Sunday, June 16, 2013

PRoblems: Our Top Five PR Don'ts

PRowl’s executive board came together and thought of a few things to steer clear of if you want to maintain a professional public relations appearance. Here are the top five problems that you want to avoid: 

Overly complicated language. You would think that as a PR student you would want to show off your vocabulary whenever possible, but the opposite is true. When creating content be sure to stay away from technical terms or PR jargon. Always keep your writing clear and concise.

Lack of attention to detail. As a PR professional, it is essential to pay attention to the "little things." Whether that be posting the right content to social media, drafting the perfect lead in your press release, or selecting the perfect font for an event invitation, those little details add up, quickly!

Missing deadlines. People joke about how similar PR and journalism are, but in this case it could not be more true. Deadlines are so crucial in PR. Missing them not only affects you, but it also affects your publications, clients, or even fellow staff members.

Offending a client. Never bad mouth a client, it’s that simple. Even if you are not in the room with them, you are constantly representing them. Always make sure that what you are saying about your client is what you would want the public to say.

Being a know-it-all. This is something to avoid in every profession, but it definitely holds true for PR. PR is still a growing industry and new social networks are developed everyday. In such a rapidly changing field it’s impossible to know everything that is going on, and that’s okay. Part of the beauty of PR is the networks that we make and being able to reach out to them when needed. 

These five issues may seem like obvious potholes to avoid, but everyone makes mistakes. If you stay mindful of these “PRoblems,” you can cultivate and maintain your credibility and professionalism in the PR world.


This collaboration post was written by PRowl's Executive Board.

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