Want To Be On The Winning PR Team? 5 Lessons From Fantasy Football

With football season right around the corner and fantasy football on the minds of many pigskin enthusiasts, it’s a great time to take a look at what we can learn from this virtual gridiron to end up on the winning team.

1. Know Your Stats
Week after week, you’re faced with decisions about who to slot as your starting quarterback or which running back to put up against your opposition’s defense. The best way to make the dream team each week is to look at the stats. Do your research. This is no different in the PR world. You must do your research and find the perfect fit. Whether that is deciding which publication to reach out to with an exclusive or identifying which reporter would give your pitch a second look (Using Analytics to Drive Your Public Relations Strategy).

2. “Any Given Sunday”
Football is a game of inches and a game of upsets. No matter how prepared you are for a launch or a release to cross the wire, on any given Sunday something can go awry. But, don’t panic. One loss or one misstep will not eliminate you from the game, you just need to refocus your efforts and learn from it (6 Tips for Taking Control of a Crisis)

3. Up To The Minute
Injuries and roster changes happen far too often in football and either of these could land one of your starters on the bench. If you aren’t up to par on the latest injury reports, you could end up starting a sidelined player, putting you at a large disadvantage before the kickoff. With PR, if you’re not current with industry news, you could miss an opportunity to get included in a clutch story (The Art of Media Relations: Rapid Response). So remember to keep your head in the game.

4. Interactivity
Fantasy football has reached audiences far and wide because it allows people to feel like they’re a part of the NFL experience, not just a fan or bystander. Creating a PR campaign that requires participation from the public – an element of interactivity – is often much more successful. People like feeling involved and as though they’re taking an active role in something bigger than themselves. Using PR in an interactive way (Steps to Social Media Success: Part One – Why Social Media Engagement Matters) allows a company to communicate directly and engage with their core audience and vice versa.

5. Collaboration
You wouldn’t think something as competitive as fantasy football would require collaboration, but it’s actually an essential element of being successful in your league. You’ll never draft the perfect team, but recognizing where your team’s strengths and weaknesses are and collaborating with others in your league to make the necessary trades helps set you apart. Collaboration is the key to success in the workplace too. Everyone possesses different skills set. Recognizing what instances each teammate’s skills can be used to further your cause will help you cross the goal line.

Most importantly – VICTORY is the goal but determination gets you there.