PR Pros: Jamie Levin of JLevin Communications On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro
People Skills — PR is a people business. We often find ourselves working with spokespeople pitching their stories. We work with them on media training to ensure that certain message points are being delivered and to make sure that they feel comfortable and confident in their environment. Preparation is key! On the flip side, we are working with reporters, producers and editors who, you guessed it, are also people. Knowing how to interact with them, being mindful of contacting them during certain hours because they are feverishly working towards a deadline and understanding the importance of relationship building all are extremely important in the industry and all point back to people skills.
Have you seen the show Flack? Ever think of pursuing a real-life career in PR? What does it take to succeed in PR? What are the different forms of Public Relations? Do you have to have a college degree in PR? How can you create a highly lucrative career in PR? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro” we are talking to successful publicists and Public Relations pros, who can share stories and insights from their experiences.
As a part of this series I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jamie Levin.
Jamie Levin is a strategic communications consultant with 15+ years of experience spanning internal and external communications, events, community initiatives and engagement. As a versatile executive with an excellent record of achievement as a collaborative partner supporting business objectives and bringing vision to life, she has demonstrated her commitment to being a proactive leader and innovative problem solver who is recognized for implementing effective team building skills, successfully identifying engagement opportunities and employing cross- functional initiatives to support company culture, and utilizing creative business building analytical and problem-solving skills. Jamie prides herself in being an excellent communicator who is strategically adept at translating strategy into a sound agenda that directly connects to overall business strategy reinforcing a people-first mentality.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
While in high school and college at the University of Maryland College Park I took the time to better understand opportunities in journalism interning with The Baltimore Sun and WBAL, the NBC affiliate in Baltimore. While I loved that side, I found the other side and the challenge of securing interest and gaining media attention to be even more exhilarating. During my time at American University while pursuing my M.A. in Communication, I had the opportunity to learn from professionals who also just happened to be professors. It was there, and during my time preparing for my thesis (topic: Social Norms Theory on College Campuses) that I truly fell in love with storytelling and the power of words and communication.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
I have had the opportunity to work with so many inspiring people and share wonderful stories, however, I think one if the most unique opportunities for me, because of my love of sports and the impact it has had on my life, has been the opportunity to work with NFL legendary coach Romeo Crennel through my work with Student ACES, a non-profit with the mission to inspire high school student athletes to become men and women of honor, character and integrity. Coach Crennel contributed to the foreword of the book, Inspiring Champions, by Buck Martinez — co-founder and president of the board of Student ACES. While I did have to get over the fact that I am a Baltimore Ravens fan and bleed purple, and Coach Crennel won 5 super bowls — 2 with the New York Giants and 3 with the New England Patriots — in order for us to work together, I have learned so much about leadership on and off the field from a man who for 50 years (imagine that) coached a sport that I never had the opportunity to play. Working with Student ACES and Coach Crennel I have had the opportunity to continue working, even if indirectly, with the sports industry that I love so much while also pursuing my two other passions — public relations (what I often refer to as storytelling) and community impact.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
At the very beginning of my career, I was scheduling a press release for distribution, while multi-tasking and trying to do a million other things, and I accidentally scheduled the distribution over the wire for the wrong time…well, not entire wrong — the time was right, just the wrong time zone. Thankfully, I caught it upon review and was able to fix it — phew! Lesson, slow down!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I have amazing clients and I am extremely lucky to get to work with clients across a variety of industries which keeps things really interesting. I recently started working with the team at EFO Ventures, an investment and incubation firm that backs founders and their innovative ideas not only with access to capital but also personal guidance and hands-on collaboration from the very first stages with a focus on mobi-tech, and BiKASE, a leading manufacturer of bicycle accessories and innovator in the hard goods space. The opportunity came about as a result of keeping in touch with an all-around great person who is extremely smart, committed to giving back and never wavers when it comes to a commitment to this customer. As I alluded to earlier in my interview, always keep in touch with those who inspired you along the way.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Determination — A never say never, I can do anything with preparation attitude is so important, in my opinion. I’ve typically supported male dominated industries and many times people told me I was in a “man’s world” focusing on the automotive and construction industries. My response to them was a silent nod of the head and a smirk. In my brain, they were just adding more fuel to my fire to succeed.
- Confidence — When delivering strategy, knowledge and confidence are integral to your pitch, both to internal stakeholders as well as media. Confidence is often a result of preparation. I am a firm believer of always taking the extra time (even when it feels like there is not one spare second) to be prepared and walk into a room with knowledge of the subject and exuding confidence.
- Entrepreneurial Spirit — Approach every project, every client and every opportunity as though you own the business, and everything is a reflection of you. It’s amazing what a little skin in the game can do when it comes to perseverance.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, can you help articulate what the different forms of PR are?
By definition, public relations is the professional maintenance of a favorable public image by a company or other organization or a famous person. Many people immediately think to the media and media coverage when they think about public relations. I would say that because so much of public relations is based on image there are so many other facets of communications that impact public relations. Think about it, if the perspective of your internal team member isn’t favorable then painting a pretty picture to your audience will be a challenge, not the original pitch, but there will be backlash at some point, in some way, if employees do not feel the same way and it impacts them. I would also say that community partnerships impact public relations — again tied to reputation. On top of proactive outreach, whether it’s based off of earnings if it’s a publicly traded company or a new initiative or spokesperson, there’s also reactive, which in some cases is centered around crisis communications. Again, all about reputation. In the face of controversy, how are you protecting your brand?
You are known as a master networker. Can you share some tips on great networking?
We’ve heard it many times, it’s not what you know, it’s who know. While I agree that people are extremely important, you need to know a little something and be good at what you do in order for someone to put their name on the line for you and that’s, in my opinion, where networking comes in. Never, and I mean never, burn bridges. All of our reputation precedes us and it’s extremely likely that even before we walk into a room and someone sees us, they already know a little something about us, especially in the world of public relations.
When networking, be honest and transparent. There is nothing worse than having a lengthy conversation with someone who shares that they have experience in a certain area or know someone who you are looking to connect with only to find out that they know nothing on the topic or don’t know that person at all. Why? Because there’s a good possibility that the conversation didn’t end there and whoever was on the other end of the conversation utilized the information is some form or fashion for purposes of networking, even if it’s just to find common ground to start a conversation with someone who we may have never spoken to before.
Lead generation is one of the most important aspects of any business. Can you share some of the strategies you use to generate good, qualified leads?
Never burn bridges. Again, our reputation precedes us. Keep in touch with people who have inspired you and who you have worked well with throughout the years. Chances are we’ll cross paths again and there may be a business opportunity, whether direct or indirect, that may come as a result. Word of mouth is extremely powerful.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Thick Skin — Everybody has an opinion, take it for what it’s worth. Internally, a PR professionals job is to provide strategic guidance on communications initiatives and outreach. Leadership may not always agree with strategy, and that’s ok, be willing to have healthy conversations and keep pushing for what you believe to be the best option. Externally, think about it — reporters, editors and producers are getting thousands of emails per day with everyone thinking they have the most important story to tell. The reality is, none of us have the most important story to tell, it’s all in the eye of the recipient. So, don’t get down if you don’t get the media hits you want at the beginning or get upset if you get a response from a reporter that isn’t what you were hoping for…keep on keepin’ on.
- Grit — Confidence, determination and a never say quit attitude. This is imperative in so many industries. In fact, it’s just a great trait in general.
- Solid Writing Skills — Sometimes you only have about 11 seconds to tell your story and hook the attention of a reporter via email so that they’re intrigued and want to learn more. People want to work with people who are thorough, take the time to proofread and use correct grammar. How your emails are written are a reflection of who you are as a professional so make sure to know your audience and be mindful of how you are communication to and with them.
- Confidence — Gone are the days of follow up phone calls to every reporter a few days following your initial email, however, there are still plenty of times where a call is warranted. Know your product/spokesperson and help to deliver the desired message with confidence. Again, this will help to capture the attention of a reporter.
- People Skills — PR is a people business. We often find ourselves working with spokespeople pitching their stories. We work with them on media training to ensure that certain message points are being delivered and to make sure that they feel comfortable and confident in their environment. Preparation is key! On the flip side, we are working with reporters, producers and editors who, you guessed it, are also people. Knowing how to interact with them, being mindful of contacting them during certain hours because they are feverishly working towards a deadline and understanding the importance of relationship building all are extremely important in the industry and all point back to people skills.
Because of the role you play, you are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Investing in our youth. Enough said!
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
PR Pros: Jamie Levin of JLevin Communications On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.