After the PR-filled premiere episode of City Girl Diaries (read my recap), I knew there’d be more melodrama and lessons to learn throughout the rest of the season. And sure enough, episodes two and three did not disappoint.
Here is my round-up of PR and business lessons from the last two episodes:
*Never make fun of your friends, colleagues or their bosses in public especially if they are high profile and you’re in the company of gossip writers/bloggers.
*I know conventional wisdom says that you should hide your aspirations and goals from people until you get closer to achieving them, but there are times when you should share what’s on your mind with people who may be able to help you. For instance, Marianne wants to do comedy and her friend Kelly who owns a PR firm was getting ready to represent a comedy club in NYC. So because of this connection, she’ll probably be able to get a spot to do her thing easier than she would have gotten it on her own.
*Be honest with your friends when they suck. This doesn’t mean you have to intentionally hurt their feelings, but you should want the people around you to be their best and the only way that can happen is if you give them honest feedback.
“It was well-written, but it came from a place of mediocrity”
– Mark Silver to Marianne after her first stand-up appearance.
*If you’re speaking in front of crowds, try not to use notes.
*If you mess up and need to apologize, go to great lengths to make sure the offended party knows how sincere you are. Leigh was avoiding Marianne after some of the comments she made about her during her comedy routine so Marianne decided to show up at Leigh’s job to get back in her good graces.
*When you’re in a creative field like Leila, finding inspiration isn’t always easy. But I always say that true inspiration is created through action and I think she learned that while working on her capsule line for her press/NYFW previews.
*Sometimes regular ole media mentions won’t do, so Leigh came up with the genius idea to create a segment on the Today Show called “Ambush Makeovers” for her boss Louis Licari. PR wins like that are the gift that keeps on giving. Always be strategic and think outside of the box when you’re trying to secure coverage for your client!
City Girl Diaries airs every Sunday night at 10pm on the Style Network.
Photos courtesy of the Style Network.