Entering the World of PR: A Chat with Mindie Barnett

BY: MARISSA DIGIACOMO

On Monday, May 13, our chapter of PRSSA got to meet with Mindie Barnett, a previous broadcast journalist and current author and founder of her own PR firm, MB and Associates. Her organized and energetic presentation shared tips on How to Crack the Code and Enter the World of PR, Must-Do Moves, and Knowing the Industry.

Mindie started out working in journalism, which she shared as being a helpful factor in learning more about the field of PR and dealing with the media. Consuming media such as newspapers, magazines, television, and podcasts, her favorite being “Glambition Radio” with Ali Brown, has been helpful in all aspects of her career. Her book, titled Intermission, shares information about managing her personal life with her work life and details about how within the world of PR, it’s important to always be upbeat.

As for professional advice, she shared an interesting tip for interviewing by saying one of her potential interns was dragging her feet with accepting a position at Barnett’s firm for too long, so Barnett went ahead and retracted the position. This can be important to keep in mind when juggling multiple different job offers in the future.

Our audience during the meeting had some insightful questions to ask including an example of one of Barnett’s pitch’s for a YouTube influencer, Alexa Curtis. Curtis’s mission is to raise awareness for mental health among teens, to which Barnett did some research and found an article pertaining to high teen suicide rates driven because of social media. Barnett explains she had to “pull the news nuggets” out of the article to position Curtis as a thought leader. She finds that the most fulfilling part of her job has been helping people in less fortunate situations get their message across, including a time when she helped an accident victim get in touch with one her medical clients to perform surgery. Barnett ultimately stresses personality, people skills, and looking the part.

For more information on Mindie, find her on the web here!