Why is this the case when you need a good brain, a global 24/7 attitude and serious amounts of creative flair to do the job well?
Tech PR teams (usually in agencies) absorb a lot of complex information to create a strategy, find a story and execute measurable campaigns. It’s intellectually challenging work, at the vanguard of invention, and it influences the ‘behind the scenes’ in every walk of life from a simple online transaction to getting rockets to the moon.
Clients can be tiny start-ups with a hotshot new product, or titans like Google or Samsung. You might be working on technology that drives your car, powers your shopping habits, keeps the tube network going or that will one day be worn on your face. The future is the meaty, significant world of tech.
But there is a shortage of people working in B2B tech PR. We know from the agencies we recruit for that good people are needed at every level. Axicom’s Europe Managing Director, Lyle Closs, says this could be the result of pure misunderstanding: “Mis-perception A) is that PR is about silly promotional stunts and spin. Mis-perception B) is that technology is for geeks. Neither of these is anything like the reality. Tech PR is all about communicating and influencing,” he says. “We influence the future of the world because technology, more than any other business, affects the way we live our lives.”
Unsurprisingly, technology appeals to young minds and all smart graduates wanting a career in PR should consider it – because jobs in tech PR are worth having. Progression is swift, the clients are interesting and the agencies do a lot to attract clever, creative people and work hard to keep them, promote them and look after them. Tech PRs need to be able to write well. They also need an analytical brain and yes, we are almost always asked for prior knowledge of tech so that you can talk the language confidently with clients and the media.
If you’re a tech-head this could be your passion, even if you aren’t PRing it yet. If you’re a tech journalist, the cross over into PR makes an interesting career move. Technology isn’t going away any time soon and it’s at the heart of all the fastest-growing industries. So why don’t more people join this sector of the comms industry?
Do you have a view about this? Are you a graduate wanting to give it a go? Tell us why you love tech PR. What have you done? What difference have you made?
Email karen@f1recruitment.com
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