What did you find the hardest about the transition (from journalist to PR professional?)
Kay Paumier of Communications Plus, a Bay Area PR company, asked that question recently. She wanted to hear from journalists turned PR pros. What did you find the hardest about the transition?
For a few decades I ran a magazine publishing company. So as journalists, our job was to get the story done and done right. That was the most important thing. Journalists usually have deadlines– we sure did—and we had to get the story out. The thing I had to learn when I switched to PR is that my job was to make the journalist’s job easier. That was quite a switch. As a journalist, you’re all about production. Get the story done and get on to the next one.
PR is all about service. Our job in PR is to find the right journalist for the story, then get the story to that journalist at the right time and with the right information. And then we have to get out of the way and let the journalist do his or her job. Oh, another important thing: as a PR professional you have to tell the truth. If journalists finds out you told them a lie, you’ll never work effectively again. The only time you can use “Spin” is in political PR. For some reason that is forgivable. But not in regular story placement.
As I tell my students in the PR class I teach at Saint Mary’s College of California, a PR professional’s job is to make a journalist’s job easier. If we do that, then we can help our clients.
