6 PR lessons from horror classics

Halloween is nigh and ghouls and goblins are on everyone’s minds.

October has seen a variety of new horror fare spook eager audiences in theaters across the country. Smart movie patrons are ahead of the plot and can see what is coming.

As a PR and communications professional, can you do the same?

Here are some ways to keep yourself out of your own personal horror story, scene by scene:

Having missed your exit, you take a small detour to spend the night in an isolated rural home. (“Psycho,” 1960)

As Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller opens, Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane mindlessly detours from the main highway, putting her on the road to ruin.

The lesson: Stay on your path.

Marion’s detour is emblematic of a problem many PR professionals face.

Whenever doing anything—for a client, your organization or your career—remember to stay in your proverbial lane and not venture into the unknown and end in disaster. In the PR industry, it’s typical to try and “spin” a story or develop a creative angle, but it’s important that ultimately you stay on message.