Underapreciated Comms

It honestly hurt to call myself a veteran, but with over 20 years in the comms industry, I've been through it all—the highs of successful campaigns and the lows of feeling underappreciated. Thing is, we’re critical in shaping public perception and managing crises, and it’s part of the job to be overlooked. No comms or PR pro wants to be the story, but it would be good to get some of the love.

Here are the top 5 ways I've learned to counter underappreciation:

1 - Showcase Your Wins: Don't wait for others to recognize your achievements. Regularly update your team and stakeholders on your successes. Help them understand your value.

2 - Build Strong Relationships: We are relationship builders but sometimes we don’t spend time cultivating the power relationships with key stakeholders and decision-makers. Let the key people see what’s going on behind the curtain- when people understand the intricacies of your work, they are more likely to appreciate your efforts.

3 - Seek Feedback and Act on It: I’m a delicate flower sometimes and criticism can hit hard when you’ve poured your soul into a project, but constructive feedback is a powerful tool for growth and recognition. Don’t wait for feedback, ask for it from colleagues, clients, and leaders. Once you’ve received it, act on it and make sure that is seen. We work in PR for goodness’s sake, show don’t tell.

4 - Advocate for Yourself: Don't be afraid to speak up about your accomplishments even if it feels a bit icky. It’s taken me years to get to the stage where I’m not filled with cringe when making my contributions known. I learned that self-advocacy isn’t about boasting; it's about ensuring your hard work is visible.

5 - Celebrate Your Team: Recognition is a two-way street. Make it a habit to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of your team members. Show them it’s good to recognise success in others and themselves, and that it’s an expected behaviour in a high performing team.

Underappreciation can be difficult and double-edged… it can feel odd to show your successes because PR is a discipline that sometimes works best if no one actively notices it happening but we notice, and we need to celebrate what we do.

What strategies have you found effective in gaining recognition for your efforts?