Stop calling yourself a PR strategist, punk

Are you sick of inexperienced people giving themselves that title without spending time in the trenches?

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I’m constantly astonished at how many people describe themselves as a “strategist” and think that by doing so, avoid all the work they don’t want to do. Whether it’s planning and budgeting, client project execution or measuring the outcomes, some people seem to think that by calling yourself something different, you can avoid learning about critical elements of a communications function.

I know I’m going to piss a lot of people off here, but in my opinion you can’t be an effective strategist until you’ve got some experience to rest behind it.

Mashable recently published a post that nicely explains my frustration. It’s entitled “What Does It Take To Be a Social Strategist?” The key points:

1. About a third of companies look for at least six years of experience when looking for a social strategist.

2. Ninety-two percent of social strategists are manager-level or higher.

3. Key success factors include:

Sounds intense, right? So why do I encounter so many inexperienced people giving themselves that title?

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