How to advance your PR career

Rising to the top of PR is tough.

There’s nothing task-driven about it. At the end of the day, you’re judged by what you have created, not by what you’ve shared. And, it’s not just about creating great stories for your clients. it’s also about what you decide to create for yourself.

There’s a reason why agencies are filled with a large number of mid-level employees, while at the same time, there remain only a few senior people at the top. Too many promising young people prematurely bail out of the PR agency path, simply because they don’t know what they don’t know. They leave when they realize that following the “rules” simply didn’t get them anywhere.

[RELATED: Take a two-minute comms audit—and get instant personalized results!]

Here are a few key things that can help you move upward through the chaos and ambiguity that is part of being a PR pro:

1. Remember why you do this. Your managers and teammates, and especially your clients, don’t need you to take orders. They need you to make things happen. To do so, you have to be willing to take risks. Take some chances and you’ll soon realize that there is nothing to be afraid of.

2. Give the best parts of you away. Whatever makes you a special employee, give it away freely, and success will come back to you in spades. If you’re a natural leader, be that rock constantly, for anyone who needs it. If you’re a gifted thinker and writer, never stop creating for your clients.

3. Be yourself, always. Thinking differently is your biggest asset in an industry where conformity is celebrated way too much. Today, the best PR people are the outsiders who don’t “fit in.” There’s a part of you in every pitch you send, and every story you write. When it shines through authentically, nothing can stop you.

4. Work in the present. Work for the clients you have right now as if there is no tomorrow. Don’t worry about climbing the ladder, because your career path is actually much more like a tree. The things you make happen right now are what determines where you will be in three to five years.

5. Be your own agency. PR is not a routine task; it never has been. An agency is a group of curious risk-takers that is constantly experimenting. That’s the only way to keep it moving. Act as if the agency is yours to lose, and you’ll realize that pure, unabashed creativity is the lifeblood of all of your relationships.

What would you add to the list PR Daily readers? Is there something specific you look for in PR leaders?

Benjamin Doda is an Account Director at M&A PR Studio.

(Image via)

from PR Daily News Feed https://ift.tt/2IvWBap