Why personal branding should matter to PR pros

If you’ve been neglecting to establish your professional credibility online, one public relations expert has a few tips to help you get started.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

One of the more elusive—and essential—facets of a successful PR career is a defined personal brand.

In an industry that was built almost entirely on relationships, it’s hard to imagine any PR pro struggling to communicate his or her brand’s importance, but it’s common.

Before hiring you, an executive will probably Google your name, visit your website and scour platforms such as LinkedIn to see if others would recommend your services. Although any negative information would be a deterrent, it’s worse if potential clients, journalists and other contacts are met with nothing at all. If there’s nothing to confirm your skills or experience, prospects won’t view you as a person they can trust.

If you are a PR pro, organizations want you to manage their presence, perfect their messaging and represent them in the best light. Clients want to see you actively communicating online to gauge how you’d represent yourself and their organization. RELATED: Speak with one consistent voice to your internal audience with this free guide.

How can they trust you to provide this if you haven’t mastered your own brand?

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.