Public Relations · Published September 23, 2014

Founder & Chairman, 5W

How to Succeed in PR and Marketing

pr marketing strategy for business growth

For anyone who wants to excel as a marketing professional, there are several areas you can work on that will increase overall success and will help advance in your career.

Business Acumen

Business acumen encompasses a range of skills, but, ultimately, it has to do with understanding a client's business and knowing how to help the company achieve its goals. That said, you need to have knowledge beyond the area that you touch in an organization and therefore have a grasp on the financial, accounting, marketing and operational functions of that business. This awareness enables you to strategize and lead meaningful conversations with key stake holders in a business from the C-suite and other top decision makers. You become integral in corporate planning strategies and can better explain how the results you have achieved impacted the client's goals.

Integrity

With so many business scandals making the front page, more companies are looking for employees with high moral standards for honesty and ethics. Integrity is a character trait that you can't teach in business school.

Intellectual Curiosity

For anyone to grow in a public relations or marketing company, they need to be intellectually curious about how the world works. The desire to learn more by reading books or taking workshops helps to increase your knowledge of new technologies and new methodologies used in business.

Creativity

Being creative is a good way to distinguish yourself when looking for a PR job. A creative person thinks in new ways, offers new ideas, and sees things in unusual ways. These traits are very useful in public relations.

Team Player Attitude

The nature of PR is that you can’t work in isolation. This means that you have to learn to get along with a variety of people including colleagues and clients. You also have to be willing to collaborate with others to achieve business goals.

Listening Skills

Listening well is an undervalued skill. You can't expect to always have the right answers, so getting input from others is essential if you want a job done well. By truly listening to what people say, you can hear what is not being said such as concerns or issues that are not overtly expressed.

Confidence

Exuding confidence in your abilities is another hallmark of success. People are drawn to those who believe in themselves. Confidence also leads to the respect of others in the business world. For success in PR today, you need more than just a relevant degree or a few years' experience at an agency. You need a new set of skills that makes it possible for you to perform at a high level in an ever-evolving field.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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