First posted on Bite Marks, Bite Communications


I’m a big advocate for professional organizations, and events, especially those for PR professionals. Beforejoining PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), I was vice president of my University’s PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) chapter. For a campus that only had a few PR courses, PRSSA was my key to getting into the field early. Now I am in my second year on the Networking Committee of PRSA Silicon Valley, and not only have the opportunity to learn and network, but also support the industry, and help others grow and get involved. For the skeptics out there, I’ve compiled my top 3 reasons why you should join (and participate) in a professional organization.

1. It’s Who You Know

Being a professional makes it difficult to make new friends, but it’s vital to your career development. You might think that “networking” is only for people looking for jobs or clients. While that is part of it, it’s not the whole story. Networking enables you to expand your social sphere, learn about different areas of your industry (tech PR vs. travel PR vs. consumer PR…) and have access to people and information you otherwise wouldn’t. Tweetups are a great way to do this. For example, I met one of the Silicon Valley Tweetup organizers on Twitter prior to an event, we met in person, and he introduced me to the head of the PRSA Networking Committee. A few months later, I was able to offer him as a professional reference for my job here at Bite.

2. Be better at your job

One of my favorite events hosted by PRSA locally is “Inside the Newsroom.” The panel of reporters (the most recent being from Forbes) talk about what they’re working on, how they like to be pitched, what not to do, and how to work with them. This was incredibly valuable, as we learned that Forbes was working on a Cloud feature in the fall, and was looking for contributed content. The session went over how the specific editors wanted to be pitched for this particular piece, and as a result, I was able to place two byline pieces for two of my clients in that feature.

3. Get some facetime


Living and working in the Bay Area provides PR people of all types the unique opportunity to have facetime with the journalists we work with everyday. A majority of the reporters I work with are based here, so why not meet them in person? There are tech events happening in San Francisco (and all over the country) virtually every month, and all it takes is a quick view on the Eventbright page or Twitter to find out who is planning to attend. It’s a great opportunity to grab a few of your co-workers, and work the room. Still skeptical? Consider this: Is it better to be the 9-5 agency, or an agency of social butterflies?

For those of you in the area, the next PRSA event will be thrown in conjunction with the San Francisco Bay Media Professionals on Wednesday, February 23rd at the Infusion Lounge from 5:30-8. Sign up for event updates with either local chapter here and here.