How PR Professionals Can Drive Impact In Today’s Work Environment

The world of work has changed. Employers and employees have adapted to different schedules, workplaces, and technologies to accommodate the desire for more flexibility and work-life balance in the post-pandemic era. For PR agencies, in particular, the change has been significant.

Agency life looks a lot different than it did a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean everything has to change. For one, the approach to professional development should be just as important now as it was in those earlier times. In fact, in the new world of work, there is an opportunity for PR professionals to double down on embracing best practices for professional development – a key element of agency culture.

So, what does that mean for employers?

Agency leadership should be purposeful in creating opportunities for their colleagues to engage with each other and deepen their PR expertise in new ways. Now that some of the challenges of the pandemic have started to abate, employers must shift their thinking to a growth mindset and start planning for how they can use communications to drive impact by staying connected, staying curious and continuously innovating.  

Engage with your team (Connected)

The pandemic had a profound impact on employers and employees alike, especially when it came to in-person engagement. With all the economic and client pressures during that time, it’s not surprising that protecting colleague connections became a lower priority for many agencies. Despite this, it’s now more important than ever to focus on this aspect of the business – for the benefit of employers, employees and clients.

To develop careers and achieve PR industry-leading campaigns, colleagues must have the opportunity for meaningful collaboration within an agency environment. 

At North, Notch and MSL, our team is our biggest asset. That’s why it’s important to nurture a culture of respect and growth where upskilling or acquiring new skills is vital to stay competitive in the PR industry.

To develop and enhance these skills among employees, agencies should encourage them to participate in important training, including:

How to take a newsroom-style approach to pitching and listening, and learning to react and pitch in real-time

Tips for relationship building with reporters and influencers

Effective writing workshops

How to pull research that will inform strategies and concepts

The PR industry is constantly evolving, which means the agencies that will succeed are the ones that inspire their teams to learn and evolve with it.

Forward-Looking Trends (Curious)

Because the world is always changing, PR professionals have to remain steadfast and committed to development in order to be able to adapt and thrive, regardless of what’s happening around them. To do this, agencies need to encourage information-sharing within the workplace to help employees develop new skills and identify new information that will be invaluable to their work and clients.

As part of this information-sharing, agencies should offer training sessions and foster conversations surrounding forward-looking trends to ignite curiosity and creativity. This includes:

Staying up to date on emerging platforms

Identifying white space for clients

Capitalizing on viral shifts and moments in time  

With this approach, PR professionals will be able to work more effectively with their clients and provide them with a service that sets them apart from the competition.

Valuing Everyone to Drive Impact (Innovative)

While it’s necessary to prioritize professional development within an agency, it’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for everyone. Different employees will have different needs and they should be accommodated in the types of training provided. This will not only benefit individual employees, but their clients and the business overall.

By valuing the input of those from diverse backgrounds with different experiences, beliefs and areas of expertise, PR agencies can build teams that are able to achieve best-in-class multi-channel programs to drive impact and output for the industry.

At North, Notch and MSL, we also see our clients embracing this inclusive approach and investing in key areas that we have developed training on, including executive thought leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).  

For executive thought leadership, we launched NGAGE, a specialized service designed to elevate leaders’ personal brands through in-depth audits, 1:1 workshops, brainstorms and strategy sessions with our in-house branding experts, which include former journalists and experienced corporate strategists.

With respect to DE&I, MSL also introduced its Multicultural Communications offering, which is led by our cross-Canada MSL team who are able to establish meaningful relationships with diverse communities through a proprietary blend of tools, data, social listening, and cultural sensing.

By involving and valuing different voices through these different offerings and training opportunities, PR agencies can help their clients have the reach and impact that’s needed in today’s world.

In summary, PR companies won’t be able to help brands connect with stakeholders and consumers and stay on the pulse in an ever-changing world unless they prioritize professional development within their agencies. Through education, training and support, teams can stay connected, stay curious, and continuously innovate to stay up to date on the trends that will help drive success for their clients.