10 ways to be invaluable to your PR firm

It’s what we do, whether it’s building relationships with print media, bloggers, or influencers on various social media channels. In short, it’s a great time to be in PR and an even better time for public relations folks to become indispensable at their respective agencies.

Here’s what I look for when hiring PR staff, whether they be junior folks looking to cut their teeth or seasoned pros hoping to make their mark at a new firm:

1. Know how to employ modern communications tools. Beyond that, be able to explain the value of these tools to others, including colleagues and clients. Become an expert with monitoring and measurement tools, and develop a talent for communicating the results.

2. Be one of your PR firm’s best, most reliable writers. Be the person others look to for help in crafting a meaningful pitch or a pithy post for Facebook or Twitter. A PR pro who can write the lights out can generally go far in this business, provided he/she plays well with others. So…

3. Play well with others. Credit your peers for work well done. Do not attempt to climb over the backs of others to get up the next rung of the ladder. Earn it by being aggressive, smart, and loyal.