OK, you’ve got us – we hold our hands up! We’re TeamRev and we love to talk. We’re not ashamed to say it. Luckily, a significant proportion of our day is spent talking. Whether that be liaising with clients, pitching to the media or brainstorming with the team about the latest content trends. The clue is in the name really… Public Relations. So, it’s a good job there’s nothing we all love more than a good old chinwag.
Sometimes, though, we find ourselves biting our lips. Refraining from blurting out something that might taint the illusion that we’re a cool, calm and collected bunch of PR professionals. Which, for the most part, we are. Honest.
Here’s three the things we wish we could say as a publicist:
1. “I don’t even really like champagne.”
Edina Monsoon and Samantha Jones would have you believe that PR profs spend their days hopping from business lunches to client meetings, whiling away the hours until home time, meanwhile quaffing endless bottles of champagne. Right? Wrong!
First of all, who has time for all that? We still have the same two bottles of bubbly in the office fridge from when we won an award in September. And we’ve won two more since then! Controversially, we think champagne is wildly overrated. Prosecco tastes much better, costs less and looks just as pretty on Instagram.
2. “Thanks for the awful photo.”
It’s true what they say; a picture really is worth a thousand words. When we pitch content for our clients, we usually ask for good quality photography to complement the angle of the story. And that isn’t just because we love to look at our clients’ pretty faces – however gorgeous they are. Journalists will often prioritise the stories that come with a photo because these are more likely to engage readers. In some cases, a story won’t even be considered if there’s no photo to accompany it. By good quality, we mean clear, engaging and over 1MB.
So, when we’re sent a grainy, blurred screengrab of a 20-year-old headshot or a dodgy selfie from a recent night out, then it goes without saying that we’ll be getting straight back in touch to ask for an alternative. Trust us, it happens more often than you would think.
3. “Not every PR agency is based in London.”
We’re blaming Edina and Samantha for this one too – sorry ladies. We’ll let you in on a little secret; not all PR agencies are city-based. In fact, our office location couldn’t be more rural if we tried! Our headquarters are nestled right in the middle of the Oxfordshire countryside, with a cute view of a windmill and a company that churns butter next door. Yep, it really is that idyllic – and the butter is pretty incredible too.
In most cases, our location is irrelevant to our clients, due to our consistent contact with them, regular visits to their offices and attendance at their events. On the odd occasion that a client pops out to see us, they’re often bowled over by the beautiful scenery surrounding us, which can be a real conversation starter for prospects too. Does our location affect our ability to gain great coverage for our clients? Not one bit. You can build relationships with the media from anywhere – it’s all about knowing your audience and sharing relevant news.
And whilst TeamRev love a visit to the Big Smoke, we’d take avoiding the odd pothole on the country lanes over rush-hour commuting on the London underground every day of the week.
Well, there you have it. A brief glance into the innermost workings of our psyche. Scary, right? We truly love what we do and count our blessings to work in such a dynamic profession. It’s fun, engaging, varied and full-on… and we wouldn’t have it any other way. It would be nice if we finally had the time to crack open those two bottles of prosecco though.
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