PR Pros: Sarah Segal On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public…

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PR Pros: Sarah Segal On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro

Desire to evolve — The field of PR is constantly changing, and those who desire to grow with it are those who will maintain relevance. It’s crucial to adopt the mindset of a lifelong learner who is constantly adding new tools to their belt. I’m well-known to be a person who loves to find new tools and efficiencies that help us do our jobs smarter. The people I hire have to be passionate about educating themselves and learning new skills. You may not have thought understanding the difference between a follow, and nofollow link would be necessary — it is an essential part of the job now.

Have you seen the show Flack? Ever think of pursuing a real-life career in PR? What does it take to succeed in PR? What are the different forms of Public Relations? Do you have to have a college degree in PR? How can you create a highly lucrative career in PR? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro,” we are talking to successful publicists and Public Relations pros who can share stories and insights from their experiences.

As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sarah Segal.

A seasoned leader in creative communications, Sarah brings a distinct perspective and strong management background to building brand awareness through strategic media placements. Having spent much of her career in a newsroom, Sarah’s storytelling skills and passion for trend-and data-based campaign development transcend verticals.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I began as a researcher and producer for major media networks like CBS, NBC, Fox, and WNYC (the NYC NPR station). After earning my M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, I decided to switch gears and step in front of the camera as a TV Reporter. After nearly a decade working on-camera, I stepped away from the lens, wrapping up my career at KRON 4, a leading news station in the San Francisco Bay Area. After paying my dues and standing in front of one too many burning buildings, I opted to switch gears in the communications field and transition into public relations. This career move was a natural transition in that it continued to apply the skills I had acquired during my journalism career, this time on the other side of the microphone. I spent numerous years working at PR agencies in roles ranging from Account Director to Director of Marketing Communications. I ultimately realized that my career experience was leading me to achieve one greater ambition: opening a public relations agency. In 2017, Segal Communications was born, and my team and I have been working with brands we love ever since.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

That’s a difficult question because every day brings a new and exciting story. As someone who has spent most of their professional career fighting imposter syndrome, I’m always amazed and appreciate the trust our clients give us to develop their narratives and share their stories with the world. Probably the most recent event worth noting was the recent acquisition of Segal Communications by The Messina Group, a highly regarded consultancy run by Jim Messina — recognized for his work on President Obama’s campaign and administration. The Messina Group wanted to expand the public relations and marketing communications services they could provide clients. It has been a game-changer for the business for our now expanded team of talented individuals and additional resources that can help us better support the evolving needs of our clients.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Where do I start? I’m fond of making mistakes because I see them as learning opportunities. You’re going to mess up. Just make sure you have a boss who will let you learn from your mistakes and that you’re not going to beat yourself up over it. There was a time when I was freelancing as a reporter and decided to sit down by the curb to write my story, not realizing there was a live electrical wire about 5 feet from me. The time I pulled over to cover an accident on a snowy Highway and nearly got killed by a semi tractor-trailer that jack-knifed. The many times I was working too quickly and wrote the wrong name in an email to a reporter. When I decided I wanted to look the part of a TV anchor (to get a job), cut my hair short, and had the appearance of a bowling ball for two years until it grew out. I learned from all of those things not to sweat the small stuff. Mistakes happen, but we learn, grow and become better at our jobs because of them. Nothing is ever worth beating yourself up over.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

We have quite the elective client mix at the moment, and honestly, at any time. We specialize in consumer and technology products but often do executive visibility work. So basically, we do everything from doughnuts to Stanford scientists. We currently have consumer clients focused on building SEO backlinks and affiliate programs. We are taking a very data-driven approach to media relations for these clients. I’m fortunate to have a naturally curious team and am always interested in learning something new in this evolving medium. That helps us differentiate ourselves from competitors because we are consistently working to improve our methodology.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

First and foremost, I think it’s all about taking the initiative. Someone who makes taking enterprise a part of who they are will put in the work to make things happen, and when you are building your agency, there is a lot of footwork involved. It’s essential to stay focused on why you wanted to start a business in the first place and to follow through on completing the work it takes to make that happen.

The next character trait that has been instrumental to my success has been being inventive. Our agency started off offering earned media coverage services, and has since expanded to provide influencer marketing, social media management, contributed content development, SEO link building, affiliate marketing advisement, and more. We never wanted to trap ourselves in the box of only doing traditional PR. We continued to grow when many other agencies were going under because we were constantly expanding our capabilities and looking for new ways to offer our clients additional services.

Last but certainly not least, I think boldness is critical. Mundaneness is the enemy of good PR. Rather than waiting for our clients to have something “newsworthy” to share, we advise them on initiatives to implement that will catch the public’s attention and make them stand out. We leave no idea left unspoken, no matter how non-traditional it may be. No company is always going to have news to share. You have to learn how to make news.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, can you help articulate what the different forms of PR are?

PR comes in many shapes and sizes. If media relations are king, then influencer marketing is queen in 2022. Media relations consists of pitching announcements, news, and story ideas to journalists with the goal of them including your client’s initiative in a relevant story. Influencer marketing involves coordinating partnerships with influencers whose public platforms span Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. You provide them with products or a fee, and in exchange, they highlight your client’s service or product on their platform. Other forms of PR include “digital PR,” which usually refers to SEO link building to expand a brand’s online presence. Then you have the other classic forms of PR: crisis communications, community relations, and thought leadership, to name a few. Crisis communications is self-explanatory — it consists of helping companies prepare for and handle crises visible in the public realm. Community relations is somewhat self-explanatory; it focuses on garnering goodwill within its community. Thought leadership is all about positioning a professional as a leading voice in their chosen field.

Where should a young person considering a career in PR start their education? Should they get a degree in communications? A degree in journalism? Can you explain what you mean?

Although a lot of what most PR programs teach is theoretical, it’s still beneficial to get a degree to get your foot in the door. A relevant degree proves that you have a sustained interest in communications and the time management skills and work ethic necessary to be a successful PR professional. For practical experience, I recommend trying out an internship before diving into a full-time position. Training provides a low-pressure environment to learn the trade tools and grow your professional network. We’re constantly improving our internship program. We hire two interns every season. One intern works on consumer accounts, while the other focuses on technology and B2B accounts. Our interns are trained to be eventual employees. We’re fortunate that most of our clients love to have interns work on their accounts. By the time the internship ends, they will have drafted, pitched, and landed coverage. I think this is a rare experience, especially for larger agencies. I like to say our interns don’t do coffee runs.

You are known as a master networker. Can you share some tips on great networking?

Don’t only reach out to people when you need something from them. Any good, healthy relationship is based on a balance of give and take. That means sharing the excellent article one of your favorite journalists just published, referring to those in your network when a client needs something you don’t have the capabilities for, etc., and knowing it will come back around. Joining public relations and public relations-friendly journalist groups is a great way to become acquainted with other professionals in your community.

Lead generation is one of the most important aspects of any business. Can you share some of the strategies you use to generate good, qualified leads?

Our best clients are referred to us by those who can tout the quality of our work based on their first-hand experience. Another great way to generate leads is to participate in public relations and public relations-friendly journalist groups actively. Forums in these groups often serve as a place to post agency inquiries.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

  1. A great network — For the reasons outlined above, it’s crucial to rely on others and to build your reputation as someone who can be relied upon. It’s not the easiest thing to do but keeping in contact with people and massaging those relationships is very important. A great example I have is with a particular reporter. This reporter started as an intern with Real Simple Magazine. I pitched her and developed a relationship with her. That former intern is now a very influential Deputy Editor at Hearst Publications.
  2. A creative mind — There isn’t always something “newsworthy” going on. You have to think outside the box and make news. Not every idea you develop will be good, but I have never had a client not be excited to hear about a new creative concept. When I was a reporter, I had this news director, Cathy Younkin. She was an awesome hard-ass who challenged us to think about what we were pitching. When you ran a story idea past her, she inevitably asked, “Why should I care?” To this day, I always think of that question and make sure we can answer it before pitching it to a client — specifically, why would a reporter care.
  3. Persistence — When it comes to landing coverage, persistence is vital. If the first angle you tried didn’t work, keep adjusting your approach until you find something that does work. I can’t tell you how many pitches I’ve rewritten to make sure it gets landed somewhere. With reporter inboxes filled-to-the-brim, it’s super important to make sure your pitch is concise and has a fantastic subject line. While I don’t advocate for calling or texting reporters on their cell phones — they find that annoying — following up on email and DMing them on Twitter to make sure that your email didn’t go into their spam folder is okay.
  4. Desire to evolve — The field of PR is constantly changing, and those who desire to grow with it are those who will maintain relevance. It’s crucial to adopt the mindset of a lifelong learner who is constantly adding new tools to their belt. I’m well-known to be a person who loves to find new tools and efficiencies that help us do our jobs smarter. The people I hire have to be passionate about educating themselves and learning new skills. You may not have thought understanding the difference between a follow, and nofollow link would be necessary — it is an essential part of the job now.
  5. Ability to adapt — If the pandemic has taught us anything, the only constant is change. You must be willing to adjust your strategy to accommodate the ever-changing news cycle if you want to find success. We had a fantastic food client who needed to launch a new product only available at Costco in the depths of the pandemic. Working on that project was a tremendous example of finding a creative way to adapt to a world where people weren’t going places or attending events.

Because of the role you play, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I want to inspire a movement that encourages employers to think beyond checkboxes often required on job applications. My first full-time job in PR was not an easy one to find. I had been a TV reporter and producer. Most employers looked at my resume and couldn’t get past the fact that I had never worked for an agency or didn’t have a perfectly relevant degree. I often tell people that what I do is not brain surgery and that most of what I do is a learned skill. I do believe I can teach anybody to do PR; they just have to be genuinely interested. I don’t care if you have a math, physics, or geology degree. If you have a natural curiosity and can spot good stories, you can quickly learn the rest. Mark Cowlin gave me my first full-time opportunity working in the PR department of the print-on-demand t-shirt company CafePress. He didn’t care that I had a degree in international relations or a history of relevant experience. He cared that I had a natural curiosity and knack for storytelling. He could teach me the rest!

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!


PR Pros: Sarah Segal On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.