How do you use public relations in your daily life?

Many people use public relations principles in their daily life but probably aren’t even aware of it.  For instance, when posting a photo to Instagram or telling Facebook ‘what’s on your mind,’ you are giving yourself more exposure to the people that follow you.

As I close in on the first month of my internship at HMA Public Relations, I can’t help but reflect on the ways I have done PR in my personal life that is like the work we do for our clients.

As PR practitioners, we create connections with the media in order to pitch our stories for clients.  When a friend asked me to help him get her band, Doll Skin, some air time on the radio, called every alternative and rock music radio station in the state and bordering states to request they play their new music.  Hmm, media relations.

The way I felt when I heard their song finally play on the radio is the same way I feel when I get a confirmation that a publication is interested in running a story that I have pitched.

Just as it is important to share your story with the world through traditional media, content marketing is crucial in sharing content with your target audience, whether through a website or newsletter.  This is exactly what I did for the band by writing concert reviews and pitching them to various music magazines through email and social media.

We previously covered How to Pitch on Instagram, and the same principles apply on all digital communication channels. Helping out the band, I would tweet a photo caption from a concert for magazines and other musicians to retweet.  Helping out our clients, we regularly share photos on social media to advance their messages.

To me, I was just sharing amazing music with the world.  To the band, I was helping them gain more fans by connecting them to people that would most enjoy their music.  As a young PR professional, I was gaining valuable experience.