Whether you’re pitching a journalist or texting your crush: communication is everything. Because in both PR and love, the rules are simple: be honest and consistent
First impressions matter
Let’s be honest, both in PR and dating, your first line can make or break the whole thing.
In our PR classes, we learned about frontloading: put the most important information right at the top because readers (and let’s face it, people in general) have short attention spans.
That’s basically the same logic as writing a good dating bio.
No one scrolls past “Hey :)”, just like no journalist gets excited about “Company announces update.” You need a hook to stand out fast, or you’ll be ghosted.
Build trust
In PR, you can’t just email a journalist out of nowhere asking for a feature. You build a relationship first, show you know their work, comment on their posts, send relevant info.
Dating works the same way. You can’t open with “Wanna meet my parents?” on the first chat (well, you can, but good luck).
Both are about relationship management, something we discussed a lot in class. PR isn’t a one-time date with media attention, it’s about building long-term trust.
You nurture it, check in, and bring value before you ask for anything in return.
Authenticity wins, always
One of the main lessons from the OONA/BAAS guest lecture was: “A good story is unique, personal, and authentic.”
Sound familiar? Yep, that’s dating advice too.
People can smell fake from miles away. Whether it’s a press release full of buzzwords or a date pretending to “totally love hiking,” authenticity cuts through the noise.
So skip the filters, both literal and metaphorical. If your brand (or personality) is quirky, own it. If you mess up, admit it.
Crisis management = damage control
Mistakes happen.
A typo in a press release, a tone-deaf tweet, or an awkward text sent to your boss.
In the crisis management guest lecture, we learned that preparation is everything. You can’t prevent every crisis, but you can decide how you react.
Own your narrative. Be transparent. Act fast.
In dating terms: if you mess up, say sorry before your partner finds out from someone else.
Consistency is attractive
In PR, we talk about brand image and key messaging. You need to know who you are and communicate that consistently across every channel, from your website to your Instagram bio.
That’s basically emotional stability, but for brands.
Nobody likes someone who’s “mysterious” just because their personality changes every day. The same goes for companies, mixed messages create confusion and mistrust.
The long game
At the end of the day, both PR and dating are about human connection. You’re trying to create mutual understanding, between a brand and its audience, or between two people on a park bench at sunset.
From Team Lewis’s definition of PR, “building mutual understanding between an organization and its publics”, to your own relationships, the principle stays the same: communicate clearly, act authentically and don’t ghost people.
