THE GLAMOROUS LIFE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

Recently, a non-communications friend made a comment about how glamourous my job must be. To which I laughed, and then shared an anecdote about ruining two pairs of shoes in two days because I followed our research team in the marsh to get footage of a turtle release.

If we start with what public relations is not, it’s easier to explain.

PR is NOT:

• A non-stop party: Samantha Jones from “Sex and the City” is not a realistic example of what a PR professional looks like. Let’s be honest, you never saw Sam lugging chairs in the mud, holding someone’s glasses while they were on camera, or climbing through the brush to get a video of a rattlesnake. (All things I’ve done in PR.)
  

• Lying: The first rule of thumb in PR is be credible. From media relations to social media management, if you aren’t honest, no one will listen to your messages

The Public Relations Society of America defines public relations as a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. Building on that definition, PR is:

• Informative: Public relations is the way a message is shared with interested parties. From health advisories to birth announcements, the goal is to share information with the groups and individuals it can most benefit

• Mutually beneficial: Public relations isn’t about shoving a message down the public’s throat. There’s an end goal for both sides of the message. The call to action should benefit both the organization sharing the message and the public receiving the message.

• Relational: As you might guess from its name, PR is about building relationships. Good practitioners understand that relationships within their organizations are as important as the ones outside their organizations.

This is not an exhaustive list by any means. Public relations, while not always glamorous can be fun and exciting. Also, sometimes you get to tattoo a turtle.

Cheers!