PR is a contact sport

4 pro tips for staying on top of your PR game

It’s a great time of year for sports. Plenty of slow-paced baseball games balanced with intense hockey and heart-pumping basketball playoff games. When comparing your public relations approach to a sport, aim to be a right wingman or power forward, not a center fielder.

PR, after all, is a contact sport. If you want to win in the PR game, you can’t be afraid of contact. Here is some advice for incorporating more contact into your PR approach and, as a result, building stronger relationships and garnering better results.

Have no fear.

Whether you’re drafting social media posts or preparing a pitch, don’t let fear get in your way. Don’t allow negative thoughts like “no one will retweet this” or “this editor won’t respond” to infiltrate your writing or strategy.

Tip #1: Have a positive approach. Think about the end goal of your outreach and let that guide you. Ask yourself what action you want the recipient of your message to take.

Practice makes perfect.

The best way to get better at something is to practice. Don’t go into a presentation or a media pitch without at least a little bit of preparation. Practice with your colleagues; practice with your friends; and get comfortable talking about your company or your client’s company.

Tip #2: If you have a commute, the car is a great place to talk through pitches or presentations so you don’t have to look silly by talking to yourself in the office!

Dust yourself off.

Just like in sports, you’re going to lose. Breaking news may run instead of your feature story. A social media user may complicate your strategy with nasty comments. A typo might make its way into a press release you sent. Whether it’s an uncontrollable force or a personal error, don’t let it get the best of you. Learn from your mistake and take the lessons from it with you.

Tip #3: Keep the high points front and center. Print out a key media placement and hang it in your office. Scroll through an impressive results report. Remind yourself of the PR all-star you are!

Develop those PR muscles.

PR and social media are ever changing. Continue to have a strong game by committing to professional development. Connect regularly with other professionals, attend industry conferences, be inquisitive of journalists’ preferences and continuously read about best practices.

Tip #4: Get started by reviewing Axia Public Relations’ guide, Learn Media Relations from the Media.

Julie Miller is a marketing and communications professional with more than seven years of experience in the industry. She specializes in technology, digital marketing and communications. Julie has worked for Axia Public Relations since November 2015. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.