With the end of 2017 coming near, those pesky New Year’s resolutions are on my mind. For many of us, we start out hopeful when we set goals to improve our health, fitness, professional and love lives. But, many of us fail to keep up with these promises to ourselves the remaining 364 days of the year. Next year will be different!
Here are three New Year’s resolutions to follow to become a better publicist in 2018:
1. Think like a journalist.
At Teak, we appreciate how inundated the media is with requests and how overloaded with information and technology we all are. This is why we strive to think like a journalist. We want to make it easy for media to tell our clients’ stories, so we do as much of the work for them as possible, handing them stats, numbers, quotes, industry standards, expert interview sources, and people who will share their heartfelt, real-life experiences.
Our greatest gift is our ability to find the nugget of human interest or the core of a multifaceted issue. It’s about content, not contacts we always say. Many of us have media backgrounds and are well versed in finding what is newsworthy within an organization, and at translating industry-specific jargon into information that will attract the media and which the public can understand and absorb.
You can’t effectively pitch stories to the media if you don’t understand how the minds of the media work. Amplify offers 12 do’s and don’t’s for publicist from a reporter’s perspective.
2. Be a sponge.
In order to succeed in this job, you must learn how to become an expert in many fields. At Teak, we are used to coming to work with a clean slate learning intricate details about obscure organizations, industries, or complex issues within a day’s time. We have become an expert in everything from urban education to climate change, summer camping to nutrition, cancer to craft vodka and so much in between.
The key is to be a sponge. Know what you don’t know, keep reading outside your realm and learn new mediums. Stay abreast of current trends and coverage in each of your clients’ fields. Keep up with new and changing media outlets and technologies. Take field trips and experience things first-hand.
What you read and how you experience things for yourself will influence the way you write and communicate to those around you. A willingness to learn is the key to success according to one Forbes article.
3. Work with heart.
Teak takes pride in bringing good news about important issues and the work of positive organizations to the public. When we take on the responsibility of promoting an organization, we align with its mission and take it on as our own. The passion and energy we bring to our work set us apart.
In August 2013, Teak became a certified B Corp, a legal structure established to recognize profit-based businesses that operate ethically and are accountable to a triple bottom line: people, the planet, and profits. Teak is the only public relations firm in New England that is a certified B Corp, and it’s just one of a few in the United States. We walk our talk and our clients can be assured that we are a values-led firm on their team.
Representing missions and clients that you believe in is the best way to create a positive and fulfilling work environment for all. Business News Daily lists four reasons to love what you do for a living.
When setting your New Year’s resolutions, don’t be too hard on yourself. Pick a few attainable goals that you know will make a difference in your life and stick to them.
Happy New Year!
