I got into public relations because, believe it or not, I wanted to wield the media for a baseball team. The more I learned about PR, and the more experience I got, however, I realized that PR was awesome, no matter what client you’re working with.
But that being said, I am, and always will be, a baseball junkie. And there are things about PR and baseball that aren’t so different…
- To the untrained eye, the pitcher is in charge of the game. He handles the ball on every play. He can give up home runs, and he has the power to strike out players and sit them down. To the baseball novice….this is the power that wins games.
But the novice often looks right past the catcher. You know—the man behind the plate. The one who is actually calling the shots. He calls each pitch, every decision.
The pitcher, in the world of PR, equates to the client. He’s the face of the team, the brand enigma. What people see first. What I love about PR is that we are the catcher. We are the silent leaders, behind the plate.
- Most people think baseball is a game of chance. What they don’t realize is that the game is based on strategy. It’s not chance when that player hits it to the left side of the field instead of the right side, it’s not chance when he gets out but advances a runner. Every move is planned out.
As in PR….you can get a base hit every now and then, you know, secure a few local publications, or you can swing for the fences, hit a homerun in the bottom of the ninth and secure coverage in those top tier publications. Small ball, or hard ball. It’s all about how you execute your strategy and deliver in clutch situations.
- In baseball, it never solely matters how your team is doing, it depends on the competition. Where your team stands compared to the other teams, how well your 3rd baseman is doing compared to their 3rd baseman, etc.
Just like in baseball, in PR you need to constantly keep an eye on your competition.
- Babe Ruth, the best baseball player who ever lived, struck out many more times than he hit home runs.
Don’t let a single failure ruin your career. If one press release didn’t get picked up, that’s ok. Strategize, and hit a homerun the next time. You can still come out on top in the end.
See? Pretty similar. The most important thing is to remember that practice makes perfect. Can’t hit that curve ball? Practice, practice, practice. Can’t get that publication to pick up that pitch? Reach out more, write more, and never give up.