How do you recognise rockstar PR consultants?
Having worked in the PR industry since 2005, I’ve worked alongside many PR professionals that could be characterised as “rockstar PR consultants.”
One rockstar PR consultant easily outweighs three or four average consultants. They make clients happier, attract business (and other “rockstars”), and put their mark on the agency.
In this blog post, you’ll learn:
Where do they come from?
What’s their secret?
How do you become one?
How do you hire them?
Let’s dive right in:
Where Do Rockstar PR Consultants Come From?
A rockstar PR consultant can come from anywhere.
Some have been fantastic account managers. Other strategic masterminds. Others are creative geniuses. Others have been leaders, some inspiring, some actionable.
Some are educated, communicators. Others are lawyers, business administrators, politicians, speakers, journalists etc. One of the best PR consultants I ever had the pleasure of working with used to be a nuclear physicist.
Some can light up a room with their charisma; some you won’t even notice until you see the quality of their work. Some are extroverts; some are introverts.
My good friend Richard Yams, nowadays Head of Content at Burson-Marsteller, once wrote:
“An organisation I worked for had a founder who said he preferred hiring consultants with good self-confidence and low self-esteem.”
I agree that many successful consultants have a strong inner drive that sometimes stems from dark places.
But what makes rockstar PR consultants stand out?
The Secret Trait All PR Rockstars Share
Once they get up to speed, rockstar PR consultants will start to extinguish themselves amongst their peers:
After many years of finding and recruiting PR talent, I’ve finally arrived at an answer:
Rockstar PR consultant = A junior PR consultant that doesn’t need (or expect) authority to explain how to succeed and get things done.
These individuals seem to have things already figured out — and they turn every task into an opportunity:
Ask yourself: Are you waiting for authority to tell you what to do or how to succeed? Are you waiting for the authority to permit you? Are you waiting for someone to give you a chance?
How To Spot PR Rockstars When Recruiting
So, how do you determine if the candidate in front of is a rockstar PR consultant — or if they have rockstar potential?
Before the interview, I give them a task. For instance, I could ask them to prepare and present a PR case study. Then, I look at how the candidates tackle this specific task:
I would go for the second group of candidates. I would also look for candidates who improve the outcome and the contextual framework because that’s what rockstar PR consultants do.
Please support my blog by sharing it with other PR- and communication professionals. For questions or PR support, contact me via jerry@spinfactory.com.
