The Myth of the PR Stereotype

The standard view holds that the archetypical PR pro is outgoing, friendly, confident and enthusiastic. They are always “pitching” – or that’s what most people believe.

Alison Kenney, an independent PR practitioner, notes that the Meyers-Briggs Personality-Type Indicator shows that people classified as ENFJ (Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging), INTJ (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging), and INFJ (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging) are well-suited for PR careers.

However, people who don’t fall into one of those categories can still succeed in PR, Kenny says. There are many different types of PR jobs that involve different kinds of work and call for different backgrounds and personalities. Even people who don’t consider themselves outgoing can be successful in PR. The reality is that PR teams in both agencies and corporate departments need a range of different and complementary personality types.

Some folks in PR concentrate on writing, sometimes in niche topics, such as speeches or technical subjects. Publicists, or people in celebrity PR, are valued for their fast reactions and around-the-clock availability. PR agency staff members, who must be able work well with clients, must possess empathy, excellent organization skills, analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

The Type A Myth

Although agencies have their share of Type A personalities, the belief that only extroverted, aggressive Type A personalities can succeed at a PR agency – or in PR in general – is a myth, asserted Louise Armstrong, a veteran PR executive now with Foresters, in an article for the International Association of Business Communicators. Agency work calls for tailoring your approach to the particular client. That’s not a particular strength of Type A personalities who typically bull through every situation the same way.

Being assertive is paramount, but aggressiveness is viewed as a negative. While PR is not for shrinking violets, PR agencies are full of confident introverts or reluctant extroverts who feel nervous about public speaking but still do it well.

The conventional view holds that that people who like to be the center of attention excel in PR. In reality, successful PR pros draw attention to others, namely the client or corporate executive, not themselves.

Another myth is that everyone at an agency must behave alike. A PR team needs different types of people. The PR pro who delivers pitches for new business doesn’t necessarily have the same personality traits as the person who completes the behind-the-scenes research.

The 8 PR Personality Types

Many different types of people can succeed in public relations, PR veterans agree. In fact, communications strategist Allison Steinberg lists eight basic PR personality types. To summarize, they are:

The lifestyle lady has hordes of ideas for women’s lifestyle magazines and carries “a magical ‘Mary Poppins’ purse for remedies for any given situation.”

The eager beaver is always cheerful and the first to volunteer for any work, including grunt work.

The ex-journalist never tucks his shirt yet is whip smart and radiates confidence and lingers at the watercooler, sharing battle stories of his life as journalist.

The veteran is a storehouse of PR knowledge, who can remember “the middle names of every New York Times editorial board member dating back to the Carter administration” yet is slow to understand the digital environment and social media.

The tone-deaf fortuneteller offers awful tone-deaf ideas and constantly changes jobs and probably should be in a different line of work.

The digital devotee, likely a millennial, knows everything about the next great app or digital tool, probably has many electronic gadgets and bursts with creative ideas that may or not be realistic.

The metrics monster lives on numbers and “can report out industry metrics on any given channel or topic like Rain Man can count a pile of paperclips on the floor.” She’s also rigid and reluctant to experiment with creative ideas.

The powerhouse puts in a 60-hour workweek by Wednesday morning, produces excellent work, and can easily learn new topics.

There are probably many more types that can succeed in PR.

The problem-solver is one. She’s the quiet and creative one who absorbs all the available information and then develops the absolutely smashing campaign strategy to meet company or client goals.

The security blanket is another. Using common sense to complement experience, she calmly guides decision-makers who are unsure or insecure in decisions that affect corporate reputation. She also serenely provides perspective to other PR personality types who tend to over-react.

The introverted, taciturn writer doesn’t say much aloud and seldom appears in public, but listens carefully and churns out exquisite copy that hits a home run most every time.

What other PR types do you think should be included???

Bottom Line: Public relations is known for attracting aggressive extroverts, but assertiveness and an ability work with others is more likely to bring success. The reality is that PR teams in both corporate and agency settings need different personality types, especially in today’s environment when digital and analytical skills are in demand.