Want to know what life's like working in Lifestyle PR?
For a lot of people, the idea of working with clients across food, drink, travel, beauty, accessories and fashion sectors to name a few, is terribly exciting... Why wouldn't it be? You get to work with products and brands you probably love, all day every day.
But is Lifestyle PR as good as it sounds? For this episode, I chat with Allira Carroll who owns and runs a lifestyle PR agency in Sydney, Tonic PR. We cover what makes lifestyle PR such a fun sector to work in, what she looks for when hiring someone in PR, how much money you are likely to earn plus offers her advice to anyone wanting to make their mark in this industry.
“You need to have the right attitude to succeed in PR. Be positive, be hungry to learn, be curious and above all, have a desire to improve”
HOW TO STAND OUT IN JUNIOR PR ROLES
Learn to manage your time. Chat with other team members and see how they manage their tasks on a daily/weekly basis and create a method that ensures nothing ever slips through the gaps
Communicate with your manager. Unsure what's required of you or unable to meet a deadline? Speak up.
Be accountable. We all make mistakes so own up if there's an issue and present a solution if you can
Master the smallest of tasks. The quicker you can prove you can do something efficiently and to a high standard, the quicker you will progress and be given more responsibility
Be seen. Stick your hand up and volunteer to help out with something or become the go-to person in your office for using Power Point. Whatever it is, find something to set you apart and make you noticed
Attention to detail. Double check all your information and don't rush
Ask for feedback. It shows you want to improve
Be proactive and set monthly or 90 day goals. What do you want to have achieved in three months time? Your manager will love the fact you're setting goals and striving to improve
Listen to the full episode on The PR Pod podcast for more information on working in lifestyle PR. You'll also find this episode on your fave podcast players, just search "The PR Pod".
WHAT DO EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A GRADUATE?
A great attitude. Be positive, enthusiastic and show you're keen to learn and improve
Good communicator. Show you can articulate yourself well verbally and through your writing
If you're applying for your first job, have multiple work experience internships under your belt. One doesn't usually cut it unless it's for a significant period of time. The more experience, the better
Make an impression with your cover letter/initial approach. Be creative and think about how you can can make yourself stand out alongside your contemporaries with a similar level of experience
In the episode, Allira refers to a document put together by the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) which gives you a guide of what you can expect to earn as a PR for both agency and in-house positions in Australia. You can find it here.
Want to find out what working in Hospitality PR is like? Take a listen to this episode.