The Colab Brief: 027 - Thanking the Underthanked - The Unsung Heroes of PR (Special Thanksgiving Edition)

We’re hoping this email finds you better than you could have imagined. Cozied up in fuzzy socks, enjoying time with family, or some much-needed time alone.

During Thanksgiving we always find ourselves reflecting on what this past year has brought (and also frantically asking ourselves HOW IS IT ALREADY THANKSGIVING? IT WAS LITERALLY JUST JANUARY! 😵‍💫).

And in this time of reflection, we wanted to do a special call-out to the unsung heroes of PR - the people who make the job possible and make the job worth it, who get almost none of the thanks. 

So grab your hot cocoa (or mulled wine, time doesn’t count on Thanksgiving), and express some gratitude with us. 

In no apparent order: 

To the Admins and the Executive Assistants. For managing the hundreds of back-and-forths, the scheduling for very busy and very particular executives, and for helping us to bring interviews and hits to fruition. Thank you. 

To our client points of contact. You are the messenger, managing specific preferences and feedback for very fastidious individuals, and relaying it in a tactful and candid way. That’s not an easy role to fill, and we appreciate you. Thank you. 

To reporters. To the ones who are kind even when they don’t want a story. The ones that don’t fall off the map when scheduling challenges arise. The ones who acknowledge the work that we do, and who see PR people as a supplement to their job rather than a necessary evil. Thank you. 

To the client spokesperson who does their homework. The one who reads the briefing doc and prepares with the questions provided. The one who thinks about questions they want to ask the reporter, who shows up ready and present for an interview, and who works to ensure they’re being the most helpful to the journalist. You are a dream to work with. Thank you.  

To editorial directors. The ones who receive hundreds, if not thousands of pitches, article abstracts, and press releases every single day. The ones who have to have an astute eye to decipher what is, and is not news. Your job is tremendously important and difficult and we appreciate you. Thank you. 

To copywriters. Who can take the seemingly nonsensical stream of consciousness from the unbelievably brilliant and turn it into digestible, comprehensible, informative articles for everyone to enjoy. Thank you. 

To the trusted tools we use to get through every single day. From SimilarWeb to MuckRack to Grammarly. You make us look good without even trying. Thank you. 

To coffee. For being our most trusted aide in the unfathomably early mornings and unconscionably late nights that come with a profession that never sleeps. Thank you. 

To Zoom filters. Who trick anyone and everyone into thinking we’re able to be presentable at every hour of the day, even though that’s extremely far from the truth. Thank you. 

To news alerts. You keep us in the know on the seemingly endless array of topics we need to consistently follow. Thank you. 

And finally, to our friends and family. The ones who still, despite us having worked in the same industry for more than a decade, have no idea what we do. To our support systems who hype us up in the most superfluous, unintentionally inaccurate ways possible, thank you. We love you. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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