The Business of Building Relationships
A public relations practitioner is the relationship guru of the business world, and I’m all about the chase.
PR is part of my DNA. I’m one of five kids (meaning 18 years with a parent-imposed roommate) and it has taught me that being amongst a crowd is exciting in ways that lone wolf operations are not.
While many of my peers at UNC-Chapel Hill began college with dreams of medical school or an impending ticket to Wall Street, I began to look for a way to combine my love of talking with my desire to find a career that would give me someone willing to talk back. I found that at UNC’s School of Media and Journalism.
The best experiences are the ones that you can enjoy through more than one set of eyes, and that’s why I became interested in PR. The success of a PR practitioner depends upon his or her ability to build relationships – both with clients and media. As an intern at Largemouth, I get to help facilitate these sincere relationships. I will be assisting by crafting media materials such as pitches and news releases, researching relevant media contacts, and strategizing creative approaches for client campaigns.
Navigating the ups and downs come with any relationship. It means knowing when you need to spice things up to create some buzz, or turn on some classical music to slow it down. And I’ve watched enough romantic comedies to know that the best cinema couples are usually the ones with the rockiest plot line but the happiest endings.
I enjoy PR because you have to earn your results. Working hard to build trusting relationships with clients and reporters is the foundation of success. After all, a girl won’t say yes to the guy down on one knee unless there is a long history of pursuit and persistence. My semester at Largemouth will give me a chance to build relationships and I’m so excited to get started!
- Janie Fountain
