How to Be More Intentional & Focused as a PR Professional

This year, my team and I have been focusing on becoming more intentional every day. Honestly, intentionality has changed the way I run my agency — my team’s priorities have been reworked to better align with our values as a business. But knowing how to be more intentional in your agency takes a lot more than just knowing what your values are.

What Is Intentionality? 

I know intentionality has become a bit of a buzzword and can feel meaningless, but it’s such an important concept! When something is intentional, it’s done deliberately and purposefully. Making decisions on a whim without doing your research is a prime example of how to not be intentional. 

The main focus should be to recenter yourself, make your goals a priority, and take action on the things that are most important to you. This looks different for everyone! Part of learning how to be more intentional as a PR pro is figuring out your values for yourself and your agency. 

How to Be More Intentional in Your Agency 

Implementing intentionality in your business feels like a massive task, but it’s not! Knowing how to be more intentional is a series of small steps that result in big change. To get you started on your journey, here are six of my best strategies for being a more grounded and purposeful agency owner.

#1: Remember Why You Became a PR Pro 

You need to get in touch with your personal and professional values, right? Knowing why you’re on this PR pro journey is a huge part of learning how to be more intentional! Having your why at the center of everything you do is the key to success. 

Take the time to reflect on why you got into PR in the first place, whether that was last year or over a decade ago. Maybe you wanted to forge your own path in your dream niche or wanted to shift into a work-from-home lifestyle with your family. Is your why still the same as it was back then or has it changed at all? 

With your why at the front of your mind, you’ll have an easier time being intentional with all of your business decisions. Determining your values is one of the major things we focus on in my Elevate High-Performance Coaching! When you’re intentional and strategic about the choices you make in your agency, you’ll love what you do even more and start reaching your biggest goals. 

#2: Get Your Time Management Skills in Check 

The ability to structure your day how you please is one of the best benefits of being an entrepreneur, but it can also be a major obstacle! It’s so easy to get caught up in little tasks or small hiccups and completely lose track of time. So, as an intentional business owner, you need to really work on your time management skills. 

Learning how to be more intentional in your agency means learning how to better manage your time. That might look like setting strict boundaries on meeting times and call lengths, building time into your day for certain tasks, or creating routines that let you work like a well-oiled machine. You can set your own schedule — structure your days in a way that works for you and sets you up for success!

#3: Lead With Kindness, Trust, and Respect 

As a PR pro, you know that your relationships are a key part of your success, whether they’re with clients and media contacts or your professional network and your team. You need to know how to be more intentional with them as well! 

Being present in your relationships and fostering a real, personal connection is the most important thing. There are endless ways to bring intentionality into your PR relationships. 

Here are a few ideas to help you reflect on what you’re already doing and what you can start implementing: 

• Be a careful listener in discussions with clients and on discovery calls
• Trust your media contacts to do their job and do it well when you land a pitch or exclusive
• Be willing to be a sounding board for professional contacts in need of advice or assistance
• Treat your team with respect and show them that you care about them and believe in them

Related: 14 Dos and Don'ts of Building Professional Respect with the Media

#4: Let Go of Perfectionism 

Learning how to be more intentional does not mean learning how to be perfect. That’s not the goal here! You will make mistakes along the way and you might not reach one of your goals on your ideal timeline…but that’s okay! 

When you’re intentional and purposeful in your agency, you take meaningful action toward your goals. Every step you take is a step toward building the business you want for yourself. In my Elevate High-Performance Coaching program, we work on defining that vision, identifying your why, and putting the two together to build your dream agency. 

As long as you keep working on your goals and hold your why close to your heart, the how and when don’t matter as much. Let go of the perfect, idealized path you have in your head — things will happen as they’re meant to. 

#5: Help Your Team Be More Intentional 

Agency owners don’t just oversee business decisions: they are the example for their team and set the tone for their entire agency. As you learn how to be more intentional, you need to bring your team into the process! You may want to include them while setting agency goals or outlining your business’ boundaries as a group.

Whatever you do, your team will follow. Put forth the expectation that your team will stick to their boundaries and continuously work toward their goals just like you are! 

Giving out praise and constructive feedback is another major part of knowing how to be more intentional with your team. Be a leader who is open with both and gives them out willingly. With your example, your team will be more likely to give each other that same recognition and advice…and they’ll become more motivated to grow their skills and reach their goals as a result!

#6: Set Goals for Yourself 

You can’t be intentional if you don’t know what you’re working towards. Having your why at the center of everything you do is a big part of this, but so is setting goals for yourself.

Put aside time to outline your goals for the next year, whether solo or with some team members. When deciding on your goals, think about what you’d like to change about the past year, where you think your agency could improve, and how you’d like to see your agency grow. One of the best goal-setting processes is the S.M.A.R.T. method — your goals should be: 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

Once you’ve got your goals, it’s time to achieve them! The next step in learning how to be more intentional is outlining your action plan. You can plan it out down to the day or create a rough sketch of the steps you need to take — whatever works for you and keeps you motivated is best. Share your goals with those around you and be intentional as you move through your plan!

Learning how to be more intentional as a PR pro can seem like a huge undertaking, but it’s not! Implementing intentionality into your business will truly transform your agency. And with these six strategies, you’ll be able to set your agency up for success where it means most to you!