Putting the PR in Proactive

For the past few months, I’ve enjoyed soaking up PR knowledge and best practices from my supervisor. Being a part of an actual PR team still feels unreal. There is no better feeling than working for people who are experts at what they do. The level of respect that I give as well as receive has been the perfect environment for my growth in public relations.

My supervisor and I recently had a conversation about being proactive. Luckily for us, I consider myself to be a forward thinking person. This skill is an asset on any team, but most certainly when it comes to effective public relations. When writing a story, a lot of authors have been cited saying that they decide how things will end for each character before they write the ending itself.

What does that mean for storytelling in general? It means that great PR people need to begin with the end in mind. In an effort to control the narrative, one must be a few steps ahead. Sounds like a proactive mindset to me. I often reflect on PR folks I’ve been around before. During one of my internships, I remember the public relations director was always ahead of the press and even the controversy. Her planning and content scheduling was extremely strategic in a way to combat the bad news and emphasize the good.

I never fully understood her strategy until I joined this crazy, yet beautiful world of public relations for myself. PR is more than good writing. It’s more than building and maintaining relationships. The major key is being proactive every step of the way. Every. Single. Step! I hope this helps you as much as my new experiences have helped me. Happy storytelling!