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Topic: journalism to PR??
| Author | Message |
| wander lust | Posted – 12/3/2007 8:55:09 AM | show profile I've recently been thinking about making a major career switch, mostly due to the fact that my current job isn't paying the bills. As has been discussed here infinitely, journalism is a notoriously low-paying job, and I too worry about my future (not to mention how I'm going to pay next month's rent). Has anyone on here made the switch from writing and editing to PR? I'd like to hear about your experience. Sometimes I think this would be like selling out (since my passion lies in writing, not in PR), but I need to start putting my skills into something more lucrative or I'll never see the end of my piling debt. Those who have made the switch... have you ever regretted your decision? Has your quality of life really improved (or does the bigger paycheck not really equal less stress and happier times)? Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. |
| wander lust | Posted – 12/3/2007 10:30:51 AM | show profile what about copywriting? P.S. I've also thought about trying my hand at copywriting. If anyone's made the switch from journalism to copywriting, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again. |
| wander lust | Posted – 12/3/2007 10:31:24 AM | show profile what about copywriting? P.S. I've also thought about trying my hand at copywriting. If anyone's made the switch from journalism to copywriting, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 12/3/2007 12:29:14 PM | show profile Entry-level PR is also generally low-paying as well. And if you try to work for an agency, your stress level will likely become greater, not lower. I wouldn't switch careers simply for the money- you will have to actually WANT to become a PR professional. Pay as you go up in the ranks does significantly increase, though. But pay will vary greatly by job, of course. |
| PluckyPane | Posted – 12/3/2007 2:33:13 PM | show profile Besides writing and the perks, do you have an overall sales-like personality, where everything can be a good thing? If you're not a good people person, then forget it. PR is 95% connections, and, IMHO, is most closer kin to sales than editorial. I know many friends in PR, and they are the best con-men you'll ever meet (I mean that affectionately!). You will have to permanently sell your soul to the company(ies) you work for/represent, spinning every bad thing as a positive. The smallest and most trivial things will end up in press releases, which you will relentlessly market to trade publications that either eat it up or don't give a hoot. But the perks are awesome...I have one friend who does PR for a cruise line, and he gets a free weeklong vacation every year. Good luck! |
| PluckyPane | Posted – 12/3/2007 2:33:57 PM | show profile Besides writing and the perks, do you have an overall sales-like personality, where everything can be a good thing? If you're not a good people person, then forget it. PR is 95% connections, and, IMHO, is most closer kin to sales than editorial. I know many friends in PR, and they are the best con-men you'll ever meet (I mean that affectionately!). You will have to permanently sell your soul to the company(ies) you work for/represent, spinning every bad thing as a positive. The smallest and most trivial things will end up in press releases, which you will relentlessly market to trade publications that either eat it up or don't give a hoot. But the perks are awesome...I have one friend who does PR for a cruise line, and he gets a free weeklong vacation every year. Good luck! |
| cali1296 | Posted – 12/3/2007 3:41:15 PM | show profile Could you try to get a better-paying journalism job? If writing is your passion, I'm afraid you'll be really unhappy in PR. I went from newspapers to PR and I hated it. (I worked for a nonprofit then for a university.) I was making a bit more money, but it wasn't worth the misery so I'm back in journalism and I'm much happier. |
| jkdscribe | Posted – 12/3/2007 4:06:50 PM | show profile I have a friend who started her own magazine at a college with a good j-school. When she graduated she decided journalism wasn't her thing and went straight into PR. Last time I talked to her she told me to hold on because her assistant needed something.....she has an assistant. She's holds a position being directly under the director and has a good chance at taking that person's job when they leave. She personally loves what she's doing as well as the money. She liked writing but didn't love it. She does like her job now, however. She's very social and easy to talk to and that's just her thing. If it sounds like you'd like it, I say go for it. |
| wander lust | Posted – 12/3/2007 4:09:58 PM | show profile I have actually tried to find a better paying magazine editing job but haven't had much luck (finding a job in publishing is hard enough, let alone a better-paying one!). I'd give anything to be able to stay in my field rather than do something my heart isn't into 100%, but then again, I have to think realistically too. Maybe PR isn't the best idea since I don't have that salesperson mentality mentioned above. I basically want to do something that involves writing and creativity but that can actually allow me to live comfortably. Sometimes I think I want the impossible... Does anyone have any advice about going into copywriting instead? That might be a better outlet for me. |
| hammer1 | Posted – 12/4/2007 10:43:45 AM | show profile Sell your soul...not really I've done PR and went back to journalism. At the time, it wasn't the job for me. I could do it now under the right circumstances. I have to disagree with SJR to some extent. You do not have to sell your soul and spin everything to make it positive. You will have to make lemonade out of lemons on occasion, but as we've all discussed in these forums, no one has any use for the PR person described by SJR. I'm not saying that person doesn't exist, but it's not every PR person either. I do agree there is some "sales" involved in the deal, but have you ever had to convince an editor you were correct or that a story you were writing was worth pursuing? It's akin to that, at least in my experience. If you sign on to an agency, you will need to account for your time...most places are all about billable hours! However, you may be able to find a larger firm that needs writers! The pay will be better and you'll be able to continue being creative. However, there won't be any hard-core investigative pieces in that instance. Good luck! |
| wander lust | Posted – 12/4/2007 12:59:01 PM | show profile Thanks, Hammer. I actually have thought about trying to find a job as a writer for a PR firm. I've seen job posts for such positions, which would suit me better since I'm not sure how great I'd be at pitching the media (I much rather prefer to be on the other side of that telephone line). Coming from the editorial side, I know what pet peeves I have about the PR people I'm constantly in contact with, so I know what editors and writers want from a PR contact. Anyway, I think sticking with the writing might be my best bet. |
| susanspeer | Posted – 12/4/2007 2:48:32 PM | show profile I crossed over from reporting to PR early in my career, a move I thought I would hate -- the quintessential sell-out. I fell in love with it practically overnight. That was 20+ years ago. Most PR firms and in-house corporate PR functions love to hire journalists because they've worked the other side of the fence, and you typically come with established media relationships -- a valuable commodity. Generally, in-house pays better than agencies. RE: "I actually have thought about trying to find a job as a writer for a PR firm." Most PR firms and definitely the in-house functions expect all of their staffers to write or delegate/job it out if necessary. Firms who do hire people to "just write" probably don't pay those "just writers" very well. I've never heard of a PR firm that has "just writers" on staff. Researchers, definitely. Maybe the mega-firms? Maybe it's the writer in me, but if I don't live and breathe the project -- meaning I do the writing -- I can't pitch it. Which brings me to...pitching. If you're in PR, you've gotta pitch. Most PR folks say that pitching is the least-liked aspect of their jobs. Senior staffers delegate it down, perpetuating the cycle of bad pitching, because junior staffers have no successful models to learn from. Your experience on the receiving end of bad pitching is an advantage if you cross over to PR. Use your journalist's perspective to deliver respectful, appropriate pitches. Better yet, don't call it pitching, redefine it! You know better than anyone that reporters are always looking for material. As a PR person, you're simply providing them with what they need to do their jobs. As mentioned earlier, your good media relationships are the commodity in PR. The mistake PR folks make is in treating reporters like a commodity -- or a one-night stand. Get friendly with a few of the PR folks you get calls from. Buy them coffee (now there's a switch!) and tell them you're thinking about jumping the fence, and you're looking for information to help you make your decision. Good luck to you! Susan |
| sophiesMOM | Posted – 12/4/2007 4:57:17 PM | show profile there is a middle ground here. I am a former reporter and editor, as cynical and hard-bitten as they come, but after i had our daughter i wanted to scale back to part time work. i have carved out a nice (not to mention profitable) career producing content (white papers, case studies, articles for websites) for a range of clients. there is a big market for this, especially if you have expertise in an particular area. personally, i couldn't do PR, but this is a good middle ground. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 12/4/2007 6:05:17 PM | show profile Personally, if you want to only write, and want to move beyond editorial work, I'd focus on something like copywriting and direct mail rather than PR. Public relations is viewed as an expense, while direct mail is viewed as a profit center that can produce leads and sales -- meaning it is more important and pays better. The people at the top of the direct mail game make tons more than the top press release writers. To answer the bigger question, as a freelance, I have switched most of my business from journalism work to corporate writing and couldn't be happier. Clients treat me much better and pay me much better -- in fact, I am learning to ask for more and more money. A magazine will begrudge you a buck a word for a heavily researched, 1500 piece, while a corporate client will happily pay $2000 for a release that takes 3 hours to write. --Thanks, Hammer. I actually have thought about trying to find a job as a writer for a PR firm. I've seen job posts for such positions, which would suit me better since I'm not sure how great I'd be at pitching the media (I much rather prefer to be on the other side of that telephone line). Coming from the editorial side, I know what pet peeves I have about the PR people I'm constantly in contact with, so I know what editors and writers want from a PR contact. Anyway, I think sticking with the writing might be my best bet.-- |
| wander lust | Posted – 12/4/2007 7:41:59 PM | show profile Thanks so much for all your kind words of advice. I think the majority of you are right- PR probably isn't the way to go for me. I'm going to look into copywriting, even if it's just on the side for a while and see where it takes me. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 12/5/2007 5:29:38 AM | show profile I took a PR job to get better hours and seek my kids and better pay after the daily I edited at went from an evening paper to a morning one. I did it for two years and while I loved some aspects of it, I did notice some politics. However, I figured out how to do it successfully, and what I learned has helped me many times over. I had other friends who went from paper to PR and stayed there with no regrets whatsoever. |
