Get Buzzed

I’m often asked “how do I get into public relations?” Like many people that work in public relations, I began my career with a passion for people and idea that this passion could lead to a career.  Most people have only a vague and fuzzy notion of what public relations professionals do on a day-to-day basis.  More often than not, public relations professionals are thought to do a lot of schmoozing, handshaking and eating at the finest restaurants. 

Well, some of that may be true, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye.  We’re here to help our client’s business succeed.  How do we do that?  First, we get to know as much about our clients’ service or product as possible.  Who are they trying to reach to sell their service or product to?  Sometimes, they don’t really even know so we help them identify target audience through comprehensive research, focus groups, and strategic planning. We are always thinking 6-12 months in advanced for our clients and every strategic plan or promotion we create reflects this long-term approach. And, yes there’s the grunt work.  We’ve all packed boxes, folded T-Shirts, picked up clients at the airport and many other areas of client support that may not be all that glamorous. 

Public relations can be and is very rewarding for the right person. 
Today, we recruit our interns from Arizona State Universities Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, which is one of the very best journalism schools in the country.  They are turning out very bright students who are moving into the public relations arena.  We’ve mentored a few and some have been interns for several semesters with Barclay Communications.  They are very bright and will do well in the PR field. Some, we have actually hired.  One in particular, was with us for almost 10 years before getting a fabulous offer to relocate in Manhattan and oversee the public relations for a nationally known brand.  This is just one of many success stories.

And, yes, we do shake a few hands, eat in great restaurants, ride in limos and meet VIP’s. At the end of the day, the reward is really our clients’ success. Receiving that phone call where the client says, “Wow, that was awesome, thanks for helping my business grow.”

How do you get into public relations?  A communications or journalism is a must.  Internships are very important.  I also highly recommend a mentor.  Good writing and people skills are at the very top of the list. Good luck!

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