PR School: Your Time To Shine by Natalie Trice Book Review (Sent for review)

I should probably start by saying that Natalie is a friend, and excellent at PR with 20 years experience. I wasn't going to turn down a review copy of her recently published book, PR School: Your Time To Shine.

Created to appeal to those of us who don't have a degree in Social Media or Business Promotion, Natalie's book is 'A Masterclass in Publicity for You and Your Business', and it's written in language we can all understand, with tips that will help anyone get their product, brand or story out there to the masses.

Throughout the book Natalie includes tips and how-to segments from other people who are successful and confident publicists. There are real life stories and explanations of promotions and activities which worked well, and you see immediately that quality of work and honesty are key.

It's clear from reading the accounts and Natalie's text that luck might well often seem to play a role in successful promotion, but your placing and ability to grab lucky chances, and having the knowledge, content or confidence to support your position, mean that luck really has very little to do with it.

PR School has an ethos I like - be yourself, and be proud to be yourself. I try, although I know I lack self-confidence and I shy away from most media requests. There are some great points made very succinctly, and I will take them away with me. That this is the case throughout the book, and other readers will take away different prompts and personal challenges.

This is a masterclass and there are spaces for notes, or 'homework'. These writing prompts are really good and help you focus on what you actually want to achieve, and where to start the process. It's very easy to forget real focus and drift around without actually making any impact. There are also templates and checklists, and as I don't even have a Media Pack (I am a bad Blogger), maybe it's the push I needed to create one.

Among other things there are sections on Social Media, writing Press Releases, how to pitch and how to maintain your enthusiasm and creativity. PR School makes the point that you can't do this alone, you will need to find your 'tribe', and network of contacts. At the back is an incredibly handy and extensive resource section, which has a host of useful links, websites, books, admin tools and a glossary of terms.

PR School is a very positive and interesting read, which will be ideal for anyone who worries whether they are 'doing it right', or doesn't know where to start with PR. It covers all of the basics without being condescending, and still has plenty to offer someone who has been working in promotions for a good while.

The language is very easy to read and the content easily accessible to any small business owner, creator or artist. I didn't learn as much as I thought I would, which hopefully means I'm better at PR than I suspected, but I still took away a lot of hints and things to bear in mind for the future.

PR School: Your Time To Shine: A Masterclass in Publicity for You and Your Business by Natalie Trice is self-published with SilverWood Books and available now in paperback, 192 pages, rrp £12.99. You can find out more about PR School and Natalie on the PR School website.

I was sent my copy of PR School: Your Time To Shine: A Masterclass in Publicity for You and Your Business by the author Natalie Trice for review. Amazon links are affiliate, which earns me a few pence each time someone buys through my link, but never costs you a penny extra. It adds up, and helps keep the website going.