Why I Love Public Relations…

When I was five years old I was quite the character. I wrote stories about traveling to far off places and having amazing adventures. I was curious and wanted to know what was INSIDE the Atari and what made it work much to the chagrin of my mother. I enjoyed going to the Bingo Hall with my grandmother and made friends with the older folk and heard too many entirely inappropriate jokes and stories. I had a sassy little attitude to boot—one night, I threw my grandmother’s cigarettes out the window and proclaimed “You can kill yourself but you are most certainly not going to kill me.”

Looking back, I haven’t changed much…I still love to travel, enjoy listening to people’s stories, and have the same sassy attitude (sidenote: my grandmother quit smoking shortly after that incident). Working in nonprofit management and public relations has proven to be the ideal choice for the five year old girl in me who also shaved off her eyebrows to see how she would look with a “larger forehead”.

I am passionate about public relations. It is thrilling and exhilarating. And It isn’t easy. Making a placement for a client is hard work and dedication. However, I have that unending drive. Oftentimes I find myself up to 2 a.m. working furiously for a client. It’s passion. It’s drive. When the placements happen, it is victory but short-lived because it’s on to the next and the cycle continues. There is no normalcy which is a good thing because I don’t want normal–I want extraordinary.

Public relations is dynamic and I thrive on change and motion. And then social media…I love social media. Social media is what PR needed to give back the charge, the thrill of the game. It is another tool for the PR toolbelt. Public relations gives me a creative outlet as well…designing press kits, writing press releases, making genuine relationships with journalists, businesses, customers and others, and just talking “shop” makes my creative juices run.

At the end of the day, which is oftentimes the wee hours of the morning, I would not choose any other profession. I want everyone to know about my clients and I only work with those I am passionate about. Those with great products, services, goodwill, and are in it for the “greater good” (there goes my nonprofit background speaking) as well as increased sales, profits, etc.

I am a writer. I am a communicator. I am a therapist. I am a planner. I am a builder. I am a public relations professional.

Why do YOU love public relations?

PR Links Du Jour

Before your holiday weekend enjoy these PR articles!

New Survey Finds PR Trends Shift to Multichannel Services: Firms Expect Increase in Social Media, Research and Decline in Media Relations, Advertising Services in Next Three Years – BullDog Reporter

Media Coverage Helps SEO “Traditional PR in conjunction with a strong website and marketing plan can be powerful” – Three Girls Media

‘Every publicist in this town keeps a do-not-invite list, because some people are just freeloaders.’ Sam Firer – PR Newser

Seven Deadly Sins of PR by Donna Fenn

How Twitter is Changing Public Relations – Douglas Idugboe