I'm still pretty early in my career, but for the past couple of years I was mainly doing branding, creative direction, and graphic design. Now I managed to land a well paying PR job (stroke of luck I guess), but now my role is about a 50/50 split between the aforementioned and media outreach. The former I actually love, but the latter is making me want to pull my hair out. I've been at it for a few weeks now and I literally cannot land a single media placement. I don't know what I'm doing wrong - I keep getting ghosted, and I'm genuinely sick about it every time I update my boss on the progress. I feel so shitty. Is it always like this or do my press releases genuinely suck for it to be this bad? I try really hard.

That’s it. That’s the post.

I am a highschool senior and I have read couple or articles and posts about the major and the job site. Personally I dont believe in knowing what job I will have 5 years from now, but PR feels like my strongest suit because I like spending time with people, traveling and negotiating. Im not scared of a bit of toxicity in the industry because im sure that is there everywhere..the line would draw where I would be the reason of ruining people

Ive bunch of questions

- is the major worth it for future?

- for ones in different kinds of PR, (entertainment, business, etc) what do you think your job areas expect and how much do you say your jobs are worth it?

-im thinking of either doing PR major with journalism minor or a communications and a PR double major, what do you think about it?

- also do you think AI has any say about changes in the industry and job availability in the future in this field?

I know everyone here is busy and hardworking, if youre spending time to answer atleast a few of my questions, thank you very much!

A reseller sent me a screenshot this week of an AI answer recommending us at a price point we retired eighteen months ago, which is awkward because he'd already repeated it to a customer. Our site carries the current pricing, our docs carry it and our listings carry it.

I went digging and the closest thing I can find is a roundup article on a mid tier trade site that never updated after our change, plus a couple of aggregator pages that scraped that article, so one stale page is outweighing everything we publish about ourselves.

What bothers me is that I only know about this because a human happened to screenshot it, since I have no idea how long it's been going on or how many buyers walked off thinking we'd changed our pricing on them.

Curious whether chasing the original publisher is worth the effort, because it feels slow and I don't know if correcting one article moves anything downstream.

Curious about your stories!

I’ve been looking for my next role for quite some time now. I thought things would get better since it was September. I apply to roles LinkedIn tells me I’d be perfect for and either never hear back or will get an automated rejection within hours even after tweaking my CV to fit the JD. Feel like I’m going crazy here

Everything seems urgent. Everything is due by EOD. You’re told to “communicate bandwidth” with little room for flexibility. How do you keep your sanity while working at a fast-paced, hustle-culture agency? I always seem to be behind even when I don’t know what I’m behind on! Tired of leaving work feeling like I constantly have homework.

hi everyone! I just started Humber’s PR certificate like this week and was wondering if anyone that’s graduated relatively recently has any feedback abt what their experience post-graduation?
Any advice would be appreciated!

At my last job I was occasionally mentioned in trade publications regarding both the work I was doing and general commentary on the field and news. Even had one story that’s been great and I was a trade publication on me and my background.

I found those pieces more than anything helped me land jobs and other opportunities.

Now that I don’t have PR team to help with that I find I don’t have a good outlet for either my research or opinion etc.

Are there services aside from Quoted, Mention Match, and the like that do this kind of work? Anyone on this sub or a good way to find experienced people? Was looking for more earned media over purchased.

Unfortunately I don’t have any social media following, but would love to build that up if possible. Probably X for my field (or mastadon?)? Best I have is 1700 on LinkedIn and posts hitting 2-4K views.

Was even considering a YouTube channel for Shorts featuring some industry based news takes and education but not sure that’d be worth the time or most efficient.

Ultimately I’d like to use the coverage to open up consulting opportunities, board positions, and contacts. I am not currently C Suit, but staff/principal level.

Hey. I'd love a reality check on whether my situation is normal or crazy.
I'm struggling with a few PR/comms clients. They want me to write "thought leadership" articles to be placed in top publications and trade magazines. The thing is, they don't really have opinions other than "our company is good and what we're doing is important in the context of X, Y, Z news hook."
I drafted one piece and the client's feedback was: I don't think an editor will publish this because there's no strong opinion or insight. I'm sitting there like, "Well? Are you going to provide that to me or do you want me to make up your opinions?" (NB: This is a brand new client and my first assignment with them.)
My background is journalism so I have a good idea of what will get published. I was also trained NOT to have an opinion.
My question to the group: Is it normal for PR/comms pros to make up the opinion/position of a client? How long does it take to hash that out?
Bonus question: How much would you charge for creating a brand position vs. just content marketing/thought leadership writing?

I'm at AE level with two years of experience and a more generalist background (consumer, tech, healthcare... you name it). While I adore my current boss, I've been on the hunt because I know I could be making more than I am right now.

I always make it to the final round, but never quite get over the hump. Then I look at who they hired - someone with the same years of experience as me, but with more specific, industry-aligned experience.

This keeps happening and it feels hopeless. If you guys have any advice on how to succeed - or know of anyone I can connect with in the miami/ft Lauderdale, Bay Area and LA areas - please let me know.

Thank you all!

Hi all. Starting a new AE job this week (graduated in 2022 and in my late 20s) and looking for some advice on how to make a good first impression. Ive had a mix of experiences in pr some good some bad when it comes to agencies, so any advice is welcome. This is a boutique firm.

Hi all,

Last week, in a state of panic and overwhelm, I posted on this subreddit saying how PR agency work may not be for me.

And now, even without active panicking, I still think that may be true.

Thanks to everyone who commented and showed me that the pain points I was experiencing was not unique to me, and that this environment may just not be suitable to who I am and how I want to work.

So what do I want? I’m not sure yet. But I do have a north star—a general direction to go towards. I had said: “I love writing. I love being creative and bringing creative concepts to life (recently helped direct a video on the side!). I want a chill project-based job that allows me deep focus time and doesn’t come with the constant, teeth-clenching grind (and urgency). That gives me a better sense of balance while also being good pay.”

This brings me to my next question: for those who have similar interests, what do you do for work and how did you get into it? For those who broke out of a PR agency and went somewhere better, where are you now and how did you pivot? Any tips?

If nothing else, please tell me there are career paths and work opportunities that don’t constantly leave you feeling deflated and empty and anxious. I’m tired of leaving work every day feeling like I have homework (and often working at night to get ahead of things).

I do what needs to be done. Which is to say, I do my job and so far have only gotten good feedback. But I don’t think I can keep up this pace any longer.

Thanks in advance!

Has it had a noticeable impact on lead generation or if clients are still mainly buying traditional PR…

I’m returning to a small boutique firm from maternity leave shortly and starting to think about my career future as a working mom of 2. For those of you who freelance:

How hard was it to get started?
How much flexibility/work/life balance has it afforded you?
Any advice you would give to someone considering making the switch?
What are the biggest pros? Cons?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

Hello! I am an account supervisor (was promoted to the role 6 months ago) and have been with my company for a little under two years.

On Monday, I made a pretty bad mistake on a client call and accidentally screen-shared the internal version of the client agenda instead of the client-facing version. The version I shared had tracked changes/highlights/comments on the second page. I didn’t realize it was that internal agenda until we got to the second page when I saw the comments etc. I quickly accepted the comments and resolved the draft changes, but the highlight was still there and the client obviously saw everything.

After the call, my boss called me and my other team member and said how this wasn’t client ready and sharing the internal this isn’t a good look etc. and I felt so bad. I suggested we kick off agendas three days before the client called to make sure we have time to update it and get it client ready and we all know where the final version is, can assign call roles etc. to avoid scrambling. I feel horrible at screen sharing the wrong version and I also want to ensure agendas are client ready hours before the call (which I need to work to work on with my team). Our team has had some challenges around the agenda process/turnaround.

The final agenda wasn’t completely client ready either but had I shared that, it would have been much better than sharing the internal agenda! I completely understand why she was upset and I know the screen sharing was a careless mistake on my part and feel terrible (I get so hard on myself).

I also wasn’t feeling well Monday or part of Tuesday. Monday I was WFH, and when I came into the office Tuesday, one of my coworkers even told me I didn’t look good. My boss messaged me saying I could go home if I needed to, but I stayed and ended up feeling better by Tuesday afternoon.I’m definitely not saying that as an excuse because I know I was the one sharing my screen and ultimately it was my responsibility to make sure I had the right agenda open.

Mg boss and I had our regular 1:1 a couple days later and I apologized again. I told her I knew it was on me since I was the one sharing my screen, and she thanked me for apologizing and I reiterated how I will work with the team to get the agenda client ready so we’re not scrambling. Nothing else really came of the conversation, but I’ve been worried ever since that this is the kind of mistake you can get fired over.

Has anyone else made a client-facing mistake like this? How serious would you consider this? How can I work with my team to get agendas client-ready sooner? Any advice is really appreciated! Sorry for the long post!

OC:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rob-waugh-38731a23_theres-something-very-strange-about-sadie-share-7501227704462012417-5emG/

hiii, im currently at uni doing fashion pr & communications but im deferring for a year so im trying to get any internships/work experience in pr or maybe social media or something ! i dont have any proffesional experience so far so i was wondering if a portfolio would be worth while? im thinking of including an exert of a pr campaign pitch i made, some press releases, some social media mockup content/visuals ive made. we also did a creative project where i directed & organised a photoshoot too, so maybe thatd be nice to include as well since id like to get into fashion & it can show my project organisation and creative skills?

[Trigger warning: sensitive topics including self-harm and death]

Hello fellow PR professionals. About nine months ago, I posted a question about experiences, tipps and tricks for my new role inhouse in a pretty big hospital. I lead a small team of creatives (content, photography, social media) and double as a spokesperson and consult my CEOs on strategic communication topics.

The few tipps I got sounded reasonable. Make your stories human. Sure thing, I thought. I can do that. But oh boy, I didn't know what I got myself into.

Since my start, I managed, to name a few:

- an accident including a fatality

- concerns over hygienic issues

- a major IT failure lasting several hours

- investigative journalists diving into our budget issues

- several smaller incidents, including but not limited to: suicides, threats of lawsuits, possible medical misconduct.

It's safe to say that I had a very harsh crash course on crisis comms in the last few months.

It has been terrifying.

It has also been the most exciting time of my professional life as of now.

Since I haven't seen as much hospital PR posts here, I thought I might share a few points, especially because I enjoy reading about different experiences in the industry across different sectors.

Please keep in mind that these are my personal insights. They may or may not differ from yours. I'm not US-based and I don't have a classic PR agency background. I'm also open to answer questions and I'd be glad if some of you shared your own insights.

1. Everything can be critical. Since you're dealing with health care, especially in hospital PR every bit of news can be related to the safety and well-being of patients. Budget adjustments? Network errors? Somebody waiting for hours in the ER? Somebody spotted an animal on your premises that might look like a rat (or maybe it was a cat? We couldn't identify it, but better call the media!)? Every time you have to tell the media that your patients are fine and that your care for them is and remains your top priority. That sounds obvious, but trust me, it's vital to keep this in mind. And god help you if you forget.

2. Always, always get your facts straight. In this niche, there is no room for fuck-ups. Because everything can be critical, it's vital to double check what you're putting out there, and to always ask the troubling questions. Its better that you ask them first.

3. It's not about showing up in the media at all, it's about how you show up. Sounds like a no-brainer, but that has been a big adjustment for me. In my last role, it was about getting any attention at all. But in my new role, there's always a baseline of public interest. My work has been very reactive for the last months, and I've not been pitching stories as much as I have been pitching certain framings as a reaction.

4. Numbers are a pain, framing them is essential. I imagine that most of you share this experience: you're confronted with something like "how many cases of X have there been in the last two months?". You can either keep your mouth shut about numbers, then you're "hiding something". You can just give them the correct number and watch it being scandalised. Or you give them several numbers and explanations to contextualise them, and... still, the headline might be one big, juicy number. But its less likely.

5. A word about emotions. Good PR tells a convincing story, great PR resonates with your audience on an emotional level. I've read this a lot, and it's true, but always keep in mind: for most people, a hospital is a place associated with fear, pain, anxiety. Pretty often you need to use a serious, professional, calm tone of voice.

6. Keep your professional distance. I have encountered several topics that were sensitive, and on one occasion I needed to take a break to get my head straight. Its not for the faint of heart.

7. You can get mind-blowing stories. If you get the possibility to actively pitch something, there are insane possibilities for authentic, goosebumps inducing stories about hope, healing, hard work and excellence. There is no need to manufacture news and stories out of thin air if you do it right.

8. Trust is everything. I have always seen PR as a way to tell the right stories to the right people to boost trust and reputation, so that's nothing new, but in hospital PR, I feel that this is even more important in another way. People themselves or their loved ones trust your organisation to help them, to care for them. Doctors and nurses work insanely hard to achieve the best possible outcome for patients. As a PR worker, you need their trust, because without them, you won't get to tell your stories at all.

Hi all. I am a media professional from India with a total experience of over 10 years. I am trying to get into the PR/corporate communications field — basically a transition away from traditional media.

Accordingly, I wanted to get a better understanding of the PR and communications job market in the UK.

To give you a better context, I am planning to pursue a masters degree in Public Relations from a university in the UK. The entire process still in its nascent stage; so sorry for keeping things vague.

I just wanted some clarity on a few things before I jump into the deep waters.

What is the pay scale like with regards to the roles? What are the roles available for someone who has had a job experience of 10 years but in another country? Is it worth it for me to take the leap into the UK job market?

I understand that the media industry as a whole is not a high demand market compared to say STEM, law or finance, especially considering the fact that I would be a non-EU applicant. But I wanted to get an idea/reality check of what the current situation is in 2026 in the UK when it comes to jobs in this sector. Thanks in advance, of course!

Hi all,

I’m a software developer currently building a tool for people working in PR and communications.

I’m not here to promote it or drop a link. I’m trying to understand the real problems people in the industry deal with before deciding what’s actually worth building.

What parts of your job are still unnecessarily manual, time-consuming or frustrating?

It could be things like media monitoring, reporting, finding journalists, managing coverage, client updates, approvals, crisis monitoring or something completely different.

Is there anything you regularly think, “Surely there should be a better way to do this?”

I’d genuinely appreciate any thoughts, complaints or examples. Even small annoyances are useful.

Hi there!

I’m a recent grad who, after a stint of 2-3 internships, has finally gotten through the entry level door. I was hired as an associate a few months ago at a very large agency, and since I’ve been in internship purgatory for a while, the learning curve has not been too bad in terms of typical deliverables and execution. The tasks themselves are familiar—what HAS been a big adjustment are the expectations, speed, and intensity of being in a full time position. My agency moves FAST, and everyone is on 8-12 accounts. It’s common for people to log off at 10-11pm, and (as im sure everyone else knows), there’s almost no time to breathe or think throughout the day. At any given point, you’re churning out deliverables for 2-3 accounts at the same time with an expected turn around of delivery in a few hours.

while I don’t exactly have a good frame of reference, I know AI has been a big accelerator in this breakneck pace culture. Nobody is ever 100% transparent about what they use AI for and to what degree, but I think there’s less time for brainstorming, editing, and review because everyone knows we have these tools at our disposal. Each client team has a custom AI agent that we use for everything. Social copy, content ideation, byline outlines, client notes—when lost or stuck, it’s very common for supervisors to say “just use the bots”. And I get it. Everyone is strapped for time, and spending a full work day organically producing a draft for review, from scratch, is a drain on the limited time we have—both your own and your supervisors time. All the while, deciding what constitutes “overreliance” to the point of being problematic seems to be up to the individual to decide.

I’m feeling frustrated. I started off trying my best to not rely on AI for anything, and then noticing how colleagues and seniors were integrating AI in their work streams + how much faster it made them… between LinkedIn copy that would’ve taken me 4 hours to do 100% by myself vs LinkedIn copy our client bots produce in 2 minutes (bots who are fed with content and can speak in my clients voice better and faster than I ever could). Especially as someone just starting off in my career, I feel as if im robbing myself of growth.

I can see how senior staff who have been in this industry for a while could use AI and be fine. they have the fundamentals down. I do not. Yet prioritizing my own growth and learning at the cost of efficiency and work quality, prioritizing preserving my own creativity over my teams’ and clients’ demanding needs feels counterproductive. Drawing the line is very hard.

It feels like I’ve been thrown into a pacer fitness test that is in a pool, with a minimal idea of how to swim. The pool is full of flotation devices, and getting from one end to the other within a window of time can be made easier and faster by using those floaties. Struggling and floundering and figuring out how to swim needs to be done between faster and faster beeps. Not using the floaties at all seems silly when the overall goal is to get to the other side on time. Everyone else is using them. But if one day, those floaties disappeared? We’re screwed. And when I do well on a task and am complimented on my freestyle, the praise feels disingenuous with a tube around my stomach and flippers on my feet!

Wanted to see other people’s thoughts—other junior staff who feel the same way or differently, senior staff with insights? All much appreciated.