I've been asked more than a few times over the years whether I’m an APR or plan to be, and whether I think it's worth the effort. I'm not and at this time I don't plan to pursue it, but any discussion of the APR requires that you deal with some contextual issues first.
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FACT #1: PR practitioners want to get media placements for their clients.
FACT #2: Writers and reporters want to publish compelling stories for their readers.
FACT #3: TV and radio producers want to broadcast great news segments for their viewers.
FACT #4: Bloggers and vloggers and podcasters want to share the latest developments in their niche with their audiences.
So, why is off-topic pitching even a thing?
Whether you aspire to be a sought-after public relations consultant, communications lead at a brand, managing director of a PR firm, or a communications professor at a university — enduring (and crushing) the “newbie” phase in your PR journey is a tedious, but mandatory rite of passage if you want to excel and have a long, prosperous career.
Slogging through this stuff makes for eye-crossing days, keyboarding cramps, and sleeping like a mummy at night. It’s an exhausting existence but in the end, it really is its own reward. It’s the key to unlocking your PR Glow Up.
I took a massive gamble that could have backfired spectacularly but thankfully, it didn’t. Instead of getting me fired, breaking the rules yielded funky dividends for me in the form of a national print story placement and subsequent boost in my “personal stock” at my job (all within just a few months of my arrival).
The philosopher Aristotle is credited with saying "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” There is certainly an argument that it’s better, or actually easier, to put effort into changing “negative” habits.
That’s not what I’m focused on in this post. Today, I’m talking about making peace with the current snapshot of you and learning how to succeed with what you’re made of right now.