about this profession, interning is a highly effective way to start gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to survive a job in communications. Here are some things I did to help maximize my internship and prepare me for a career in PR:
- Define your role and responsibilities
With intern positions being a common precursor to entry-level jobs these days, any legitimate internship will require work of substance. Don’t expect to merely pick up the coffee order. You should identify your role in the organization and the corresponding workload as soon as possible.
For example, I came into this position with an interest in writing – I actually defected to the dark side that is PR over from journalism – and made that clear early on in my internship. Knowing this, my managers were able to make writing the focus of my work, and it soon became my role to support a variety of writing assignments.
- Build your portfolio and network as you go along
The only thing promised in PR is deadlines. As my writing responsibilities grew, projects started flying in and out of my inbox constantly and it became easy to lose track of everything I’d accomplished. Save yourself the extra effort by adding work to your portfolio right as it’s completed. When this blog post goes live, I’m going to save a printer-friendly copy to my files.
While you’re at it, you should also be tending to your network. Build rapport with your coworkers, who can vouch for you when you’re ready to advance to the next position. Anyone you’ve had meaningful collaboration with should also be a connection on LinkedIn. And if you plan to continue in PR, start developing relationships with the media as these will be helpful down the road.
- Find a mentor
Among all the relationships you have as an intern, the ones you have with your mentors are some of the most important. Mentors help you understand the nuances of the industry and your workplace, as well as provide sound advice and support when you need it. (And in PR, you’re going to need it.)
At Communiqué, I’ve been lucky enough to have not just one, but two incredible mentors who were always there to help me navigate challenges, provide me with honest feedback and celebrate my progress. You won’t realize your internship’s full potential without a mentor, so make sure to connect with someone at the beginning of your term.
- Be proactive about your next move
Even with the support of your mentors and colleagues, you can still get swept up in the fast pace of PR. But don’t forget to plan for the future – the whole point of an internship is that it’s a springboard for a more permanent job.
If you’re performing well, chances are your company will offer you a full-time position. If you want to explore options elsewhere, ask for recommendations and/or introductions from people who can speak to the quality of your work. And if you decide PR isn’t for you, the skill set you acquire will be applicable to many other fields.
Take your internship seriously and you can continue to reap the benefits long after you move on. In my time at Communiqué, I got full exposure to the inner workings of PR and a chance to collaborate with brilliant individuals every day. My experience here has me feeling more than prepared for my next venture, and for that I am beyond grateful.
At any agency job, new business is a hot topic. Throughout the time that I have worked at CPR, I’ve had a front row seat for just how exciting (and stressful) pitching to potential clients can be. No matter what stage of the process they are in – the initial email, the pitch presentation or the follow-up – I have seen my coworkers go above and beyond to win new business. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up over the last few months to help you win over any potential clients.
Come prepared
I realize this is important for any project, but it is especially vital when pitching to new business. Even in your first correspondence with a potential client, responding to an RFP for example, it is important to show that you already have an understanding of the client’s needs. When asking questions, make sure they are insightful and will provide you with information you can’t find anywhere else to help you tailor your pitch. This also means that you have already done your research. Throughout the pitching process you should have a complete understanding of the client’s business, as well as knowledge of his/her industry and any current challenges or upcoming opportunities the business may face.
It is equally as important to be prepared for the initial meeting itself. Do multiple run-throughs of your presentation before the big day to make sure you have it nailed. Also, be sure to give yourself an extra day to gather your materials – you don’t want a freak printer malfunction to send you scrambling to the nearest Staples two hours before your meeting. Have all your handouts preprinted and arrive at the meeting on time. Coming to the meeting completely prepared will make a good first impression and help the rest of the meeting run smoothly.
Be time conscious
If there is one thing I have learned from PR it is how valuable time can be. It is important to keep your pitch concise and to the point because you want to maximize the limited amount of time you have with the potential client. Clients will appreciate your efficiency and it will help keep your presentation focused on what really matters to them. In the presentation run-throughs I’ve participated in, we were encouraged to stop the presenter to ask why they added certain information if we felt it wouldn’t be of value to the client. A well-thought-out and concise pitch will be far more memorable and will give the client a good overview of your goals.
One way to help ensure that your presentation stays on track is to have a clear agenda and objectives. Open strong with compelling reasons the client should consider your offer, outline your goals and solutions clearly, and finish by asking if they feel the solution you presented is viable. Having clear main points during your pitch will keep you from straying off topic and overloading you audience with information.
Use visuals wisely
It is important to remember that any visuals you include are there to aid your presentation, not be your presentation. If your PowerPoint slides are too text-heavy, the client will be so focused on figuring out the slide he or she will miss what you are saying. Go easy on the amount of text you use and make sure any graphs or images you use are meaningful, relevant and up to date. If the company recently switched to a new logo, you don’t want to accidentally use the old one. Initial pitch meetings with new clients are usually in person because the client wants to meet you, so any visuals you use should enhance your ideas instead of distract from your key points.
It is also important to strike a balance between the ideas you are presenting and any data you have to back it up. I have found that having data to show the outcome a new campaign could achieve has a greater impact and is easier for the client to remember after the presentation. Graphs and charts are easy to digest and can be a huge asset to any pitch as long as they support your ideas.
Follow up
Following up will ensure that your pitch is fresh in the clients mind and give them an action item to respond to. I have seen a single follow-up note go through multiple rounds of edits between three or four different people, which shows just how important follow-ups are. Send an email with a quick summary of what you discussed or, if the client mentioned a specific problem that you didn’t cover, send them a few ideas for solutions to show that you are committed to his business. Here at CPR, we often also send potential clients a copy of the book Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness The Power of PR, written by our co-founders. I think this is a great tactic because it helps us keep in touch with our clients while providing them with further insight into how PR can add value to their company. Following up in a meaningful way will help set you apart from any competitors and show dedication to the client.
There are many other things to consider when preparing for a new business meeting, but keeping these four tips in mind is a good place to start. The most important thing is to prove to potential clients that your expertise will add value to their firm. Being knowledgeable about their industry and ensuring that you have clear and well-explained goals and objectives are the most important factors in convincing a potential client to hire your firm. While initial pitch meetings may be challenging, there is no better feeling than successfully winning a new client.
We all know that attitude can have a big impact on performance. Many of us learn this lesson as children. Just think of the illustrated children’s book, “The Little Engine That Could,” which delivers a message of the value of optimism and hard work.
Oftentimes you know you should feel optimistic, but instead you feel burned out, beaten down, stressed or pressured. This is when it can be tempting to quit or make excuses. However, neither option is helpful, so what should you do?
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to regain your perspective and footing.
Practice self-awareness. What messages are you telling yourself about the situation? Know your own feelings, motives and desires and be aware that these feelings often affect your behavior. Consider how a positive attitude about a project affects your communication with team members or your willingness to take action.
Reframe negative feelings. If you’re feeling pessimistic about something, take a step back and ask yourself, “How is my negativity serving me?” By asking yourself this, you might be able to reboot and reframe your feelings in a positive manner. For instance, maybe you are in a meeting and catch yourself thinking, “None of my ideas are any good.” When you pause to consider if this inner talk is helpful, you force yourself to analyze your thoughts. Perhaps you will realize you are over-generalizing and taking an extreme stance with all-or-nothing thinking. In addition, you are shutting down your own creativity. This type of thinking does not serve you well. It is much better to keep an open mind and support yourself by considering how some of your ideas might work.
Avoid making excuses. Look out for statements like “It’s too difficult,” “The media climate is challenging,” or “I don’t have enough information.” Know that excuses are a form of resistance. When you make an excuse, you are resisting accountability.
Focus on the things you can control. For a daunting task, start off by making a list of all the actions you can take. Analyze and prioritize that list and consider how you can excel at the activities within your control. For instance, I cannot control whether an editor will publish an article that I write. However, I can come up with a compelling story idea, brainstorm proof points and infuse my article with interesting statistics and anecdotes. Focusing on these things will increase the probability the editor will accept my article – ultimately allowing me to achieve success.
J.P. Pawliw-Fry, a training and performance expert and coach, told HR Magazine, “When we are too attached to an outcome, we tighten up. We lose the ability to execute. Rather than outcome, keep people focused on the ‘integrity of inputs’ – the things they can control. This makes them feel more confident and increases their chances of delivering a good performance.”
Finally, remember you need to manage your stress because often emotions are infectious. Leaders’ and individuals’ emotions can spread to teams, affecting their attitudes and performance as a whole.
For more on this topic, check out:
Seven Signs You’re Not As Self-Aware as You Think
Building credibility for your company can be a daunting task. Whether you’re a start-up as the underdog in an industry or a well-known household brand dominating the market, managing your reputation, building relationships and upholding authority in your space is a never-ending venture.
Luckily, for companies of all sizes, there are many ways to build credibility and raise awareness of your company’s impact in its space. One way in particular is through attending and speaking at industry shows and events. Pursuing and securing speaking engagements at tradeshows of any size is an excellent way to build executive thought leadership among your competitors in the space, current customers and potential clients.
In addition to having the opportunity to speak positively about your company, announce new product offerings and share forecasts on the industry at large, attending events provides the invaluable opportunity for networking. This chance to connect with fellow speakers and attendees holds the probability to increase lead generation for your company and allows you to build personal connections with other prominent movers and shakers.
To no surprise, incorporating speaking engagements into your marketing mix is also a chief PR opportunity. Dedicating the time to research reporters who will attend the event and reach out to schedule in-person meetings and invite them to your presentation will keep your company’s profile top of mind and at the front of the industry. Building media relationships through face-to-face meetings is extremely beneficial. Being able to sit down with a reporter can create long-term, mutually beneficial relationships quicker than from a phone interview.
Although there are countless benefits to attending events and pursuing speaking engagements, there are also challenges – challenges I’ve seen present themselves through the elements of “company timing” and the “vetting process.”
Completing applications is time intensive and, although an earned opportunity, carving out the time to answer thoughtful and strategic answers is no doubt costly. It is important for companies to assess their timing and decide if now is the appropriate and strategic time for their company to be attending events. For many start-ups, it can be too early, however, no situation is identical and you will want to focus a close lens on your priorities and objectives to determine when is right for you.
With the green light to concentrate on speaking engagements, the biggest challenge can be in the vetting process. There are hundreds of events available for every industry and product offering imaginable. Diving headfirst into the countless themes and speaking tracks can be overwhelming. Creating a clear and consistent vetting process for determining if an event’s speaking opportunity is right for your company will not only cut time in the application process, but it will also help ensure your time at the show is meaningful and beneficial to your business and communication objectives.
Below are several sample questions I’ve created to help vet awards and determine if a speaking opportunity is an appropriate fit. I have found these questions most helpful when visiting the event’s website and speaking to event representatives to uncover information not available online. I hope they help you in your next event and speaking research endeavor. Feel free to share any additional questions in the comments section below!
- How many individuals typically attend the conference?
- What are the attendees’ functional responsibilities? (Sales/advertising, MTKG, purchasers, etc.)
- What level are attendees? (Entry, coordinators, VPs, C-level)
- What types of companies/brands have attended in the past? B2B or B2C?
- What is the conference theme?
- What type of speaking opportunities exist? Are they panel or stand-alone opportunities? Is there an opportunity to lead a workshop?
- Are the speaking opportunities paid? If they are pay-to-play, what is the cost?
- Can vendors speak at the event?
- How many speakers does the event select?
- What are the desired speaking opportunity topics?
- What is the criteria for selecting speakers?
- What is the nomination process? (Online form, email submission, video, interview, etc.)
- What is the deadline for speaker submissions/nominations?
- Is there a specific format for speakers to follow when developing their presentation? (Length of talk, content, presentation layout, etc.)
Recently I had the opportunity to present to a group of undergraduate marketing students at the University of Washington. When the idea was first brought to me, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get in front of the class. However, as the event got closer, I felt self-doubt start to creep in and anxiety soon replaced that previous sense of excitement.
This led me to check out Amy Cuddy’s book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. Cuddy is a Harvard psychologist and is perhaps best known for her 2012 TED talk about body language, which has been viewed over 37 million times. Cuddy asserts that body language has the power to affect not only how others perceive and see us, but also how we perceive and see ourselves.
Rather than relying on the mindset of “fake it ‘til you make it,” Cuddy’s research points to “fake it ‘til you believe it.” In short, if you stand with a confident posture (think of Usain Bolt or Wonder Woman, for example) it has the potential to alter your brain chemistry and actually make you feel more powerful or confident in a challenging situation.
In the interest of full disclosure, the science of power posing has come under fire recently. In September, Dana Carney – who co-authored the 2010 study behind power poses with Cuddy – dismissed Cuddy’s research. Carney stated on her website: “As evidence has come in over these past 2+ years, my views have updated to reflect the evidence. As such, I do not believe that ‘power pose’ effects are real.”
Despite the controversy underway within the psychological and scientific community, I can say that Cuddy’s premise about body language and its ability to influence self-perception worked for me personally. I went into the presentation convincing myself that I would be confident and articulate, and by all accounts, it seems to have worked.
Looking more broadly, the takeaways from “Presence” and Cuddy’s TED talk are noteworthy for PR professionals at all stages in their careers, as well as media spokespeople and public speakers. Whether you call it “power posing,” “executive presence,” or “command skills,” being warm and relatable (i.e., trustworthy) to an audience and successfully engaging with them (i.e., being credible and respectable) is one of the most important traits in our profession. In an article about the publication of “Presence,” Business Insider noted that people tend to quickly judge others when they first meet them based on two questions:
- Can I trust this person?
- Can I respect this person?
Ideally, you want to do both, and body language is a part of shaping those perceptions (both externally and internally).
As a client-centric business, it’s important for PR professionals to convey and earn trust and respect to and with our clients, to the media, and to our peers. We’re often called upon to train media executives for public speaking and on-camera media interviews, where body language is a critical factor in helping to build a rapport, establish credibility, and communicate key messaging.
Whether you’re looking to impress during a job interview, secure a round of venture capital, earn trust after a new promotion, or shine in a presentation to undergrads, having a presence that elicits trust and respect will determine whether you sink or swim. Just as we recommend being intentional about messaging, think clearly about what tone and demeanor you want to communicate.
Do you agree or disagree with Cuddy’s findings around power posing?
If you’d like to read another take on “Presence,” I encourage you to check out my colleague Jennifer Gehrt’s blog post here, where she discusses power dynamics and the different types of power leaders need to develop and refine throughout their career.
Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships – at least, according to a now proverbial expression backed by the likes of ESPN. I must admit my knowledge of/interest in sports is about that of a grumpy cat’s, but I can still appreciate the value of this message and how it applies to other professions.
IT Specialist Greg Bell seemed to feel the same way in his recent piece for Harvard Business Review in which he posited that the best cybersecurity strategy focuses on a plan to mitigate damage, rather than pursue the “futile attempt” of trying to prevent anything bad from happening at all. I would argue that this sentiment extends from sports and cybersecurity all the way to public relations, and found the following points of Bell’s article particularly compelling:
- Ensure every person on the team knows their role
As Bell points out, cybersecurity strategy is too often relegated solely to the IT department, when the most sensible and secure approach is to educate every single employee on best cybersecurity practices. Similarly, PR professionals should not be the only ones involved when disaster strikes. Indeed, the PR team leads the defense effort, but the client must also bear critical knowledge and responsibilities. In times of crisis, appropriate executives from the client organization should be armed with things like spokesperson training and a key messaging framework to handle the response. Many times, a company executive will serve as the face of crisis response over an actual PR person.
- Align with your clients and maintain visibility
The author recounted the experience of a CSO who had invested a large amount of time and money in a complete overhaul of his company’s cybersecurity approach. What the CSO didn’t know at the time is that the company was planning on changing its data strategy, likely rendering his work useless in a few years.
As PR practitioners, this issue of visibility (or lack thereof) is something we can be all too familiar with. Naturally, there’s always going to be information that organizations keep on a need-to-know basis. But when a company faces reputational challenges, the PR team needs any and all relevant insight in order to devise the most successful crisis management plan. In these situations, PR people should respectfully ask their client to give them as much information as possible so as to achieve the best outcome.
- Prepare for the worst
That data breaches are unavoidable is at the crux of Bell’s argument. Likewise, PR people should plan as if a public company fiasco is inevitable. Of course, no professional wants a crisis for their company or client, but to dismiss the likelihood of one would be terribly foolish, especially in this internet era when companies are subject to more exposure and public scrutiny than ever.
As our media ecosystem becomes increasingly fast-paced and interconnected, many industry commentators are championing a proactive PR approach, making it easy for reactive PR to fall by the wayside. For the record, I agree that proactive methods are the most effective use of a PR team’s time and resources. But we must remember that this same connectedness is what makes company scandals more likely – a prime example being the expert damage control Skittles recently employed after their product was used in xenophobic political messaging on Twitter.
Proactive PR inspires customer loyalty, but successful reactive PR is what cements public respect. In other words, a strategy that balances both offense and defense will help your PR team rise up into a league of its own.
For more commentary on defensive PR strategies and crisis communications, please feel free to read our analysis of Samsung’s recent PR debacle or our suggestions for reputation management via Twitter. Thanks for reading.