Throughout forming campaigns, planning events, baking gluten-free brownies (#gf & LASC), writing releases, designing all sorts of posters/flyers/invites..., taking complaints and taking compliments, I learned a few, — no — 10 lessons that stood out above the rest.
1. If you think you have nothing to do, you're lying to yourself.
There is always something you can be doing to prevent yourself from being stressed at a later date. (When I say I learned this, it doesn't mean I always embody these lessons. Although, it's hard to pass up a new episode of House when for a PR meeting, sometimes it's necessary.)
2. Agenda is key.
Blackberry, calendar, sticky notes or the back of your hand: tangible tracking of your life > mental notes scattered between lobes. You will forget. Trust me. (And you can only be saved by a lucky mention on Twitter so many times.)
3. A Rose by any other name, would probably just be angry you're calling her Rose.
I'm not a huge fan of the term "connections." It makes me think that I'm using people who I've met previously to my advantage and leaving them without anything positive. But learning someone's name — and using it — will help you remember a person and their position. (Those silly connections can only benefit you if you remember who is in the business you're looking for.)
4. Timeline or else.
You may think that when you take on a project that you can either do it all last minute, but I'm here to say, "It isn't so, Joe." You WILL forget that certain objects take longer to ship from oriental trading than others. There WILL be a shortage of candles at Wal-Mart the night of the candle-light dinner. The only way to avoid it: think of it all ahead of time and complete each task at least a week before you think you'll actually think you need to do it when planning an event.
5. Check that release one, two, — better yet — three last times.
If you think you don't have a single AP style error, chances are you've there are at least three on the page. The little weasels are elusive. Have a few people around you look over the release before you send it. Chances are they'll have different strengths than you and may ink something you skimmed over, or didn't know broke the rules at all.
6. Just do it.
Don't put it off. No matter how much you're dreading finishing off — or starting — that little project, just do it. Postponing the inevitable is only going to cause that little bugger in the back of your mind to go haywire.
7. Keep you're bridges flameless.
No matter how rough it was to work with a client, you never know when you're going to run into them again, professionally. A mean mug at CVS is one thing, but when you are submitting a press release to their organization you don't want them to remember you without respect.
8. Records, in full.
"But I swear to God I turned it in!" This never happened to me, but I've seen it happen, and it wasn't pretty. Clients won't believe you, or they'll lose it, or something crazy will happen and that bridge you burnt will also burn down all their records. Anyway around it, you need to keep track of everything you do professionally. Deleting e-mails is for those who never bothered to look into gmail.
9. Small talk isn't for the small.
Go out of your way to meet someone new. You never know, when you look up to see whose keys you just picked up it may just be Mr. Jobs. Steve, that is. That's how to make it big.
10. Social media rules, rocks, and sometimes rolls.
Just because it goes on in your life doesn't mean the Internet needs to know about it, too. It especially doesn't need to remember last weekend's Irish Car Bomb that you don't even recall.
There you have it. Now you're a pro PRer.
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