“How do you know if someone does CrossFit? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.” As a CrossFitter, this is a joke that I’ve been told too many times, but the funny part is, it’s completely true.
When I’m not in the office, chances are you can find me coaching at CrossFit Village Berwyn. From the office to the gym, the majority of my day is centered on the letters PR – Public Relations in the office and setting a Personal Record at the gym.
No matter where I go, PR seems to follow me, which has led me to the realization that there is a deeper connection between CrossFit and public relations than just the letters P and R.
- It’s all about efficiency. When you watch a CrossFitter do a set of pull-ups, you might think they are just flailing around on the bar. Well, they are actually doing a kipping pull-up, because it is more efficient and saves energy, allowing them to do more work than someone doing strict pull-ups. It doesn’t stop just at pull-ups, though, as CrossFitters are always seeking the most efficient way to perform a workout. Likewise, working at a public relations agency and being efficient go hand-in-hand. Efficiency is essential when balancing multiple client accounts. Public relations professionals need to know how to prioritize their to-do lists in order to accomplish all their tasks and meet deadlines.
- Working against the clock. 3, 2, 1 go – a phrase every CrossFitter will recognize from their workouts… or their nightmares. CrossFit athletes are always working against the clock, whether it’s trying to complete as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in a certain amount of time or finish a workout as fast as possible. Public relations professionals are no different. With tight deadlines and only so many hours to dedicate to each client in a given day, PR professionals know how to get their work done while the clock is ticking. Especially in crisis communications, there is no time to waste. A plan needs to be set in place and you can’t be indecisive about what should be done.
- Setting goals. Every CrossFitter has a goal, whether it’s something advanced like getting a muscle-up or not as advanced, but still difficult, like an unassisted pull-up. CrossFitters are never satisfied, though, and once they achieve that goal, they’ll set the bar higher. Similarly, a public relations plan sets to achieve tangible goals, such as securing two media interviews in the month. Setting a goal is easy, but achieving and exceeding it is the challenging part. If that goal is reached, don’t be surprised when a PR professional tries to top that the next month with either more secured interviews or interviews with larger media outlets.
- Tracking results. Ask any CrossFitter what his Fran time is, and he will probably tell you without hesitation. Fran, for those who don’t do CrossFit, is arguably the most infamous CrossFit workout, a grueling sprint compiled of 45 reps each of an Olympic lift called a thruster and pull-ups. Many CrossFit boxes use some kind of tracking system, so athletes can log workouts or lifts and track their improvement. Logging measurements, such as weights or times is great because it lets athletes compete against themselves the next time that lift or workout (like Fran) comes up again. Tracking results in public relations is extremely important, as well, especially when it comes time to share PR’s outcomes with the client. Public relations professionals should not only track any media hits or interested reporters, but also note media contacts that weren’t interested in their pitch or news release. If a journalist is not interested, track it and look to improve the next outreach attempt with either a more appropriate contact or suitable pitch.
As you can see, CrossFit and public relations have a lot more in common than just the letters PR.