Here are some things I’ve learned about working in public relations after finishing my MA PR:

1. You haven’t learned everything yet

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” - Aristotle

You won’t learn the best ways to pitch a story, devise a campaign strategy or build relationships from textbooks in a classroom. You’ll learn by doing it—repeatedly. Thanks to my team, I’ve already improved my pitch structure, learned how to communicate genuinely and effectively with journalists, and how to position a story so it’s appealing to particular audiences. And I’ve learned all of this by practicing, getting great constructive feedback, and learning how to think differently.

2. Pick an agency for the people, not the clients

Love it or hate it, someone once said “team work makes the dream work” and it stuck.

If you plan on working at an agency, one of the most important things I’ve learned since working in PR is that you shouldn’t be drawn into an agency based solely on their clients. We have some incredible clients at Words + Pixels that I’m thrilled to be working with, but it’s the culture at work that really caught my attention and made me want to join this community. It makes a huge difference when you feel supported by everyone you work with, and it really shows when you feel yourself learning quicker, more diligently, and enjoy coming to work.

You’re supposed to be asking questions as an AE, gaining insights from your team leaders and directors, and learning how to own your opportunities and be proactive in seeking them out.

3. Celebrate your wins, even the little ones

“Small things make base men proud.” - William Shakespeare

Our harshest critics are often ourselves, and it’s very easy to get caught up in what’s going wrong so much that you overlook how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished. Celebrate your wins, and the wins of your teammates, no matter how big or small, because their wins are your wins when you’re working on a team. Secured a feature with a national publication? Send kudos. Got positive feedback from a journalist? Let the team know the great news. Every win is building on the last, and results in a better outcome for your team and your clients.

4. Learn from your mistakes, and learn quickly

PR is a fast-paced industry. If you accidentally send an email with a typo or send a pitch to a journalist who isn’t interested, note it and learn from it. Always double check your emails before they go out, and do more research on the journalist you’re pitching to beforehand. Also, listen to your peers and coworkers—more often than not, they’ve made some mistakes before that you’re bound to make, so the best way to get ahead of making them is to learn from them and their experiences.

5. Stay curious, and be proactive

A healthy curiosity will challenge you to be more proactive–seeking out journalists, creative ways to pitch a story, and while you’re learning it’s good to share all of the different angles you can think of with your team. They’re there to bounce ideas off of, help you refine your thinking, and package it in a way that makes it suitable for publication. Curiosity means constantly asking questions about what you’re reading and learning about—the more you read and absorb, the better you’ll become at understanding your client’s challenges, interests and strengths.

Ultimately, working in PR is entirely different from what you learn in university.

The best way to learn out here is to fully immerse yourself in your agency or your team, learn from them, know you won’t know everything at once (as frustrating as that is), and enjoy it because there’s really nothing like it!

In a nutshell

I started my career at B2B Technology PR agency CCgroup, working across Fintech, Telecoms, and Enterprise technology clients. After just over three years in the world of B2B tech, I decided to try my hand in-house at the charity Back Up, after having a personal connection to Back Up’s work.

Some highlights

• Working with Kris Aves, the policeman injured in the Westminster Bridge attack, to secure an interview with ITV and promote Back Up’s work on a national scale 
• Working with bot mitigation company, Netacea, to raise widespread awareness of the impact bots can have on businesses through securing coverage in the BBC, Telegraph, Wired, and Reuters 
• Making the final of the PRCA UK Young Lions Competition in 2021 

What excites me most about Words and Pixels 

• Clients - Words and Pixels works with so many truly disruptive clients. I’m excited to learn more about the world of start-ups and scale-ups, and help the team spread awareness of the innovative work clients do through impactful PR.
• Culture - After just a few hours in the office I could see just how enthusiastic the team is about the work they do, and how everyone brings something unique to the table. The support they offer each other is really special.  
• The work and opportunity to learn from the best in the business. Words and Pixels is ambitious and enables clients to scale through meaningful work. I’m excited to tell the stories of disruptive clients and learn from everyone in the team.

If you're looking for your next role in PR, then check out our careers page.

Get some of my essential tips to smash your first week at your new job in PR.

While I know I’m far from being an expert in the field, my PR industry knowledge has increased exponentially in the short time that I have been working at the agency and I am excited to keep this train rolling.

News alerts will become your best friend

I didn't have any previous experience before joining W+P, in fact, I only recently graduated from my journalism degree. That's not a problem though, I've developed a wealth of transferable skills that can be applied to PR and I've already been putting them into practice.

Being up to date with world news, is one of the most important parts of my role. As a PR you need to know what's happening generally on the global stage, but also be aware of news that relates to your clients industry. This way you can be constantly reacting to breaking news.

My journalism training means I'm used to the demands of constantly being on top of topical, breaking news.

Understanding of PR

Having had no previous experience working in PR, I honestly didn’t know what to expect in my opening week. As I have found in previous jobs, often you are thrown into tasks and expected to immediately understand how to do it, which can be pretty daunting.

However, working at Words + Pixels was the complete opposite.

The rest of the team at W+P could not have been more helpful in moderating the workload and gradually increasing the responsibilities that I have, only after offering extensive help and feedback on the work I produce.

Public relations is an effective way of building relations with a multitude of audiences depending on the clients’ focus. Already, I understand the process of gathering relevant coverage and how it relates to our clients; as well as the methods of delivering pitches to journalists, publications and other media outlets.

In this first week, I've gotten a broad understanding of how PR works across a variety of clients, all requiring very different needs. I've had the opportunity to work with Seed Legals to discuss the struggles of fundraising, to working with Lime to promote the expansion of their e-scooter program in cities across the country.

Teamwork

Having completed my first week at my new job in PR, the importance of teamwork was very apparent.

Clients are assigned to teams of small numbers to ensure that they receive quality coverage and support. Working in conjunction with your team is the most effective way to provide the best service for your clients.

I've loved working with the team at Words + Pixels. Everyone is more than happy to help, even if it's regarding a client they don't directly work with. The team flag important updates about their client in daily standups; this provides us with a holistic view of client activity across the agency.

Having a team on hand to help with anything creates a culture where you feel supported - even as a newbie to PR!

Even though it’s early days, I can see there is a clear path for me in this industry and I couldn't be more enthusiastic about developing in this role.

Words + Pixels feels like the perfect place to improve my knowledge and understanding of PR. The people and working environment couldn't be any more welcoming; they've given me a brilliant introduction to my first PR job.

I'm one week in and I'm looking forward to seeing where this job takes me!