20 Signs You’re a Public Relations Hipster

Last week, my friend asked for some advice with a personal brand project. Her assignment was to help her team build their personal brand within the company and crowded marketplace.

So, if you are going to tell others how to create a rockstar profile, you have to practice what you preach. Naturally, her folks checked out my profile and came up with my personal brand, PR Hipster.

Loving this concept, I did some more research. When I think of hipster, what comes to mind is someone inevitably wearing hip clothes, Ray Bans, drinks coffee often and a lot of it, and usually has a stellar vocab. Perhaps the team was right?  According to Urban dictionary,  hipster is more than fashion:

Although hipsters are technically conformists within their own subculture, in comparison to the much larger mainstream mass, they are pioneers and leaders of the latest cultural trends and ideals.

So what are the other signs of a Public Relations Hipster?

1. You know the marriage between digital and public relations is coming.
2. You’re planning on the convergence between paid and earn media.
3. You love social media and use it often for work and personal.
4. While you tinker with new social media tools, you know a plan and a strategy are needed.
5. You are the first one in a meeting to think how to repurpose content.
6. You consider yourself a storyteller.
7. If there’s not a plan, you put one in place.
8. You frown upon trite media campaigns in favor of thoughtful and thought provoking content.
9. You ask “so what” and “why” often.
10.  You understand how Content+Social+Public Relations is a winning equation.
11. You question the norm often.
12. You understand short and sweet is the best kind of media release.
13. When pitching you understand personalization and relationships are key.
14.  You get that selling new ideas is about change management.
15. You love your haters. They are your motivators.
16. You have learned the art of selective hearing and ignore noise.
17. You are sometimes a contrarian.
18. You wear plaid and other retro articles of clothing.Of Course!
19. You likely to share your love of documentaries or indie rock.
20. Your don’t worry about whatever everyone else is doing. You forge ahead and build awesome public relations programs.
21. Bonus: You are disruptive by nature.

What would you add as a sign for public relations hipsters?

Added from my colleague, Allison O’Quinn:

1. There’s an unnatural obsession to stay on top of all the latest celebrity gossip.
2. You tend to be the event planner in your group of friends.
3. constantly fine tuning your organizational style and discussing it with colleagues (or anyone that’ll listen).

Rachel DiCaro Metscher, director of advocacy and communications for Hobsons, has worked with many organizations to build their communications and marketing programs, including Fannie Mae, American Psychological Association, and The Princeton Review. Currently, Rachel is responsible for Hobsons’ external communication programs, which include public relations, brand, website, and social media.