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Women in PR

Share the goods.

PR Specialist, Brianna Zimmer, holds up her first piece of earned media.

It really doesn’t matter what industry we’re talking about; women are underrepresented. For the sake of this blog, we’ve narrowed it down to focus on public relations. Interestingly enough, 75% of the jobs in PR are held by women. Here’s the kicker…

  • 78% of CEOs are men
  • 65% of boardroom seats are filled by men
  • $6,000 is the average pay gap between men and women

Women pursue a career in public relations for a variety of reasons. Shannon Stubo, vice president of corporate communications at LinkedIn says, “I think a lot of younger women go into PR because they think they’re going to be the glamorous Samantha Jones from Sex and the City where you’re opening up restaurants and promoting hot new clubs.” Just based on our experience, 90% of PR is herding cats, and by cats, we mean clients, journalists, sources, etc. Don’t get us wrong, though. We love public relations.

Women ❤️ PR

Women love working in public relations. Why? Well, it has a lot of great features, including:

  • Collaboration: Stories encompass multiple parties. If you are announcing something statewide, chances are there are multiple players. Bringing people together is an important aspect of the job.
  • Social: PR peeps are talking to people nonstop, whether they’re pitching a story or coordinating an interview. You will never be lonely in this profession.
  • Flexible: The schedule is always changing. You might be at a 5:00 a.m. T.V. appearance or fielding calls on the weekend due to breaking news. So yeah, the schedule is flexible, but also crazy.
  • Creative: If you can’t think out of the box, find a different profession. PR professionals need to find the story in the seemingly mundane and ordinary. That means crafting a story that takes some digging to find.
  • Drinking: Okay, maybe we added this one specifically for us, but it’s accurate nonetheless.

It’s Hella Fun

The hours are crazy, the clients demanding, the stories exhausting and change is constant. Despite or perhaps in spite of all this, the job is f**king awesome.
In 2017, CareerCast ranked PR as the #8 most stressful job out of 200 professions. #1 was military personnel.

All of this said, there is nothing like landing a national or international story for a client. After eight months of work on one story with one publication…it finally publishes. Celebrate that win.

Take Action

You’ve seen the percentages. You understand the numbers…now, what are we gonna do about it? Women need to support other women and we need to advocate for each other. We are unstoppable when we stand together.
Here is what we can do:

  • Eliminate stereotypes. If you hear some BS about women not being cut out for PR because they have a family or the stress of the executive level position will be too much…step up and shut it down.
  • Promote yourself. Gah, women are terrible at this. We feel as if we are bragging or being prideful if we admit we did a damn good job. We heard a statistic the other day that a man will apply for a job he is maybe 60% qualified for, while a woman will wait until she is 100% qualified to go after the same job. Dammit. You are good enough, smart enough and, gosh darnit, we love you.
  • Support each other. This bears repeating. Your best advocates will always be the women walking beside you or the women that went before you. We must lean on each other.
  • Speak up. Don’t be shy. If you want something, go after it. If you have something to say, say it. If you see injustice, address it. We are not shrinking violets.

It’s time to change the statistics. We want 78% of CEO positions filled by women.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18112263326023209
Have you tuned into The Happy Hour Hustle Podcast yet? If not, a) you’re missing out and b) you need to follow immediately. Hosted by @bodespeaks, episodes drop every other week, and feature some pretty bada$$ guests if we do say so ourselves. This week, Kim sits down with @kelsey_orchard , VP of Marketing and Communications at @fifthwheelfreight to chat building a personal brand, Gen Z entering the workforce, misconceptions about logistics, spotting fake LinkedIn profiles – oh and why your GPA doesn’t matter anymore. Grab a watermelon margarita, sit back and enjoy for lots of laughs and real talk. Listen now at the link in bio.

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Register at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18132641716644887
National Perimenopause Month starts today. We have a LOT to say, and we’re not going to be quiet about it, especially this month, so buckle up. We were not prepared for perimenopause, much like our periods, sex, or anything else to do with our bodies. God forbid we talk about it openly. We were taught to be ashamed, keep quiet, and to accept that it is just part of being a woman. We reject that narrative. In fact, like @bodespeaks, we want to bring it up in every conversation. When we normalize perimenopause and the conversation around it, we stop isolating, and we’re all more prepared. Join us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Pause on September 24th — a powerful conversation hosted alongside the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan Women’s Business Council, featuring some kicka$$ experts who will give you the real talk on perimenopause (more to come on them later). Register at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18089775152664042
You asked, we delivered. Introducing the Women's Owners Network - a new program built for what comes first, joining our proven Fellowship model to support Michigan women at every stage of business ownership. Whether you've got a team of 10 or it's just you and your laptop, you deserve a room full of women who get it. Six months of leadership, finance, operations, capital access, paired with real support for the isolation, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue that come with owning your own business. You'll have your own board of directors in your corner, including @bodespeaks plus a group of mentors, instructors, and coaches who've been exactly where you are. Applications due October 1. Apply now at the link in bio.

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"I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself" - Leslie F*ucking Knope You are the hero in your own story. Be like Leslie and believe it. Come to the Big Deal Energy Workshop, @bodespeaks will show you how. It's personal branding with a shot of tequila. Register in bio.
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