3 PR lessons from a 2-year-old

1. Be helpful. My daughter loves to help. If she finds some garbage, she runs over to show me and then throws it away. When I change her into her pajamas, I give her the dirty clothes and she puts them in her hamper. When I ask her to do something, she says, “Oh, sure!” and runs over to help. You should have the exact same attitude when it comes to your public relations campaign. When a journalist, client, or social media fan asks for something (within reason), say “sure” and do everything in your power to help.

2. Get your target’s attention and make sure your message is clear. Being 2 can be tough. Though you know what you’re saying, sometimes your message isn’t clear. Because of this, it’s not unusual for my daughter to run over to me, tap my leg until I look at her and then tell me what she’s trying to say over and over again. Similarly, in public relations, sometimes it’s somtimes hard to clearly convey your message to the right person. The methods are different than those of a 2-year-old, but it’s important to catch your target’s attention and make your message as clear as possible.