3 PR lessons I’ve learned (things that no one really tells you)

When I first started in PR I always thought the job was somewhat “straightforward”. Your client has an announcement, you write a release, it gets approved, you send it out and everyone picks it up. Boy, how wrong I was. Sure, that still is the gist of it but add a million steps in between and then you’ll start to get a more accurate picture.

What no one tells you is that in between those straightforward steps are the days you spend convincing your stakeholders that calling every single one of their products “revolutionary” or “groundbreaking” isn’t going to make the release more impressive. Or when you bend over backwards to set up an interview with the best of the best, only to have your client (the interviewee) cancel on the day of due to “cold feet”. And don’t get me started on internal politics, figuring out how to make a story interesting to media who’ve heard it all before, and then chasing down journalists who leave you on read for days.

What I’ve learned is that PR isn’t just about getting coverage. It’s about understanding people, working with egos and emotions, balancing perception and reality, and sometimes just surviving the week with your wit intact. Somewhere in this process, you learn to become part negotiator, part therapist and also a mind reader who gets visions of when a journalist might be looking for a new story or when the next crisis is about to hit. So, let me be the one to break it down for you.

Here are the things I’ve learned — the lessons no one really talks about — from actually doing the work, not just reading about it.

Lesson 1: Not every story is an actual story

If you’ve been in the industry long enough you’ll definitely be rolling your eyes at this point. Let me paint you a picture. Your fintech client proudly announces the launch of version 2.1.1 of their product. Same features, slightly different UI, maybe a new button colour. Internally, it’s “a major milestone.” Externally? It’s… a Tuesday.    

And yet, here you are, being asked to pitch it like it’s going to revolutionise the industry all while knowing this does not call for a press release. I may have exaggerated a little in my example here, but I’m sure we all have found ourselves in a similar situation, more than once. As much as I wish we could just say no and have that be the end of the discussion, sometimes it’s not that simple. Like I said — to the client, this update means something. And my advice? Start by figuring out why. Why is this important to them? Maybe it’s the first time a new colourway was introduced after years of black and white  branding and maybe internally this took months of battles.  Maybe this version was a vision a lot of them had worked towards. There is always a why. 

Understanding that would lead you down one of two paths. 1. Realising that there is a deeper story here. Maybe it’s an early signal of a shift in the brand. One that shows they’re finally adapting, letting go of old habits, or becoming more open to change. It might seem small on the surface, but internally, it could be a symbolic first step toward something bigger, and that might just make for a good story. Or 2. You do still turn down the press release, but this time, with a bit more empathy and understanding. And sometimes, that might make all the difference. If a client keeps pushing for something, despite your best efforts of advising against it, it might just be that they think that you don’t understand where they are coming from. 

Lesson 2: Approvals will test you

You write a pitch, an article, a LinkedIn post or a release. You spend all your time making it both relevant and informative, threading the needle between wit and clarity. You obsess over the headline, cut down unnecessary words, triple-check your tone. You then send it out for approvals, and sure enough it comes back chopped up, highlighted and with 25 comments/suggestions. 

One stakeholder thinks it needs more “impact.” Another wants to “rework the tone to be more celebratory.” Legal flags six words that are too “assertive.” The CEO rewrites your opening to sound like a TED Talk. You blink, and suddenly you’re on version 8 with four conflicting threads of feedback and no idea what you’re even trying to say anymore. Trust me, we’ve all been there. 

What I’ve come to learn is that writing is not just about skills or technique. The real work lies in negotiating feedback, protecting the integrity of the message, and sometimes, decoding vague comments like “it just doesn’t feel right” (my personal favourite). You learn to read between the lines — is it a legal concern? A political one? Is someone just trying to make their presence felt? Understanding this will help you give the client what they want (within reason of course) while still balancing the message. It’s through this process that every PR pro learns to push back, defend their work or understand when to let it go. You just have to keep at it and one day you’ll earn the trust of your clients or supervisors and earn the magic “looks go to go” on version 1.  

Lesson 3: Sometimes, it’s really out of your hands

One of the toughest pills I’ve had to swallow in my short time in this industry is this: you can do everything right, and still have things go south. You can write a brilliant release, land a great angle, craft the perfect media list, get internal alignment, and even secure a handful of RSVPs for your client’s big launch. But then, a major political scandal breaks or a beloved celebrity couple announces their divorce. Suddenly, your meticulously planned event is half-empty and your story gets buried under national headlines you couldn’t have seen coming. 

This is one of those things no one really warns you about when you first get into PR. We’re taught to plan, strategise, optimise — and yes, that matters. But what no one says outright is that PR is also about learning to be okay when your best efforts don’t pay off the way they should. When whether or not things pan out depends on so many external elements, its almost impossible to guarantee anything.  Because in this industry, success isn’t just about skill. It’s also about timing, news cycles, editorial whims, budgets, politics, and plain old luck. And sometimes, it just isn’t your day.

The real professionals? They show up anyway. They learn from it, roll with the punches, and quietly start planning for the next thing. Because if there’s one thing you can control in PR, it’s how you choose to bounce back.

So if you’re new to PR and wondering why things feel a little chaotic — it’s not just you. This job will humble you, test your patience, and teach you things no textbook ever will. But if you can learn to laugh, adapt, and keep your sanity (mostly) intact, you’re already doing better than most.

Got your own war stories from the trenches of PR? We’d love to hear them! Drop us a line at hello(a)syncpr.co