On Monday nights at 8:00 p.m., the words, “Will you accept this rose?” echo in living rooms across America as another starry-eyed adult looks for love. One by one, contestants on The Bachelor are either granted a single rose and another week to fall in love, or they’re rejected and sent home.
Now in its 24th season, The Bachelor franchise has become so popular that it has produced numerous spin-offs, most notably The Bachelorette, and has a bit of a cult following known as “Bachelor Nation.” As another season soon comes to an end, what can PR pros learn from The Bachelor about growing connections, “wowing” your publics and securing the final rose?
First Impressions
From night one, contestants know they are competing against 30 other women for the bachelor’s time and attention; as a result, many of them understand the importance of a first impression. Each woman greets the bachelor individually, sharing a few quick facts about herself before entering the mansion, but creativity is key to stand out. While most women arrive in a limo, past contestants have rolled up in horse-drawn coaches, on a camel and even in a helicopter. One woman zipped herself up in a suitcase and was rolled up to the bachelor while another dressed in a sloth costume.
While these entrances certainly gain attention, what really matters on the first night is receiving the first impression rose. This is given to the woman who makes the bachelor’s heart race a little faster. While arriving in style (or lack thereof) doesn’t guarantee the first rose, standing out in a crowd is helpful in landing a conversation, starting to build a connection and securing a spot for the following weeks.
When it comes to PR, the same holds true; someone’s first impression of you, your agency and your services could make or break a potential relationship. How can you stand out in the crowd and generate a lasting positive presentation? Thinking outside the box and finding new or exciting information to present is helpful, but it’s equally important to maintain that momentum, following up to keep your publics interested.
Empathy
While some may argue that the show is staged and intentionally edited, viewers still have the chance to observe some true, raw conversations and emotions (*cue the tears*). Especially while on one-on-one dates or during side conversations away from the others, contestants and the lead can open up about difficult topics, oftentimes discussing anything from past relationships to family dynamics to social injustices. From this, The Bachelor shows the true importance of empathy in developing relationships. Understanding the feelings, needs and wants of others helps to grow a relationship and creates a deeper, reliable connection.
When building relationships both internally and externally, empathy is a crucial skill to practice for PR pros. Making others feel valued and heard as you seek to meet their needs will help yield strong relationships and rapport. By personalizing proposals, pitches and more, you grab a person’s attention and let them know that you’re invested in them as an individual. It’s equally important to position yourself as knowledgeable as well as genuinely empathetic to best serve your publics and grow relationships.
Reputation
Bachelor fans know that every season has its “villain.” Typically, this is the person who doesn’t get along with the other contestants in the house and is accused of joining the show for nationally televised exposure rather than hoping to develop a true connection. Sometimes it is uncovered that a person has a problematic past or left a relationship to join the show. Whatever the reason, the villain is seldom a favorite among the lead, contestants or viewers. Needless to say, they seldom make it to the end of the season and are sent home after a dramatic confrontation. This just goes to show the importance of reputation in building a relationship – making too many enemies is a red flag and a bad sign of character.
PR pros are some of the first people to understand the importance of reputation in relationship building. Every day, we see “PR fails” in the media and think, “What could have been done better?” While it might be an easy thing to observe from afar, it is even more important for pros to implement. How are you upholding your organizational reputation and values, and how can you best convey that to your publics to help secure success?
So, will you accept this rose?
The Bachelor is a testament to the fact that strong relationships take effort from the first impression to the final rose; creating connections in any capacity takes time and intentionality. The same goes for public relations – when competing against numerous other dazzling and capable competitors to land a pitch or a client, it is important to establish and grow strong connections to “wow” our publics and help secure their final rose.