A Day in the Life of Small Business PR
Having a public relations position at a small business means that your daily responsibilities probably include more than public relations. Working for a four-person start-up, I have dabbled in marketing, administration, Web development and other company-specific tasks — I actually wrote a 300-plus-page lab manual and designed all of the company’s reporting documents. Although working for a small business didn’t give me concentrated experience, I tried and learned more than I might have at a larger company.
If you see variety as the spice of life, working for a small business might be a good fit for you too.
Here’s a sample of how I spent one day working for a small business. For more information, check out the PRSA New Professionals Section’s Intro to Small Business PR.
9 a.m. — Monitor media using Google Alerts and tracking using spreadsheet software. (With limited funds, monitoring services were out of the picture.)
10 a.m. — Contact reporters who have covered company’s issues and forward media kits.
10:30 a.m. — Update the Web site with recent news and upcoming events, and hone the Web site’s messages.
11 a.m. — Continue secondary research. (Because the company was so small, I had the opportunity to do strategic and “big picture” thinking, including developing the marketing plan.)
2 p.m. — Start designing and writing brochure and literature for upcoming trade show exhibit. (I handled document production from writing to picking up final products from the printer.)
4:45 p.m. — Package and send company exhibit for the upcoming trade show. (Sometimes, I’d spend time doing administrative support.)
Janet Krenn is chair of the PRSA New Professionals Section and has been working in very small businesses since she entered the PR field.
