How To Become A Pr Guru

By Author: Alex H
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Do you have a flair for creative thinking? Maybe you are a writer a heart who just does not know how to get your feet off of the ground. Sure, you might make a dollar or two with content sites, but you need big money to survive. Fortunately, such a goal is very well possible if you get into the PR industry.

So, what is PR, and why is it so profitable for beginner writers? Simply defined, PR, (which is also known as public relations), uses the power of networking and journalism to earn free publicity for a company. To achieve it companies hire PR consultants to write press releases or media kits, which are later sent to journalists, television producers or editors. If either of these parties like what they see, they will talk about the company in a feature story.

Yet, that is the hard part. Being able to get the media to pick up your story. That is why the PR industry is so important, as PR consultants act as go-betweens for both the media and your company. And, contrary to what some believe, PR specialists are equally beneficial for both entities. For a company the benefits are obvious; they generate buzz without ...
... having to pay for a television ad. But for the media, PR consulting means having access to an endless source of powerful stories; stories that are pretty much already written for them.

However, this does not mean that the media is going to pay attention to all press releases that come through their office. Instead, they will take notice of those that offer the most journalistic value. The rest will get deleted or thrown in the trash. So, to avoid such consequences, PR companies work extra hard ensuring that only the best are a part of their team.

What is considered the best in the PR world? First, PR consultants must have excellent writing and journalism skills, as press release writing makes up a large percentage of their job. They must learn how to capture a producers or editors emotions without making their press release sound like an ad, (as these are the first to go in the garbage).

Secondly, PR consultants must have excellent communication skills, since office meetings are quite common in the industry. If a PR consultant is shy or unsure of themselves, they may not convince the other party that their story is newsworthy, even if their initial press release was written well.

Finally, a PR consultant must have experience in the field. If their press releases have resulted in an actual news broadcast, this is even better. Of course, if they do not have this experience they will need to make it up through internships and education. Degrees in journalism, communications or English are bound to get an applicant noticed, especially if they have had a few internships at a television station.

But what does an applicant do if they do not have a degree or appropriate experience? Should they forego their dreams of becoming a PR consultant? No, though they will need to think outside of the box. For example, they can offer free PR services to an underrepresented niche, such as the beauty industry. As they build experience in beauty PR, they will learn the tricks of the trade not only for the beauty industry but for others as well. Eventually their efforts will pay off as they earn a newscast for one of their clients. A copy of this newscast needs to be included in their portfolio so they can share it with prospective employers. If they gain enough newscasts, they will become very attractive to PR firms.

Clark Covenington, (owner of Custom Press Release), was able to achieve a six-figure salary using this exact method. And, even though he is an at-home entrepreneur, his success rivals that of other established PR firms, such as Big and the Chelgate Limited. You can achieve similar success if you work hard and stay motivated.