5 Qualities That Make a Good Agency PR Person

Having been in the industry for over a decade, aspiring communicators often ask me what makes a good PR pro. While I initially thought this was a hard question to answer, experience has engrained a tight mental check list within me. I vet each box closely every time we hire.

Work ethic – In 2019 I find that overall, I encounter less people who want to work hard or think they should have to work hard. If you are not naturally an achiever who goes above and beyond to deliver, the agency world is likely not for you.

Curiosity – PR is about coming up with creative ideas that build brands. To do that you need to know about the world around you and want to know more. Our job is to be one step ahead when it comes to social media trends, celebrities and even cool restaurants and event spaces. If you are not interested in learning and exploring, it will be a challenge to get to the top.

Attention to detail – We often use the term it’s PR not ER which is true but even a tiny mistake in our industry can be a crisis. If you are not a person who checks, double checks and catches mistakes this industry may not be for you. A typo in a press release, social post or event signage can be a fatal error that demonstrates lack of polish to your clients.

Capacity – In many corporate environments you may have the luxury of working on one or two deliverables in a day. In the agency world this is very rare. If you cannot churn out quality work consistency you will struggle to meet the demands of the industry. Our clients pay us to deliver and take work off their plates as many work with limited resources. Sometimes that means immediate turnaround. If this rattles you, you should think twice about entering the agency world.

Sales skills – We ultimately sell ourselves and our ideas to clients and the media from the start. At first. Its media pitches and execution ideas but eventually strategic thinking to Fortune 500 companies. This means being a confident, articulate presenter able to quickly read the room and build rapport is essential. If you dread the sell you will eventually struggle and hate your job.

If you are fabulous at all of the above we are keen to meet with you!

Andrea Anders 

Vice President