What are some ways your relationship building and maintenance has changed from pre-pandemic to now?

2020 was a whirlwind and a completely different PR experience than I have ever had before. Thankfully, I was fortunate to work with amazing clients, but the pandemic affected their business in vastly different ways: they were either thriving, doing okay, or really hurting. For everyone, it was a year to dig deep for both financial opportunities and for the energy to push on for the long haul.

In some ways, it was the most creative year, because there was no time to think. Whenever anyone had an idea, we just went for it. This was a great exercise in trusting your gut and going for it, and it was also a lot of fun to try new things with very little lead time.

What has not changed is building relationships. When I started in PR after college, my first press list was comprised of names, phone numbers, and mailing addresses of my media contacts. We would wine and dine editors in person, and it was great. Then it turned into running into media contacts at events and keeping in touch with coffee dates. Nowadays, many editors and writers move around so it’s easier to keep track of people on social media or by text. Now, if there’s also a collaboration with an influencer, I usually exchange messages over Instagram or WhatsApp. No matter the medium, it’s critical to stay closely connected and continue to forge strong relationships.

What type of skill sets do you find the most useful in your field of work?

I was trained in PR in the late 1990s, so the types of skills have evolved a bit. For example, when I was doing PR in NYC for a restaurant group, we were very hands-on and would pitch stories on new cocktails, new menus, restaurant renovations, celebrities who dined with us, and so on.

Now the majority of my PR work is spent on finding ways to communicate strategy and messaging of the company. I feel that I always try to put myself in the shoes of the customer or potential customer. I try to understand what they will feel when they watch a brand video or see a social media post. Since each business is so different, you really have to embody that brand, which takes a lot of focus and the ability to see things from many different perspectives.

Being creative is also very important and it doesn’t stop. I spend a lot of time working in the creative space, trying to put together content ideas, collaborations, and many daily projects that come up, all focused around big-picture storytelling and strategy. This makes PR work an around-the-clock job.

What do you love about PR?

Whether it’s through a promotion, an interview or an event, I love watching a business connect with and inspire their customers. I feel like I am constantly faced with problem-solving challenges, and I hear things like “we have not been able to solve this” or “we want to improve this,” and finding answers to these challenges is always rewarding. Seeing a successful project come through, especially if it was a long project, feels unbelievable. I definitely love the win!