PR Perks: Our Favorite Things About Working in Public Relations
Image c/o Marketing Land
By: Emily Moore
Working at LaunchSquad, we have some pretty cool perks — from ice cream parties to annual pie bake-offs, it’s no secret that we work at an awesome place. But the perks don’t stop at free food — the work we do on a day-to-day basis in the PR field comes with some amazing advantages as well. Below, we’ve outlined some of our favorites, though keep in mind: these are just a few of many rewarding things about working in PR.
Perk: In-person client meetings
WHY WE LOVE IT: For those in PR, field trips didn’t end in elementary school. Every once in a while, we ditch conference calls and head to a client’s office for some face-to-face quality time. Not only is it nice to take business out of the office every now and then — especially if we stop at Starbucks for a Frappuccino or 7-Eleven for a Slurpee on our way — but a change of scenery often inspires us to think creatively, brainstorm new ideas and approach problems from a different angle than we have before.
More than that, there’s nothing quite like in-person time if you want to strengthen your relationship with your client. Meeting face-to-face allows for open discussion and clear communication — no chance of running into the awkward miscommunications that can sometimes occur through email, or even by phone. To top it off, some clients have some seriously sweet digs — in-house smoothies? Yes, please.
Perk: Being encouraged to read
WHY WE LOVE IT: If you ended up in PR, odds are you’re a media junkie — the kind of constantly connected person who just can’t help skimming Facebook’s trending stories or checking The New York Times to see what’s going on. With most jobs, you have to save reading time until lunch — or until your boss has their back to your desk so you can sneak a glance every now and then.
But if you work in PR, not only will your workplace tolerate you catching up on the latest goings-on — they’ll almost require it. To stay informed on the latest trends, keep tabs on competition and gain exposure to new ideas, being informed is a must. Reading a variety of media, business and news outlets ultimately allows us to perform our jobs as best as we possibly can. So if your media FOMO keeps you clicking refresh on Buzzfeed’s homepage every half hour, PR might just be the perfect job field for you.
Perk: Endless variety
WHY WE LOVE IT: We’ve all seen Office Space (note: if you haven’t, drop everything and watch it right now), so we know the kind of drudgery that 9-to-5 jobs can bring to mind. Punching in and out at exactly the same time every day and performing the same mind-numbing tasks day in and day out until you retire — what a terrifying thought. Fortunately, PR is nothing like that. On any given day, from the moment you sit down at your desk to when you walk out the door, odds are that you’ll be working on a multitude of different projects — the fast-paced and multi-faceted nature of PR necessitates it.
One moment, you might be polishing a byline for placement in a top-tier publication like Forbes or Entrepreneur, and the next you’ll be pitching a journalist on how your client is redefining male body positivity or even shaking hands with Bill Nye at an event you’re staffing. This does wonders for keeping you engaged and enjoying work on a day-to-day basis, but moreover, it keeps us sharp and provides us with a valuable, well-rounded set of skills. From communication to writing to business strategy and more, PR covers a little bit of just about everything.
Are there any perks of working in PR that we missed? Leave us a comment and let us know, or send us a tweet @LaunchSquad.