In part one, we showed you how valuable
skills like writing and broadcast journalism, politics, music and teaching can
give you an advantage in PR over others. This week, we asked a few more fellow
BOCAteers about their past experiences to continue with the second part of our
three-part blog series. Read on to see which skills made it into part two.
Sales
Natalie Wolfrom, account executive at BOCA,
found her experience in sales a crucial component for excelling at her PR
career. Sales
are a lot like public relations, only instead of exchanging money, you are
exchanging stories. Wolfrom previously worked as a
sales representative for Dave’s Gourmet, Vector Marketing, and Gonzaga
University Telefunding, which she says taught her three valuable skills she
learned to leverage in PR:
Building Rapport – “Making a connection, chemistry and most importantly trust between
you, your clients, the media, your colleagues – is very important in order to
get the attention you need to get a story moving. Sharing a small bit of your personal
background, preferences and experiences go a long way in connecting with others
and building their confidence in yourself.
Three Strikes You’re Out – “It's perfectly fine to follow up and make sure a reporter or customer
got your original request or question. But after three times, if they haven't
gotten back to you, then assume they just aren't interested.”
The Deal Doesn’t End With The Sale – “Building relationships is key. After the
story runs, don't cut off connections! Stay in touch with reporters. Wish them
a happy holiday, share with them a relevant article you saw, keep them posted
on your dogs, vacation, etc. Whatever you two connected on originally, keep
that connection going. Maintaining a relationship means keeping you top of
mind. If there is an opportunity that arises, that reporter is more likely to
think of you first and reach out.” – Natalie
Wolfrom
Greek Life
Before starting her PR career Alivia Snyder,
account executive at BOCA, found her experience participating as a member of
the National Greek Affiliated Organization while at Sonoma State helpful to
getting started with PR:
“Contrary to popular belief, Greek organizations are actually run
like corporations, with board meetings, a national headquarters to report to
and a certain level of personal conduct to adhere to. I had the opportunity to
hold several positions within my chapter, which taught me professionalism,
responsibility and timeliness. With more than 80 girls relying on you, there is
no room to drop the ball. Overall, I learned how to thrive under pressure and
deliver lasting results for a greater cause.” – Alivia Snyder
Ann Hodge, account executive at BOCA, also
participated in Greek Life and served as a vice president of new member
education for Sigma Kappa Sorority. Like Synder, Hodge found her Greek life
experience helped her make an easier transition into PR:
“Being in a leadership
position in my sorority, I learned the organizational and time management
skills necessary in PR. I had to plan and run a weekly meeting of more than 40
girls, which required the ability to organize a weekly agenda as well as
managing my time to ensure that all schoolwork was done ahead of time. These
skills are essential in PR, as there are constant deadlines and many different
moving parts for every account, so you need to be organized and have the
ability to prioritize.” – Ann Hodge
Psychology
Lyndsey Rocca, media specialist at BOCA,
studied psychology in college at UC Santa Barbara before she made the move over
to tech PR. Students who study psychology learn valuable communication skills
and a great understanding of human behavior, so it’s not surprising that it a
valuable resource to apply to PR:
“Studying psychology
taught me a lot about how people make decisions, as well as how to craft an
effective study based on the decision-making tactics of my audience. That
knowledge has been immensely beneficial for me when I'm tasked with designing
industry surveys for our clients in a way that will help them generate quality
coverage.” – Lyndsey Rocca
Theater
Laura
Golden, chief culture officer/business development at BOCA, comes from a
theatrical background that has proven invaluable to helping manage a team of PR
professionals. Taking on the role as writer and director for Temple Beth Torah
Purim Shpiel and studying theater at the University of Washington all helped
prepare Golden for the frantic pace of PR:
“Working with several groups
of people in the theater, to bring all the different personalities and talents
together for the final performance, requires a lot of organization, and quite a
bit of forethought and planning regarding what that final performance should
look like. It's really not too different from balancing the needs of an office,
employees, vendors and clients to create a smooth running work environment that
allows everyone to use their talents to create a final product called PR.” – Laura Golden
We hope you
enjoyed this week’s blog post. Stay tuned for part three to find out how other
skills like international relations and more helped our BOCAteers make a smooth
transition to PR.
