PR Pros: Tieja MacLaughlin On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro
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 Tieja MacLaughlin.
Tieja MacLaughlin is a sought-after crisis PR consultant for individuals, executives, and brands who are experiencing reputation damage including social media fallout, legal issues, and other sensitive matters. She has worked with high-profile athletes, actors, and corporate executives, among others.
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?
Tobe honest, I stumbled across this career path. This was a service I was in need of, but couldn’t find — at least not in an accessible way. I learned about crisis PR first-hand by navigating my own crisis. When others took notice and began reaching out to me for advice, I knew there was a viable business opportunity in leveraging my own unique lived experience. I started my consultancy in 2017, with the goal to make crisis PR more accessible.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
There’s never a dull day in my line of work, but discretion is at the heart of crisis PR, so unfortunately I can’t share most of those stories.
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?
Several years ago, I received a voicemail from someone claiming to be a very prominent sports figure, who was interested in hiring me. I was convinced it was a prank call, so I didn’t return the message. I was thinking, there’s no way this person would want to hire me (I was used to working with public figures, but this was another level). I later learned that it wasn’t a prank, and that they were indeed the person they claimed to be. Fortunately we were able to connect, but I learned an important lesson, to never doubt myself.
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?
Resilience — Being able to work through challenges and overcome adversity is one of my defining traits. I tell all of my clients, even in the darkest of times, there is always a path forward.
Curiosity — I am inherently curious about people, and the world. Being curious about my clients and their unique situations, allows me to peel back the layers to get to the root of their problem and solve it.
Passion — I pour my heart into everything I do, and care about the success and well-being of my clients. Helping people through some of the most difficult times of their lives builds intimacy very quickly, and it’s something I don’t take lightly.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m currently building a video-based media training program, which will be offered at a fraction of the price of my standard in-person media training. I’m excited about being able to get this training into the hands of more businesses, of all sizes, and empower them to share their story with confidence.
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?
There are several different areas of expertise under the PR umbrella including media relations, government relations, influencer relations, corporate communications and, of course, crisis PR, among others.
Where should a young person considering a career in PR start their education? Should they get a degree in communications? A degree in journalism? Can you explain what you mean?
Conventional education can be a great path, but there are also many unconventional paths. The best education, in my opinion, is on the job. If you can find a mentor to learn from, or intern with, it will be absolutely invaluable.
You are known as a master networker. Can you share some tips on great networking?
I try to talk to new people in any room I’m in, with genuine interest and curiosity. For me, it’s about building a meaningful human connection that establishes the basis for trust.
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?
The best leads come through referrals, so it’s important to maintain strong relationships. Unsuspecting relationships and conversations can evolve into a lead months, or even years, down the road.
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?
1. Trust — Trust and integrity are essential for building and maintaining relationships. You need to be credible, reliable, and accurate.
2. Communication — Strong communication is the bedrock of PR. You need to be able to distill complexity into simplicity, and chaos into cohesion.
3. Creativity — Being able to uncover creative solutions to problems, unique storylines, and new opportunities is important.
4. Resilience — When faced with challenges, you need to have the grit, determination, and willpower to ‘take it on the chin’ and push on. You also need to be comfortable hearing the word ‘no’ — from journalists rejecting a pitch, to colleagues or clients who may disagree with you.
5. Emotional Intelligence — Understanding your own, and others’, emotions helps strengthen your relationships.
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. :-)
Fix yourself, before you fix the world.
This was really meaningful! Thank you so much for your time.
