An Insider's Guide to Becoming a Rising PR Star

Flip flops on Friday? To Tweet or not to Tweet? Responding to emails after hours?

The rising stars of the Public Relations scene in Boston came out on Tuesday night for answers to these and other burning questions about starting out in the PR world. The Publicity Club of New England hosted a series of breakout sessions providing advice for becoming a top-notch PR practitioner, with discussion groups led by:

• Maryanne Keeney, Maryanne Keeney Public Relations LLC
• Lauren Purpura, Racepoint Group
• Meagan Ellis, Kel & Partners
• Laura Coluci, Schwartz Communications
• Mercedes Fereck, Schwartz Communications
• Mark Crowley, Staples, Inc. (that’s me)

I started off the evening by checking into Hotel 140 (our gracious host for the night) on FourSquare, in an effort to impress my table with my social media prowess. They didn’t bat an eyelash. I started to worry that the group was already one step ahead of me.

Fortunately though, the evening proved to be a candid discussion about the fundamentals that are second nature to seasoned veterans of PR but often times unfamiliar to people just starting out in the industry. Discussion leaders shared some of the mistakes they have made along they way such as disconnecting media conference calls with The Boston Globe by dialing in on a cell phone (me) or wearing jeans on a day where the CEO came to visit (also me). I’ve since learned the joys of no-iron khakis.   

In a perfect world I would share a full report on each discussion leader’s wise words, but instead I will leave you with a handful of tips shared at last night’s session.

1) Volunteer for new projects or assignments outside of your daily/weekly assignments – it’s a great way to meet new people and show your willingness to take on added responsibilities.

2) Research! Read newspapers, watch relevant TV broadcasts, listen to radio programs. The best media relationships are developed by knowing your target outlets.

 3) Friend and follow media – many outlets post queries through their Twitter profile and Facebook pages.

 4) CC’ing and BCC’ing – Know what to use when; avoid clogging people’s inboxes but make sure the right people are in the loop.

Thanks to all of our participants who contributed to the discussion throughout the evening!