The best and worst moments in a PR pro’s career

There’s the thrill of landing your first story, and the agony of getting cut from a segment. It’s just another day in the life of a PR pro.

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Public relations is rather like sales. Instead of selling a product or service, PR pros sell a story or person. But the stakes for each profession are very different.

When you attempt to make a sale, the stakes are that you may not get the sale or reach your sales quota. In PR, the stakes are that you can make or break a business with one media hit. We all know about the Oprah effect.

If you’re making a sale, you get a “yes” or “no” from a customer. But when you pitch a story, the outcomes range from “yes” to “no” with several variations in between that can make or break a brand.

To illustrate this range of outcomes, I’ve crafted a list of the top four best and worst moments for PR professionals.

The top four best moments of a PR professional:

If you were to choose a song for your life soundtrack to commemorate these PR successes, you might choose “Girl On Fire” by Alicia Keys. These moments are so wonderful you can’t help but feel you’ve conquered something amazing. (You have!)

1. The first time you secure press.

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