• by Alison Hill , Columnist, December 3, 2015

As I mentioned a few months ago in this space, I have been teaching a class in Entertainment PR this semester at California State University, Fullerton. My students have been lucky enough to hear from a number of stellar guest speakers over the past several weeks, including Yvonne Graham from Disney ABC Television Group, John Rozak of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Brad Jashinsky and Leidy Arevalo of Knott’s Berry Farm, Vanessa Kromer from Nederlander Concerts and journalist Ray Richmond. While my guests individually shared valuable information specific to their very different areas of the entertainment PR field, they also—unbeknownst to each other—discussed a number of common themes and offered similar pieces of advice during their talks. 

Since the “rule of three” in journalism suggests that examples that come in threes are inherently truer, more satisfying, funnier, or stronger, I figured my own rule of six demanded that I share these pearls of wisdom with you. These, of course, were addressed to young people hoping just to break into the field of entertainment PR, but I think they also serve as excellent reminders to all of us long-timers.

Be proficient at social media. Okay, no surprise here—everyone stressed the importance of social media in today’s technology-driven marketing and PR world. You might be applying for a publicity or marketing job or making adaptations to a job you’ve held for years, but it’s still critical to understand and know how to strategically tweet and upload content to Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest among other social media platforms. Hey, if famous grump Harrison Ford can participate in a (creative and hilarious) social-media-driven campaign for Omaze, promoting their charitable fundraiser for tickets to the premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” it really behooves everyone to get with the groove.

Learn to write well. There is no fate—no, not even death—worse than having your press release mocked all over the entire internet for its terrible writing. I’ve seen it happen to reputable PR firms; don’t let it happen to you! From your resume to your cover letter to your first pitch letter to that fateful press release and marketing materials, good writing skills will be your golden ticket. And that goes for any field! Practice, practice, practice until you have developed a writing style that is grammatically sound at a minimum, clever and distinctive as an ideal.

Tell the truth. We’re going to go all George Washington on you here: Never. Lie. It seems like it would be easy enough to simply state the facts. But there are times in PR, kids, when it will be very, very tempting to fudge the facts. Don’t do it! Not only is it plain wrong—it will also get you in trouble with your client (even if they’re the ones who initially want you to “just skirt the issue”), and worst of all, it will ruin you with the press. Clients come and go, but your journalistic contacts are forever!

Build relationships. It’s all who you know? Yes, some things never change. Start building your own network of contacts while you’re still in school. A good place to look would be the journalists writing for the school newspaper. Those same college reporters will be writing for real-world media outlets as soon as they graduate from school. (And for those who are already in the biz: We should be meeting new people—either in person or on Twitter/LinkedIn/Instagram/etc.—almost every day. Okay, every week.)

Get experience: First-time job hunters always lament that they don’t have any experience because they’ve never worked before in the PR industry. How are they supposed to get experience if no one will hire them without it? There are creative ways to get this experience while you’re still in school. An internship is the obvious answer but another way is to volunteer your services: for charity events, school events, even for local businesses. Graduating with a portfolio of clips will be very impressive to employers.

Find a niche—and be passionate about it! We all have skills that set us apart from the competition, and passions that channel those skills in targeted directions. Think about what your special talents are and nurture them; then be sure to tout them in your job interviews. And even though “Do what you love”/“Follow your bliss” and similar mantras have been seriously overworked…they’re still true. You’ll do a much better job when you’re putting your unique skills to work on behalf of a product, client, or cause that you truly believe in.

My students have been pretty inspired by the speakers they’ve heard his semester. And given the wise advice they’ve been given, I can look forward to crossing paths with these future PR professionals in the not-too-distant future!