August 2, 2017

So What do PR Pros Do, Anyway?

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Maybe you’re a college student who isn’t sure what it’s like to work in the public relations industry but is interested in the field. Or maybe you’re someone who is simply interested in what a PR pro does all day. The world of PR is quick-paced and stressful, but can be rewarding and thrilling all the same. All your questions about how public relations works will be answered as I give you a quick glance into the life of a PR pro.

But first, coffee.

Here at the BIGfish office, everyone usually shuffles in between 8:30-9:00 AM (all with coffee in hand). Before our all-hands meeting on Monday mornings, we give ourselves 45 minutes to check our emails and see if anything important came in overnight while we prepare our brains for the day ahead. After discussing how we’re going to crush the upcoming week, everyone returns to their desks where they begin to start thinking about lunch (and doing some work as well).

Plank break!

No description needed.

The Daily Grind

After we settle in at our desks after a busy morning of brainstorming and preparing for the day, we begin working on the tasks we need to get done. A big part of public relations at BIGfish, where media relations is our bread and butter, is drafting pitches tailored to the reporters we think would be most interested in our clients. We personalize these pitches as much as possible to show the reporter we’ve done our research and truly believe our client is a great fit for their publication. At the end of every month, we send reports to our clients to show how all our hard work is paying off. BIGfish employees also monitor and run various social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to ensure our clients are getting the most exposure. This includes drafting social posts, responding to comments and reporting on social growth.

Afternoon Briefings

Most of the time, our press briefings are in the afternoon. With a handful of our clients on the west coast, it’s more likely that we’re scheduling a call with a reporter after lunch (when us east coasters are no longer hangry). What is a press briefing? After diligent research and successful pitch writing, reporters line up to speak to your client about their latest news. These briefings, most likely over the phone, will give your client a chance to tell their story and the reporter a chance to gather all the correct information. It’s a win-win!

Calls on Calls on Calls

Throughout the week, we have our weekly client calls. As mentioned above, we want to get all our client news out there to the press in the best way possible. With these calls, we speak directly to our clients about what they’re working on next, their schedules and all that jazz. By creating an agenda our clients can follow along with and take notes in, the BIGteam stays on top of everything our clients want to share.

 

Team Gathering/Touching Bases

At the end of every week, the account team (we like to call ourselves the A Team) comes together to talk about what we need to accomplish before the weekend. Thanks to one of our BIGperks, we get to work from home on Fridays, so we like to get together Thursday afternoons to make sure we’re wrapping up the week on the same page. It’s not uncommon for us to pour a few glasses of wine and rip open some snacks courtesy of our bi-weekly snack delivery.

End of Day

While daily to-do lists vary from person to person, almost every PR professional will tackle these tasks at some point in the week. Interested in learning more about how BIGfish operates? Read more about us  and if you like what you see, apply for our fall internship program!

BIG fish PR is an unconventional agency that helps its clients redefine their industries.