PR sounds glamorous, right? Strategy, storytelling, media buzz, maybe even a Pinterest-worthy outfit. But anyone who's worked in PR, especially at a tech startup-focused agency, knows it's a mix of chaos, creativity, and strangely transferable life skills.
We're not just good at writing press releases. We're good at...
Weirdly specific PR skills (that deserve a spot on your resume)
1. Saying "circle back" 400 different ways
Touch base. Revisit. Re-engage. Ping again. Loop back around. PR pros could teach a masterclass in follow-up language that doesn't make you sound like a broken record.
2. Being extremely good at writing 2-sentence emails that take 20 minutes to perfect
Getting that subject line just right is an Olympic sport. Every word matters when you have 3.2 seconds to avoid the trash folder.
3. Juggling 7 tabs, 3 Slack threads, 2 calendars, and 1 existential crisis
And still remembering the embargo date. Multitasking isn't a skill anymore, it's a reflex. And somehow you're managing it all without dropping anything important.
4. Coaching clients through chaos while wearing a flawless poker face
Whether it's a founder feeling nervous before a big interview, a product launch going sideways, or breaking news that changes everything — you're the voice of reason and the crisis manager problem-solving behind the scenes.
5. Turning tech jargon into digestible language your 6-year-old could understand
The founder said "zero trust edge-based orchestration architecture," but what they meant was "it keeps your stuff secure." Translation: our specialty.
6. Responding to "any update on this?" in under 90 seconds, even if the answer is "still waiting"
PR time is not real time. It's faster. And somehow you always have a status update ready, even when nothing has changed.
7. Mastering the em dash
Because there's a difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash — and knowing when to deploy each one is basically a superpower in written comms. (See what we did there?)
8. Planning weddings like a seasoned event coordinator
Turns out, managing timelines, coordinating vendors, handling last-minute changes, and keeping everyone happy while staying under budget are exactly the same skills. Who knew?
9. Reading between the lines of: "We'll keep you in mind for future stories"
Cool cool cool. That means "not this time." And we already have a new angle cooking because optimism is part of the job description.
10. Becoming an instant expert on literally anything in 5-10 minutes
Quantum computing? Give us ten minutes and we'll be pitching it like we've got PhDs. We've got research skills that would make a librarian beam with pride.
What This Actually Means
PR is strategy and storytelling, yes. But it's also soft skills, split-second judgment calls, emotional intelligence, and the ability to make magic in less-than-magical conditions. These weirdly specific skills? They're what keep clients happy, founders media-ready, and stories alive in inboxes that could have ignored you.
So if you're in PR and feel like your job is 10% storytelling and 90% "managing chaos with grace," you're not wrong. That is the job. And honestly? You're crushing it. These skills don't just make you good at PR; they make you good at life.
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