One of the hard truths about digital PR is that at some point, you are going to work really, really hard on a campaign, and it’s going to flop. You will send it out widely and wait for the links to roll in but get nothing in return, except maybe the odd unsubscribe request. Worse, sometimes you will get a reply, but that reply will tell you in no uncertain terms what you can do with your press release. <\/p>\n

Some days, it can be more demoralizing than others, especially amid a link drought. You’ll see your peers sharing their success on social media. Comparison is the thief of joy, and never is that more true than as a digital PR. Without resilience, you could easily find yourself falling victim to imposter syndrome or start to think you’re not cut out for the job. <\/p>\n

To thrive in a digital PR role, you must learn to take rejection, especially when you see the first sign that a campaign isn’t working. Rather than taking it personally, you need to have the hard conversations and make the right decision to pivot or move on to the next. Both can be bruising to the ego when you work hard. <\/p>\n

But, remember, it’s not personal. It could be the news cycle. It could be that someone else got the idea first. It could just be bad luck.<\/p>\n

Remember when COVID-19 hit, or Queen Elizabeth II died? Imagine how many PR campaigns had to be shelved. <\/p>\n

Learning to separate yourself and your abilities from your campaigns will be crucial to building up the resilience you need to get back up after you’re knocked down. It will help you start working on the next campaign.<\/p>\n

The media cycle is fickle. There will be losses, but there will also be wins. This is why when I’ve been in charge of teams, I’ve focused on celebrating the little wins because they maintain morale. <\/p>\n

A journalist emails you back? Crack out the champagne emoji on Slack. Did you get some coverage? Send that little fireworks GIF. <\/p>\n

Earned a client a link? Break out the party hats and doughnuts. Did you land a follow link in a dream top publication? Take the rest of the afternoon off. You’ve earned it.<\/p>\n