Author: Alexis Porter
When I told people I wanted to leave journalism and transition to a career in PR, no one was more shocked than myself.
I had wanted to be a journalist since I was in middle school. At 18, I left my family in California to attend the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State, one of the top journalism schools in the country. I landed at KPNX, Phoenix’s NBC affiliate, producing the midday show and reporting on pop culture and internet trends. It was the career 14-year-old me dreamed of.
Until it wasn’t.
After a few years of working in the newsroom, burnout set in. I knew if I wanted to move up in my career, I would have to move to a new city or a new state and start all over again. And in a few years, I would probably do that again. I had built a life in Phoenix and didn’t want to leave it. I was also craving something that required more long-term thinking. News moves fast. Strategy takes time.
So I started meeting with former professors and PR pros I’d connected with while producing. After a year of networking and questioning all my life decisions, I took the leap and opted not to renew my contract.
Nearly 10 years later, I still use my journalism background every single day. Here’s where it shows up most.
- Pitching Like a Producer
- When I started as a PR coordinator, I had never written a pitch, but I had read thousands of them. Each time I approach a new pitch, I always think about how I would have told this story as a reporter or what would have gotten my attention when I was scanning through emails as a producer.
- Being a Producer’s Best Friend
- Because I have a producing background, I really try to be extra helpful to the producers and reporters I work with now. My best tip is that I try to package things up before the interview even happens, so they have everything they might need for the story in one email instead of having to scan through our email thread.
- Prepping Clients for Interviews
- I completely understand why clients get nervous before an interview, especially if it’s on live TV. That’s why I’m always happy to lean on my producer/reporter background and remind them that an interview is just a conversation. If you stumble, take a breath and start again. The best reporters will meet you there.
Ten years ago, I surprised myself. Today, I’m proud of the younger me who took that leap and took her passion for storytelling to new heights.
