Steve Earl, joint-MD at Speed Communications, provided some great advice in his post on how to ‘survive and thrive’ in PR today. But what about some helpful hints for those PRs who couldn’t care less about doing well in the business? Here are a few choice nuggets for those seeking a PR career nose dive:
1.) Always agree to do everything your client asks – even things you know will be a complete waste of their budget (after all, it’s their money)
2.) Always follow up any journalist/blogger you might have bought a drink for and demand that they provide some coverage in return (don’t they know it’s all about ‘quid pro quo’?)
3.) Don’t waste your time worrying about meeting press deadlines (they’re bound to hold some space for the good stuff you’re gonna give them)
4.) If your client gets interviewed, always demand that the journalist or blogger shows you their copy before it’s published/posted (how else can you make sure your client gets a name check in every para)
5.) Don’t bother with any advanced planning for clients’ PR activity – just wait to see what comes up (after all, real PR is all about living on the edge and winging it – that’s why they invented the PR retainer!)
6.) Don’t concern yourself with providing publications with images that are in the required format (don’t worry… of course they can publish from PDFs)
7.) Never pre-brief clients before they do any media interviews (if they don’t have a clue what to expect, you get a much more authentic interview)
8.) Do pad out clients’ PR budgets by offering to do lots of press releases about junior appointments, office refurbs, meaningless partnerships and every minor upgrade of their product (who cares if the media’s not interested in this pap)
9.) Remember – if you happen to reach the lofty heights and become an account director, it means you no longer have to talk to journalists (why bother when you can leave that to juniors and interns)
10.) Always bombard journos with invites to drag them to on-stand meetings with your client at industry trade shows (who cares if your client’s got no news or info to give them – it’s still a tick in the box!)
Photo credit: George Saunders