The month of January is always a great time to reflect on what has and hasn’t worked for us over the past year and to think about what we’d like to do differently. PR is no doubt a very fast-paced industry filled with tight deadlines, urgent requests and countless emails, so it’s essential for us to plan and set ourselves up for success.
To ensure we start off the year on the right foot, here are a few resolutions all PR professionals can aim to keep:
- Target journalists more effectively – Fact: there are more PR pros working today than there are journalists, which means our pitches must stand out in a big way. Although we work in a world with time-sensitive deadlines, make sure to perfect your media lists before pitching to catch incorrect emails and remove people who no longer work at the outlet. Take the extra steps to break through the clutter and implement some target pitching strategies in order to get the information into the right hands (think: quality versus quantity).
- Increase PR and social media integration – Every PR pro knows there are many parallels between what we do every day and the type of content social media marketing brings to the table. Recognizing the similarities and integrating the two more often can lead to greater results for various PR campaigns—sometimes it can be as simple as asking your media contact what they need in order for a story to be shared on their social media channels. Or, try reaching out and engaging with media contacts through their public Twitter or Instagram accounts and see where it takes you.
- Stay informed – One of the best ways to get more creative and improve your own PR writing skills is to devour all types of media. Listen to podcasts on your commute to work and subscribe to various daily or weekly PR email newsletters to stay informed. Spend more time following industry specific news so that you can successfully write engaging content and be able to naturally discuss current happenings with key media. Increasing knowledge in all arenas not only keeps you up-to-date of top trends and breaking news, but it helps with credibility in the long run.
- Take more time for yourself – Being in the public relations field is stressful, but it is important to remember to take time out for you during the day. Briefly step away from the screen to take a break, go out on a walk or do whatever else you need to give your mind a rest. In doing so, it will help you unwind and reboot your energy, which could lead to a new idea you wouldn’t have thought of before. It is the secret to increased productivity and allows you to get more things done quickly.
Make it a goal to create realistic plans and measure your progress on a weekly or month basis to achieve the plans you set for yourself, both personally and professionally. Cheers to a successful 2016 filled with continuous growth and improvement!
Fellow PR professionals, what are some of your New Year’s resolutions?