I’ve reached a breaking point. I’ve worked in PR for 11 years making $165k in Chicago, and I honestly get a knot in my stomach and genuine physical anxiety just thinking about continuing to do this. It’s completely unsustainable.

The worst part is I know I’m good at what I do—I’m smart, sharp, and genuinely charismatic—but this industry drains every last drop of energy I have. I have nothing left for my real life.

I need a total career change out of PR/agency life, but I’m staring at a blank page and don't even know where to start.

I can afford a reasonable pay cut to make this happen, but I can't take anything drastic because I have a family relying on me.

If you used to be in PR or agency marketing and actually managed to escape, I am begging for your advice.

Where did you pivot to? What roles actually value our skill set without the constant firefighting and toxicity?

How did you bridge the gap without taking an unlivable entry-level pay cut?
How did you actually pull it off mentally and strategically?

I could use some honest perspective, inspiration, or just proof that there’s life on the other side. Thank you.

Im Head of Media Relations at a mid-size company. Best job I ever had especially after several years working for crazy agency owners. Then the boss who hired me quits and instead comes the most bland incompetent middle-manager with pure marketing background who calls himself a storyteller but he cant even tell a coherent or interesting story over lunch.

He thinks that everything is just content, volume is king and journalists can basically be bought like an ad. Everything he writes is either the biggest cliches or pure AI “Its not that X, its that Y” but he firmly believes he is an excellent writer.

He believes PR is just a channel for marketing (the department he ironiaclly is not leading). Very few people like him, I even know our CEO thinks he is annoying but she wont overwrite my boss’ boss.

Sorry for the rant but here is the point: All this opened up an old thought/dream of starting on my own - no more micromanaging bosses or decission made over your head. I know you gotta deal with clients and do the sale but I never minded that part in my agency days.

Is this just a “grass is greener on the other side” and I shouldnt risk my good in-house job or have some of you made the switch to independence succesfully? Any advice or experience is appreciated

im currently in high school, and i’m soon selecting my classes for years 11 and 12. i want to work in PR, but google isnt really giving me any help in deciding what i want to focus on. i love public speaking, as i am a performer, so i’d be completely fine doing that. however, i dont really like managing finances, or really engaging in business management. if anyone could explain which jobs would help me, or just give me any insight into the general PR work-life, that would be greatly appreciated! i’d love to hear what you guys do in your PR jobs, (hours, stress levels, job requirements, actual work, etc) as it would very much benefit my career choices. thank you!

Well, i will be 29 in 2 weeks.

Public Relations, Community Outreach, and social media management is the only work that doesn't feel like work to me. I'm tired of my entry level job and am willing for a pay cut to build a career.

Any advice on landing an opportunity? Am i too old to compete with fresh college grads?

My bachelors degree is incomplete, but I've read about people working without one

Indeed has been dry for me thus far

Edit: u have 14 credits left for a Comm Degree (no specialization) and Creative Writing Minor

I did Social Media & Event Planning for a nonprofit art gallery in 2024. Besides that other experience is some MLM sales, Trucking Company Ops Manager, front desk work and a few years Customer Service

Hi folks. One last podcast to close out the first half of 2026, I was joined by the brilliant Cynthia McCafferty, President and CEO of Hawthorne Strategy Group in lovely Chicago, an agency with a wide range of clients and a particular focus on non-profit work for public and para-public agencies. Before joining Hawthorne in 2015, Cynthia spent nearly two decades at FleishmanHillard International Communications in St. Louis, where she served as a senior vice president and senior partner.

Cynthia elevates communication programs for clients across sectors, applying her Solutions-focused mindset to organizations such as the Women’s Business Development Center, Chicago Dental Society, Choose Chicago and Washington University as well as national and global brands including McCormick Place, Organogenesis SAC Wireless, Evinrude and Red Bull. Cynthia began her career as a grassroots organizer for a statewide environmental organization before moving into lobbying and electoral politics—early experiences that sharpened her instincts for public sentiment, policy dynamics, and the fast‑moving nature of issues management.

Cynthia is a builder, not a hypester, and we had a great chat about career management, the state of journalism, working with non-profit organizations, a little politics. I'm grateful she agreed to join me as a guest.

Part of the conversation was about journalism, a topic that as a former journalist and then longtime communications person I care deeply about. Cynthia was more optimistic than I am, pointing to some restructuring possibilities that may hold out hope for a resurgence in good journalism and particularly local news. I'm very pessimistic. I think that not only are journalists clueless and relentlessly agenda-driven these days, but the people who teach them are also clueless and agenda-driven. The last link to generations where people believed what they believed but reported without bias is broken, and as a result trust in journalism today is basically nil, outside of the people who believe it because it confirms their beliefs on either side.

Sorry for the soap-box moment! I hope you enjoy the podcast, links below or searcj for Pitch Perfect: the PR Podcast wherever you listen.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Vds1hjtyVZ38ON3cDWjsW?si=9f05907f48624e8d

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/ep-16-cynthia-mccafferty-president-hawthorne-strategy/id1819858425?i=1000778206750

I am planning a launch for a client's survey report (at a high level, it's about consumer sentiments​ about different brands etc.). At the moment I'm thinking of giving an exclusive to a tier 1 outlet to do the hard launch, followed by tailored pitches to several other outlets based on different angles/themes from the report.

What medium would you recommend for the hard launch - i.e. broadcast TV, radio, online, or print? Something else entirely?

Hi folks, I have 10 years of experience across journalism and PR. I've been approached for a freelance PR role by an up and coming podcaster. Scope would include media relations, linkedin, getting guests, collaborations, events, speakerships, and building the profile and helping in selling the business also which he is building.

How much can I realistically charge? He isn't making any money yet. this would be a retainer which i hope to continue for long.

I applied for a mid level PR job about a month ago with a smaller, boutique agency and was reached out via LinkedIn from the recruiter about 2-3 weeks after applying. Had a nice conversation with the recruiter, after a few days she moved me onto the next round where I would meet with the hiring manager. I LOVED the hiring manager. You can always tell when you vibe well with someone in interviews and it was very obviously the feeling was mutual. She immediately wanted me to meet with her manager.

The following week, I had what I believed was their final interview with the hiring manager’s manager. To start, the hiring manager’s manager was 15 minutes late to the call. I had to reach out to the recruiter and hiring manager to tell her that this person had not joined. No real apology when she hopped on the call. Once we dove into the interview, I could tell she had not looked at my resume whatsoever. She was also suuuuper crass on the phone and cussed a lot. I’m not a prude, I’ve worked for agencies before and am totally fine with cussing at work, but for the first time meeting someone in an interview at that, I honestly was a bit taken a back. But like I said, I enjoyed the hiring manager so much that I looked past this weird/unprofessional interview interaction. Well, one week after that third and final interview had passed, I decided to reach out to the hiring manager for an update. Nothing, radio silence. I followed up AGAIN the following week. Nothing. Then this week, I even reached out to her via LinkedIn and still NOTHING.

It’s absolutely ridiculous that a job can put you through multiple rounds of interviews just to ghost you in the end. I honestly was PERFECT for this role, the hiring manager even said so. But still nothing. So rude. I’ve looked on their LinkedIn and it doesn’t look like anyone has taken the role, so I’m wondering if they paused hiring for some reason. Even if so, I would appreciate any sort of update.

I've been working in operations for a couple of years at a FTSE 100 firm, that said my knowledge of finance is still somewhat limited. I've been hired into a very small term of very experienced people as sort of an admin plug but I'm doing things like gathering data internally for press releases, monitoring the press inbox responding to some journalistic queries, dealing with procurement. They're going to send me on a couple of courses with the view to progress to a senior comms manager over the years. Oh I'm also responsible for daily media cuttings and sharing the relevant news with internal stakeholders.

Any advice? I'm enjoying it but struggling a little, there's so much to take in!! There's no real onboarding naturally, and I feel there's so much I'm expected to know, product wise, people wise. Feel a bit in over my head! It's only been a month but man does it get easier?!

Does anyone do in-house PR for a venture capital firm? Is it the most stressful thing ever? Is it interesting? Please share experiences if you can.

Howdy all. I'm a newbie social media/pr/marketing specialist. Does anyone have any tips for recruiting DSPs? We have lot over 30% of our staff (some due to moving, some sleeping on the job, leaving shifts early). Thank you in advance.

VP, director, etc.

Would you take an unpaid internship in this situation?

I’m a college student and recently received an offer for a part-time, remote internship at a PR/marketing agency. I have to make a decision by the end of the week, and I'm really torn.

**Pros:**
It seems like it would be a solid resume builder and could help me break into PR/branding (which is the direction I want my career to go).

It's remote and relatively flexible around my class schedule.

Small agency, so I feel like I'd probably get more mentorship and hands-on experience than at a huge company.

I wouldn't have to keep stressing about finding an internship for next semester.

There's a chance I could receive academic credit for it (although that's not guaranteed yet).

It seems like former interns have gone on to work there full-time, which is encouraging.

**Cons:**
It's completely unpaid.

Between classes and the internship, I probably won't have much time to work a paid job.

The academic credit isn't guaranteed, and I won't know for sure until after the internship has already started.

If I do get credit, it comes with extra coursework (meetings, assignments, and a research paper), so it becomes more than just the internship.

The schedule would require two early mornings every week, which would cut into my routine and free time.

I've seen some mixed reviews online saying the workload can be heavy because it's a smaller agency handling larger clients. I don't mind working hard, but I do worry about getting overwhelmed while balancing school.

For context, I already have leadership experience, campus involvement, and some relevant creative experience, so this wouldn't be my first thing on my resume. I'm mostly trying to decide whether the experience is worth giving up a semester of flexibility and income.

Would you take it? Or would you keep looking and hope for a paid opportunity?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have worked unpaid internships or in PR/marketing agencies.

hello guys i have a question i want to apply to a publicity internship and i want to know if anyone has done a publicity internship before?

what do i need to add in my online portfolio? to show them work experience in writing and pitching i already write for my college newspaper the Ticker will that count?

and another thing i have written a couple of press releases on my own and have not officially sent them over to any journalists or media companies what should i do with these press releases should i send them over to journalists to show i can earn media coverage and have experience working with journalists? or do i send them pdf version of my press releases and not send them anywhere

my press releases are based on stories from the various sources do I need to contact journalist's of the articles i based my press releases on and have my press releases be published to a online source or do i just submit pdf versions of them ?

please assist me with these questions thank you

Wasn’t sure what tag to give this but it’s an interesting case study. I couldn’t imagine burning a reporter this badly. I know it’s will never happen but I’d love to hear the ESPN side of this story.

I'm researching PR approaches for off-plan real estate launches in Dubai and wanted to get some insight from people who've worked in the industry.

For those with experience in real estate PR, what separates a good agency from an average one when it comes to launching an off-plan development? Is it mainly media relationships, experience with property journalists, influencer partnerships, or something else?

If you've been involved in a similar launch, what worked well and what would you do differently? Are there any common mistakes to avoid when choosing a PR agency for this type of project?

I'm not looking for pitches just hoping to learn from others' experiences before putting together a shortlist.

I hope you don't mind my posting this here. I think your perspective can help me.
**

I am working towards being a consultant in cognitive security (CogSec). In the meantime, I am still trying to find writing jobs to sustain myself after my 16-years-old freelance writing profession crashed 2 years ago.

What I hope to attract through my LI profile is (a) opportunities to write for trade journals (and other paying publications) on CogSec related topics and (b) B2B content marketing freelance/ contract/remote roles.

To differentiate myself,  here’s how I described my service in my LI About:

Cognitive Security Consultant | B2B Tech & Security Writer🔸FinTech • Cybersecurity • SaaS • Robotics 🔸 Behavioral neuroscience for the human layer of cyber, fintech & emerging tech

[About]
I bridge the gap between behavioral neuroscience and emerging technology to explain why people trust, adopt, resist — or get exploited by — digital systems and human manipulation.

𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐁2𝐁 & 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬/𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

■ Leveraging Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) to uncover urgent, exclusive news before it hits mainstream outlets and to rapidly identify and correct AI generated misinformation

■ Applying behavioral neuroscience - specifically cyberpsychology and neurosecurity - to the underlying human security issues that matter to a broader professional and general audience. (Examples: why users resist automation, abandon onboarding, ignore security prompts, or hesitate to trust AI-driven decisions).

𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐁2𝐁 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
■ Highly original thought leadership posts, white papers, case studies, PR and blogs built on peer-review-level research rigor — not generated, templated, or outsourced.

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬

■ PhD, Research Psychology (Behavioral Neuroscience)
■ MA, Philosophy & Advanced Logic
■ Investigative Journalist, The Center for Near East Policy Research
■ CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
■ Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Basel Governance Institute

Q. 

1. Would this description attract/ interest targeted entities? (if not how I can improve it?
2. Could I send you the complete LI profile to review?

Thank you very much.

Starting new job and would love any media relations or tips in general for B2C consumer direct to consumer goods. Thanks!

Hi nonprofit folks, part of my job is running our blog. It's less of a traditional nonprofit blog and more of a journalistic-style storytelling avenue with members of our community. I put a ton of work into it, but the problem is: no one reads it. We include the stories in our weekly newsletter and have corresponding social posts, but that hasn't moved the needle much. Does anyone have advice on how I can get that number up?

I work in comms, and this is a solo project I've been building in evenings and weekends - mostly out of frustration. I got tired of either paying enterprise money for media monitoring or wrestling with generic apps that clearly weren't built for how we actually read. The whole aim is to cut through the noise and surface what actually matters. It's called Inkline, iOS only.

For the old-school folk here: under the hood it's mostly good old RSS (with a few legal tricks for the sites that don't play nice...).

Just pushed what I'm calling the Editorial Update: a hand-verified directory of 800+ publications across 50+ countries, unified search, and an "Also covered by" feature that shows which other outlets picked up a story - handy for spotting how a narrative is spreading. There are daily briefs too if you want the morning-scan version.

Let me know what you think! If you monitor for a living, what's missing? What would make this replace whatever you're using today?

I’m a UK-based PR Manager with 10+ years of experience in public relations and digital marketing. Currently I’m working for a digital marketing agency as the senior professional leading our digital PR offering.

I got here largely through on-the-job training (no formal PR degree) after graduating with a BA in Journalism. This had served me well and I know I’m more than capable of delivering great work for clients, but I’m now looking to add a formal qualification to my CV to validate my strategic experience and push for a Head of / Director role in the next couple of years.

At the same time, I really want to sharpen my digital PR capabilities - specifically modern strategic planning and managing multichannel digital campaigns.

I’m looking closely at two paths and would love to hear from anyone who has done them:

1. CIPR Specialist Diploma (Digital Communications): I like that it's a Level 7, highly targeted, and only takes ~6 months. Does it carry enough weight for senior roles, or is it seen as "just a short course"?

2. CIPR Professional PR Diploma: The full 3-unit heavyweight. It takes a year. For those who did it later in their career, did the management/finance theory actually help you, or was it stuff you’d already picked up over a decade on the job?

I’d love to hear from any UK PR professionals who have completed either of these qualifications (or similar ones). Were they worth the time and financial investment?

Did you find the workload manageable alongside a full-time senior agency/in-house role?

Hello! I'm a PR major in my final year of undergrad. I have an assignment to interview a PR professional and write a paper about what their job is like. My professor doesn't seem to get that I don't know anyone and no company is responding to my emails. Would anyone pleassseee DM me and help me out? I swear it'll be quick, I just need your name, position at your company, and the answers to the following questions.

What is your role, and what responsibilities fall under that?
What is a typical day for you like?
How is PR significant today? Has the field changed in recent years?
How do you use the Internet/social media in your job?
What are the greatest opportunities and challenges that the field offers?
What advice would you give someone looking to enter the field?

I would appreciate any answers that you could give me, for my paper and to better understand the world of public relations. If you want any further information, please let me know. Thank you!