Interviewing a PR Pro

The PR professional that I chose to interview for this assignment was Ashley Cleveland. Ashley is the Communications and Public Relations Specialist at the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce. Ashley is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where she majored in Spanish and Journalism and Broadcasting, specializing in Public Relations.

It was interesting to hear her talk about what a typical week is like for her, mostly because she said her weeks are not typical at all. Other than the handful of mandatory tasks that she must complete each week, such as sending out the weekly emails to Chamber members and reading the local newspapers to stay current with local news, every week is different for her.

One thing Ashley said she wished she would have known before starting her career in PR is that it is not as easy as it looks. More specifically, the media is not as interested in the press releases she sends out as she thought they would be. She emphasized that this is why having impeccable writing skills is invaluable to a PR professional’s career. She said writing is at the heart of everything she does as a PR practitioner. Having good writing skills helps her with everything from being an effective speaker to being able to deliver a message concisely on Twitter.

After interviewing Ashley I think I am more likely to want a career in PR. After talking to her I realize it might be harder than I am imagining it to be but it sounds like a challenge I want to take on. A lot of the answers I got from the interview are what I expected them to be, but others surprised me. I was surprised to hear how unpredictable each work day is for her, even working in a smaller town like Stillwater. This assignment really opened my eyes to what being a PR practitioner really is and I think I learned a lot.