We are fascinated with being scared, especially on Halloween. There's a thrill to being frightened—whether it's in a haunted house or while watching a scary movie—because it boosts our adrenaline and stretches our imagination. On Halloween, we grapple with our fears and anxieties and, for our enjoyment, transpose it by taking on and portraying what scares us ourselves.
Spooky stories may be in style this time of year, but there's no enjoyment in being scared at work, especially for communications professionals who often work around delicate topics for sensitive clients. Still, there's a lot we can learn by recognizing what we're scared of.
With this in mind, we queried our Twitter audience, asking what scares them most about public relations. Here are some of the best answers:
- "The misconception that the 'general audience' is a legitimate target audience." - Mariam Hosseini, @yogurtsoda
- "Everyone else thinking they know what PR is and can do it easily." - Melissa Kuttan, @melissakuttan
- "Its myopic obsession with SEO and social media over building solid relationships with editors, allies and stakeholders." - David K., @redleader57
- "Not being taken seriously at the executive level of the business." - Kim Price, @Kimcan1
- "Pitching a client to a new business." - Arnetia Nicole, @PendngPublicist
- "The 24 hour cycle. But that's also the most fun part." - Bryce Lancaster, @BryceLancaster
- "The lack of control after media picks up a story." - Mike Atkinson, @kinson_Mike
- "That it's all aggregated content and rhetoric." - Jennifer Li, @liporcelain
- "The journalists." - Daniela, @dboydwaters
- "Not being able to articulate a simple and clear story." - mary_liz, @mary_liz
- "Late night emails from my boss marked 'urgent.'" - Scott Thomas, @scottatstate
- "There are some elements that are out of your control." - Maree Jones, @mareejones
- "Clients who have unrealistic expectations." - Joseph Diorio, @JoeDiorio72884
- "Its speed. The industry is in a constant state of change." - Shalee Hanson, @ShaleeH
- "When senior management doesn't comprehend its function and/or value." - Jordan Redshaw, @JordanRedshaw
- "The general lack of understanding of what 'public' means, in terms of stakeholder groups and target audiences." - Chris Shaw, @The_ChrisShaw
- "That people think we are all unethical spin artists. We aren’t." - Jason Mollica, @JasMollica
- "Trusting news outlets to properly disseminate your message." - Haley, @HaleyASchwartz
Follow Brian Greene on Twitter: @bw_greene