It's Hard to Hit a Bullseye with Blinders

Google recently introduced the “Bacon Number” function – a charming little game where you can find out exactly how many degrees of separation there are between some of Hollywood’s elite and Kevin Bacon – who has apparently been around the LA block a time or two. Working in PR can feel a bit like one giant separation exercise, except we tend to be more concerned with the “Mossberg Number”.

Sample Interview Process:

Interviewer: “So EXACTLY how well do you know Walt?”

Interviewee: “Well my mother used to know his youngest sister in college and I’m pretty sure she can get his number…”

Interviewer: “HIRED!”

All joking aside, there tends to be a very small degree of separation between those in the PR industry and their cohorts. This leads to a lot of name-dropping, the occasional embarrassing holiday party story, and more frequently, a lot of chatter behind the backs of those around us. Working in a predominantly female industry accelerates this process – after all, we are in the business of communication. Heck – gossip is nearly the name of the game.  It’s also no secret that the once-assured right to privacy is a thing of the past. It only takes one cell phone camera, email or ill-advised text message to ruin even the brightest of careers (political or otherwise – look at the most recent ‘Mitt slip’).

This brings me to the point of this post – when the heck did we get so scared to confront each other? It’s hard to hit a bullseye when you’re trying to weave an arrow around multiple other targets. What I mean is that most conflicts can be resolved by going directly to the source, given there are two reasonably mature, intelligent people at the center. Let’s be honest - being a straight shooter is a hard quality to find in people these days and one that’s often undervalued. It’s much easier to be the “run and bitch to the boss” person or the “undercover gossip” or even the dreaded “I’m going to act like everything is fine even though it’s not” person. It’s more convenient to chat with coworkers via Skype or shoot funny emails than to actually directly communicate our frustrations with another person. Conflicts are uncomfortable; they’re messy and feelings could get hurt and you might actually have to make eye contact.

The constant connectedness created by social media (and about a million other technological advances) has resulted in a very distinct bifurcation of communication. It’s a rare day when I make a decision, address a conflict or even send an email without discussing it with someone else first. Our generation is hinged on a nearly crippling need for approval and validation from those around us. We seek peer support when resolving conflict – whether it’s between coworkers or client facing. While bouncing an idea off another person or gaining some outside perspective is hardly grounds for an entire blog post, the need to rally the village around a cause is an epidemic that only seems to be spreading. I challenge everyone to try this ‘new’ ‘revolutionary’ and ‘innovative’ way to solve a problem the next time you find yourself in a bit of a clash:

Step 1: Find offending person

Step 2: Remove offending person from public situation (may be optional)

Step 3: Discuss

It may not always result in the resolution of all issues, but at least you’ve taken the teeniest, tiniest step toward common ground. Or maybe you didn’t. Maybe the offender flipped shit and poured a cup of coffee in your lap – congrats! Now you have an excellent story to tell over Skype that is guaranteed to amuse your coworkers during the 2pm lull. In any case, it’s never a bad thing to be the person who went out on a limb. After all, I hear that’s where you find all the best apples.

YOLO - You Only Launch Once

Launches in the tech public relations world are one of those things that you crave – yet subsequently dread.  They can provide some of the biggest coverage hits of your career, yet never fail to give you that squirmy feeling in the pit of your stomach reminiscent of that ill-advised tequila shot on Friday night. There are a lot of rewards, including that Christmas-morning-thrill you get when the Wall Street Journal emails you back, but equal trepidation around setting proper client expectations.

The thing about launches is there is always a lot riding on the outcome. Profit and future company success collide with personal pride, board pressure and the pursuit of another funding round to create one giant web of expectations. Whether fair or not, the public perception of the launch often overshadows the technical achievement of the product or the company itself. Much of this stems from the inherent value of third party validation – like the first time someone besides your mother tells you that you’re pretty. While good ol’ mom may have been saying those words for years, hearing them from one other person, no matter how random, always seems to carry more weight.  Coverage in Mashable, TechCrunch or GigaOm can be turned into credibility for investors or board members who are slightly removed from the day-to-day process. It gives these parties instant reassurance that they’ve placed their money in capable hands.

Given all that’s riding on a PR bang on launch day, how do you make sure to gain the attention of the masses?

Self-Reflect

Let’s face it – we all have our biases. These are only exponentially increased when you’re the CEO of a company that you’ve created, helped to grow and essentially thrown away your 401k to fund. I get it. You think what you’ve done is great and many times it is – the challenge is convincing everyone else of its epic awesomeness. Be realistic about your shortcomings, they’ll be much easier to address if you’ve taken the time to actualize legitimate solutions. People (journalists especially) appreciate a candid, honest interview over an hour-long sales pitch. 

Set Expectations

Want a feature in Wall Street Journal? Get in line. Features in top tier business press publications aren’t the reward of the lucky, or even the most innovative, companies. They’re typically reserved for semi-established organizations that are living examples of bigger business trends. Or those that get $100 million in funding. If you achieve either one of those things, we can definitely talk, but in the meantime focus on building a strong base of industry press who love you. It will only help you achieve those bigger outlets in the future. 

Be Different

If you release the same old boring press release, expect the same old boring articles. Want press to talk about your company culture, innovative nature or extremely awesome workforce? Find a new way to break the news. Check out SEOmoz’s Memenouncement for an excellent example of how to break funding news without boring the masses.

On the same token, differentiate yourself from your competitors. Be able to intelligently speak about why your solution/company is better than the rest – and have the proof to back it up.

Be Flexible

The most successful companies are willing to step outside the box and accept the risk (and reward) that comes with going against the norm. This goes for PR as well – often we’re rewarded for being creative and making the journalist’s job of reading one more pitch just a bit more entertaining. Occasionally we’re abused via email, but those cases are relatively few and far between. I won’t name names. This time.

Be willing to take those risks, evaluate afterwards and readjust. There isn’t anything wrong with making a mistake – these often lead to flashes of brilliance that manifest themselves in more successful attempts down the road.

Try to Enjoy Yourself

There's nothing more satisfying (except maybe that whole profit thing) than seeing your company or product reviewed in a positive light. Try to relax and enjoy the process - you'll likely be spending the days leading up to the launch chatting with reporters and bragging about the culmination of all those sleepless nights. If you can, lay back, have a beer and let your PR team do their job. After all, you only launch once. 

-A

Rookies and Roses

If you work in public relations, or are looking to get into the field, you’ve probably noticed an overabundance of women. Females of every age seem to flock to the profession of communications – largely related to our affinity for the written word and our exceptional attention to detail. It’s not your fault guys – its science.

This influx of women can lead to a lot of really great things – some of my best friendships have started at work with gals similar to myself. Being able to interact with women your own age that have common career aspirations can be one of the more rewarding aspects of the job. However there is often a dark side. For some reason when you pile a group of girls in one office, add a dose of competition, and mix in a plethora of differing opinions, you achieve what I like to call “African Tundra Syndrome.” It’s an extremely technical condition referring to the “eat or be eaten” mentality that occasionally seems to overtake the industry. The dichotomy is most frequently seen by members of the same tribe fighting for a bone, but in my experience happens just as frequently when vying for a job, or for the purposes of this post, a guy.

Sometimes stepping into a career in PR can be a bit like being a contestant on the Bachelor. You’re most likely grouped with an equally matched cluster of candidates all seeking permanent employment.  And like being on the show, you’ll probably experience confusion, a rush of emotions, exhaustion and embarrassment when tackling your first internship. After years of seeing young professionals swing in and out of the multiple agencies I’ve worked for, I’ve identified a few common denominators that seem to repeat themselves with almost predictable frequency.

The Floodgate

The Floodgate intern means exceptionally well and is passionate about their position to a fault. They lack the confidence we see in other candidates, but still perform well overall. They’re like that really cute Bachelor contestant that seems to absorb the feelings of the entire room and express them through her tear ducts. A word to the wise – there is no crying in PR. Actually, I take that back. There is a LOT of crying in PR, but it should be reserved for the bathroom or those precious hours outside of the office. (Side note: crying at post offices is always acceptable. I’ve learned from personal experience it’s a great place to express emotion and your tears can help stick stamps on the 500 boxes you’re mailing). 

Everyone makes mistakes at work – let’s be real, I make them all the time – but the important point is that you realize you’re growing from each mistake you make, and you have the ability to separate your business performance from your personal worth. It takes a tough skin to hack it in the public relations game – might as well work on those calluses from the beginning.

The Deflector

Let’s face it – you don’t really have to worry about this person becoming competition because they’re constantly shucking the responsibility onto someone else. If you’re assigned a task, own it. Treat it like it’s the last rose of the ceremony and you don’t care how many thorns prick you while you’re reaching out to grab it.

Owning your work doesn’t mean that it’s perfect or you won’t have questions – it means that you’re trying to complete the task to the best of your ability. Sometimes your ability is lacking in a specific area and the piece needs a lot of work, but that’s okay as long as you’re open to learning new things and willing to try again.

The Golden Ticket

This person doesn’t come by the title automatically – you’re not born being better than other people at writing press releases or handling clients. It’s the product of a lot of time, mentorship and hard work. While certain people do have given talents (writing, communicating…etc) these are all things that can be learned if the desire is there.

I think one of the biggest components of success in PR is having realistic expectations about how much time and hard labor it’s going to take to get where you want to go.  There are going to be times you want to quit, and a lot of days that you’ll miss college (Go Zags) but embarking on your first job is one of the most exciting times in your life.

There isn’t any skating by and it takes a lion-sized work ethic, but at the end of the day it’s all worth it for the feeling you get when you place your first big article. One could even say it’s the equivalent of receiving the final rose.

-A