The dedication, determination, and all-out blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into athletes making these accomplishments aren’t taken lightly, as they truly know what it takes to be the best. Here are some tips to help you get winning PR results:

1. Practice, observe and learn. Olympic athletes spend hours practicing, studying their competitors, watching videos of their performances, and refining their technique. The same goes for high-level execs and entrepreneurs. You know the saying “always be a student?” Meaning you’re constantly learning and improving. Keep your finger on the pulse when it comes to news and current affairs directly related to your industry and what’s happening in the world around you. And when your business plateau, be open and flexible to new ideas or ways of doing things.

2. Adopt an Olympic athlete mindset. Olympic athletes always maintain a positive and empowering attitude. They have to stay in a good headspace to perform at their highest level. They know they can win a gold medal, and they believe it – and many of them go on to do precisely that. They are disciplined and constantly challenge themselves to do better and achieve more. Don’t doubt or underestimate yourself when making decisions about your business. Mind over matter is a term often thrown around by athletes. The basis of this is that your attitude has a significant impact on your success.

3. Listen to your PR team. Olympic athletes almost always have a more skilled coach at training for the sport than they are. These are the people you rely on to help you improve, stay focused, and, most importantly, learn from your mistakes. The same goes for your PR team. Your public relations team will help you to eliminate any inconsistencies within your messaging. Once you say something, your PR team will act to make sure your meaning isn’t obscured anywhere along the way. It is crucial to find the right team and mentorship to help you grow and succeed in your role.

4. Embrace constructive criticism and be accountable. For Olympic athletes, failure is an opportunity to learn and grow. When they run into a challenge or obstacle, they push forward. They know that facing adversity or criticism is part of their journey to success. They are also accountable for their mistakes. If they fail to train or adequately prepare for a race, they know they will have less chance of success. The PR world is similar. You’re not going to book every gig and land every interview. Every opportunity is for you. But you need to show up to every interview as if it’s Oprah, Forbes, or Essence. Every opportunity deserves your 100%. 

5. Think big. Fear LESS: No one plans to come in second place. They aim for gold or a spot on the podium, at the very least. Don’t be afraid to go all-in and WIN the day or even the news cycle. Fear LESS and speak up about the issues you care about. Be bold in your approach to difficult conversations.

6. Be in it for the long haul: Success doesn’t happen overnight. Neither does good media coverage. It takes hard work, dedication, perseverance, and patience to reach the top. In this sense, there’s no difference between working towards winning an Olympic medal and working towards business success. Athletes spend their lives dedicated to reaching their goal of competing in the Olympics. In business, you spend your life working to achieve career goals. You have to learn to crawl before you walk. In PR, you need a well-planned strategy and enough runway for a smooth takeoff and landing. Great PR takes time, patience, and a lot of talent, time, and effort. Anyone can land a story with enough phone calls, but remember, that’s not the goal. What you’re ultimately trying to achieve is communicating through the media how your products or services promote exciting cultural developments, shifts, or trends. Our team understands that public relations is both a process and an art form. It requires a high degree of industry awareness and a certain amount of creativity. All this, of course, is paired with good timing. 

7. Be at your best at all times: Athlete’s official scores come from a panel of judges assessing their performance during an event, but that’s not the only time they have a spotlight on them. They’re constantly being judged, from the time they step outside their hotel room to the time they compete. They never know who will be watching – competitors, sponsors, fans, media, judges. That’s why even in practice, they give it their all. They want people to see them at their best at all times. It’s much the same in PR. You always want to give 100% because you never know who’s watching, snapping, or filming and where that image or footage will land.