14 Ways To Deal With Common PR Industry Stresses

According to CareerCast’s 2019 list of the most stressful jobs in America, PR executives are in the top 10. Stressors like deadlines and client expectations can feel overwhelming at times, and it can be especially difficult to unwind in today’s always-on business world. However, there are ways to balance these obstacles without feeling critically overwhelmed.

The members of Forbes Agency Council are no strangers to managing the stresses of PR life. Below, 14 of them shared their strategies for coping with common industry challenges.

1. Have Set Systems In Place 

The key to keeping life sane in the crazy world of PR is being organized. There are so many balls being juggled, such as pitches, deadlines, press going live, embargoes, new clients starting and contracts wrapping up, that it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks. Have set systems for keeping track of projects and dates, and always be regular and proactive in communication with clients. – Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR

2. Set Expectations And Shared Goals 

I think the biggest stressor in public relations is navigating client expectations. Many PR agencies dive into a partnership with a client without discussing agreed-upon goals. By setting these expectations upfront and explaining to the client from day one what you need from them in order to achieve those goals, stress will always creep into your workday. Think Jerry McGuire: “Help me, help you!” – Catherine Seeds, Ketner Group Communications

3. Improve Your Time Management Skills 

To alleviate the stress of constant deadlines, time management in this profession is critical. Try practicing “time blocking.” Schedule each task for a specific block of time and be vigilant. This keeps you focused on a realistic list of daily deliverables and prevents you from going down the rabbit hole on any given task. – Jenni Smith, EGR International

4. Plan Ahead 

When you are already overwhelmed with deadlines, the only way to deal with stress is by finishing all that you’ve started. There’s no better strategy than planning in advance. Set realistic deadlines and let your clients know from the start what they will get in the end and when they will get it. It’s better to underpromise and overdeliver than overpromise and look for methods to reduce stress. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS

5. Be Transparent 

A good PR team is an extension of a client’s internal team. As such, it’s important to communicate proactively, to be transparent and to set realistic expectations about specific types of activities and what the expected outcome will be, what deadlines need to be met on both sides to be successful, etc. That way, everyone is on the same page and you can work together to meet your goals. – Jodi Amendola, Amendola Communications

6. Offer Flexibility And Freedom 

The more stressful the job, the greater the need for flexibility. We need to give our employees more freedom, not less, especially in an industry that requires talent, creativity and client management on demand. Create an environment of autonomy and trust. Free your team to operate from their strengths. Let them be on (and take off) when they need to. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative

7. Add Self-Care To Your Schedule 

I cannot stress enough the importance of setting reasonable goals while managing time for yourself. Oftentimes we hear others say they “don’t have time to take a break.” What a lot of us fail to realize is the increase in productivity a calm and well-organized mindset brings. Set manageable goals, create a schedule and include self-care in that schedule—it makes a world of difference. – Michael Smith, iTribe Social Inc.

8. Exercise, Meditate And Prioritize 

Any job is stressful. Those that have constant deadlines are worse than many others. It is important to ensure that there is regular exercise, meditation and also planning that happens in the job. Other things that are important are finding ways to eliminate the noise and improve focus for the person. There has never been a time when there is more noise than now—it is critical for success. – Jon James, Ignited Results

9. Embrace Uncertainty 

The central source of the stress associated with public relations and marketing is the uncertainty and relative unpredictability of working to earn media coverage and orchestrate external parties with their own agendas. One must embrace the fact that one cannot totally control it. The antidote is to give up trying to control everything. Once that happens, stress levels will drop. – Erik Clausen, CG Life

10. Take It One Task At A Time 

In our always-on, multitasking environment, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Start each day by making a prioritized list of tasks that includes several short breaks, and then devote your full attention to the first task. Once that’s done, devote all your attention to the second one, and so on. At set intervals, reassess your prioritization. This will keep you in the moment while allowing you to flex. – Kathy Broderick Selker, Northlich

11. Limit Client Feedback Rounds

Clients prefer a confident vendor that limits feedback needed at each milestone. Open and/or subjective options tend to clutter and delay deadlines, versus providing two options at each step. Many companies and vendors don’t realize how many projects go to the wayside due to indecisiveness on key decisions that neither side takes the lead on. – Patrick Haddad, Oopgo, Inc.

12. Be Responsive, But Breathe

Letting chaos drive the day dilutes strategy, message and accuracy. Set expectations for responsiveness and communication up front with clients as well as the account team, with breathing room baked into the process. Have someone respond immediately with “I got it” or “Received—back to you shortly,” then create a realistic action plan and timeline. Calm and collected wins the day. – Serenity Thompson, A23 Advisors

13. Build A Team That Can Cover For Each Other 

Take frequent vacations and plan weekends when you can actively remove yourself from your job and responsibilities. Surround yourself with people who can confidently step into your role when needed, but who also bring additional skills to the table so you don’t constantly feel like you have to do everything. – Kathleen Lucente, Red Fan Communications

14. Find Gratitude In The Stress 

Stress is definitely part of the job. And the best way to deal with it is to feel grateful for the pain and anxiety that is shaping me into the person I need to become. I often remind myself of how fortunate I am to get to work in marketing. To get to focus on making change happen. To get to help people solve problems. Using that strategy to cope is not just relaxing—It’s empowering. – Adam Guild, Placepull