What Are Public Relations(hips)?
One of the most important components of public relations are the relations themselves. Networking is critical when it comes to working in PR, whether that be at conferences, on social media, or just for a fun happy hour cocktail. Before getting into how to network, have you ever wondered why it’s important in the first place?
- Opportunities with clients
By attending events and connecting online you can develop contacts from all fields. This could mean securing your next client—you’d be surprised what your conversations with people might lead to.
- Opportunities with the media
Through networking, you can meet reporters, journalists, publishers, advertisers, other PR pros, and more. Having these connections is useful to drive your PR efforts forward. For example, meeting the perfect reporter to cover a client project that is launching soon. Or, in HMA’s case, a new person to be in the Media Monday spotlight!
- Career advice
Your connections can help you shape a solid career path. This could be through meeting someone established in the PR industry with a lot of knowledge and experience to pull from, or simply from watching and observing how PR pros move and network within the space.
- Making PR friends
The benefits from networking should be mutual, too. It’s just as important to interact with others, build relationships, and develop our own networks as it is to help others build their networks as well. Having friends in the industry is not only useful for when you need each other’s help with a project, but also helps to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
To read more about the benefits of networking events, check out this post. If you’d like to know more about lessons learned from attending, click here!
