Comments on: I Work in PR and My Family Has No Idea What I Do

By: Would the real PR please stand up? | Marketing, Public Relations and Social Media Blog | Atlanta, GA

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:12:59 +0000

[...] Today’s excellent #SoloPR tweet chat brought this gem from Alison Kenney: “I once wrote a blog post called ‘I work in PR and my family has no idea what I do.’” [...]

By: Karen Swim

Karen Swim — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 19:16:09 +0000

Allison, the headline made me laugh and for the record my family has no idea what I do either! The responses were great too and I still do not have a better answer for you. It’s always been said that the best description of our business is one that a 5 year old can understand and I tend to agree. It forces us to strip away the jargon and complexity and put it in clear terms. This one will have me laughing and thinking all week long, thanks Allison!

By: Zackery M

Zackery M — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:03:20 +0000

Last Thanksgiving I was talking about getting my PR degree and the freelance projects I’ve worked on. I thought I did a good job explaining what PR is, but at Christmas I found myself explaining it again. Once I had to explain to my dad it was OK that someone else’s name appeared in the byline for an editorial I wrote.

Now I just tell my family I build relationships with the people that matter to my clients. And sometimes that means I have to take a break from writing so I can go to parties. I hate my job…

What’s worse than my mom and dad not getting it is when someone like an administrative assistant says he or she “does PR.” Sitting at the front desk and answering a phone does not a PR pro make.

By: Rupa

Rupa — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:22:08 +0000

First of all, I just love this blog and specifically this post! I was just telling a friend about my trials and tribulations in describing PR. Not only do I often get the,” oh, you make billboards?” comment, but people seem to be confused with term ‘communications’ altogether. At a recent networking mixer, I asked someone if they have an internal communications team. His response was, “Our IT guys work out of Houston.” No, no, no! The most succinct way I describe a PR pro is to say that s/he is the conduit between the organization and media.

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:17:41 +0000

We have the same problem in the recruiting industry, but it’s pretty easy to explain. My father just told to my grandfather yesterday that “she calls people and gets a check in the mail.” Wow, I wish it was that easy!

By: Nate

Nate — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:40:02 +0000

I love that this topic gets all the PR people to respond.

I just tell people that I’m a male nurse (see Johnny Dangerously).

By: Linda VandeVrede

Linda VandeVrede — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:59:51 +0000

PR people have it rough – it’s not easily definable, like say a dentist or fireman.
When asked, I say “I help tech companies tell their story to the world.” Sounds a bit grandiose, but it works.

By: Alison Kenney

Alison Kenney — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:59:22 +0000

It seems like there’s no ONE answer…these are all great examples…

By: David Jacobson

David Jacobson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:58:11 +0000

Hi Alison,

I usually answer this question by saying PR helps:

1. Drive sales
2. Brand the company
3. Protects and improves the company’s reputation

And if you’re in public or government affairs, you can also say you help pass legislation or regulations that help your industry, and vice versa.

I usually ask this question when I interview someone. If their answer is close to what I’ve written, they’ll probably get the job.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:28:10 +0000

Great topic! When I tell people I work in Fashion PR they think I’m Whitney Port or Kelly Cutrone. I wish I was jetting off to London and having improbably long lunches, but PR means long hours and lots of people skills. I usually stick to the pat answer of communication.