Many PR’s have been found to nerd out over novels, but there’s a genre in particular that’s praised more than the others. Crime fiction. Whisper the words ‘poirot’ and you’ll see a PR’s head turn!
But why is this? It cannot be of any coincidence that it is such a shared love, surely?
Investigating closer than Miss Marple does a murder, we searched for the answers on our own little detective case.
In a crime fiction novel, the detective is set a task and has to decode the issue at hand. This is balanced between both logic and creativity. The detective gathers information before thinking of possible variables to provide a conclusion.
This is similar to the life of a PR.
Okay yes, we don’t go speeding around the country in a Bentley to save a lady in danger, or boss the police around to play hero, but we do use both logic and creativity to come to a conclusion. We problem solve.
A client comes to a PR with an issue, may that be lack of attention or a bad reputation that needs to be fixed, they solve that for them. Once all the information of a business is given and understood, a PR sets to work thinking of angles for press releases, thinking of awards to be entered and connections to be made.
Detectives do not just solve who did what crime either. They find in depth why people do the things they do. This is fascinating to PR’s, and if it wasn’t they would not enjoy their job. This is because they hear clients’ start-up stories daily, why they do what they do, so that they can express this clearly with their talent of words to large audiences on a range of platforms.
Another attribute PR’s share amongst their talents is imagination. Crime fiction has many tails with loose ends. As a reader you find yourself suspecting an array of characters; from the young maid who had a run in with the master of the house, to the ‘sweet old lady’ who runs the sweet shop down the street. This means your brain bounces to all the possibilities, just like PR’s. Mind mapping is so important for PR’s, as ideas must be formulated to ensure a client really achieves the attention they deserve.
A more practical reason why PR’s may enjoy crime fiction is the benefits to the mind. The more you read crime fiction, the better you become at solving problems. This skill building comes in handy for PR’s. Although an interesting concept, it is no surprise that revising the process of problem solving can be beneficial for the real world and it’s cup full of problems ready to be solved.
A rather strange but rather true take of why PR’s love crime fiction so much is that we genuinely cannot take our minds off a train wreck when presented with one. Our jobs literally entail pulling businesses out of crisis’ and pushing them into the golden press spotlight. We love attempting to fix broken things (Which might explain some of their taste in men…) so find it hard to put down a book without the solution presented to us.
Moving swiftly on, PR’s and detectives both tend to work backwards to work out a case. Where detectives focus on the end point of the murder, PR’s focus on the end point of the clients goals. Both work backwards to create a timeline. Where one reveals a murder and one reveals a clients claim to attention… yet both weirdly have the same structure.
PR’s tend to be kind people. They spend their days working to help people have their dreams and plans recognised, acting as support for those starting up new businesses or wishing to promote their good work.
PR’s will always be there when s**t hits the fan! In every crime fiction, the good finally triumphs the evil. PR’s love this sense of justice, and bring it to their working world, where they push for the justice individuals work deserves.
Lastly, detectives seem to know EVERYONE. PR’s are always having to network and branch out, not only just to reach out to new clients, but to reach out to many journalists in many different sectors as to know where press can be dished out.
So there you have it, the ins and outs of detectives AND PR’s.
Are things making sense to you now?
