What Your Halloween Decorations Say About You: PR Edition
Last year, I wrote a very intricate, intellectual, and culturally vital piece titled, “What Your Halloween Costume Says About You: PR Edition.” This year, due to not even a shred of popular demand, I’m continuing the series with a new take on PRs and spooky season.
In this piece*, “What Your Halloween Decorations Say About You: PR Edition,” I’m doing the essential work of helping you decipher the meaning behind your PR-practicing neighbor’s Halloween décor (and your own). So without further ado…
Cobwebs & Spiders: You’re a creature of habit, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. You subscribe to the Wall Street Journal and read it every single day, cover to cover. You’re someone that your coworkers and clients can depend on to meet deadlines, make headlines, and make good ideas stick. On top of that, you’re a talented storyteller with a gift for weaving together intricate strings of ideas into silky, cohesive narratives. You’re also a natural networker with a knack for attracting other smart, hardworking people into your web of connections.
A Front Yard Turned Graveyard: You’re dead serious about doing a good job. Even when it feels like you’re six feet under, buried by the amount of work on your plate, you know how to claw yourself back above ground. While you aren’t always the most “lively” member on the team, your clients and coworkers trust you, and they know you’ll take any sensitive information to the grave.
Witches & Ghosts: People might not always understand your methods, but they trust that you’re constantly working behind the scenes to brew up the perfect PR recipe. You also find that people sometimes have trouble reading you, and – if you’re being honest with yourself – you kinda like it. They’re mystified by your ability to always be in-the-know about where reporters are moving, what big stories are about break, and what’s on the horizon in your industry.
A Simple Halloween Wreath: You’re a no muss, no fuss type of PR person. You’re well-versed in the ins and outs of traditional PR tactics, and you’re adept at using that expertise to deliver meaningful results. Your teams know that you’re the person to turn to for securing exactly the media opportunities your clients need, right when they need them. You also firmly believe that, in PR, less is often more, and you’re a whiz at whipping up succinct, smart talking points for the spokespeople you represent.
Inflatable Decorations & Lots of Lights: You love a big PR stunt. If flash mobs or the Harlem Shake were still cool, you’d totally organize them for your clients. Activations are your calling, and you love helping clients organize events that are sure to make the news for their over-the-top vibes and guests. Your clients love the energy you bring to meetings, and your coworkers do too. Also, you’re definitely a morning person.
A Curated Group of Pumpkins & Hand-Carved Jack-O’-Lanterns: If you’re someone who’s a) willing to take the time to carve and assemble those pumpkins, and b) capable of remembering to regularly check that they haven’t been destroyed by the elements or your local family of raccoons, then what I’m about to tell you isn’t news: you’re a perfectionist. A detail-oriented PR practitioner, you’re meticulous about your work. If there’s a typo in a press release, you’re spotting it. If a reporter misquoted your client, you’ve probably already gotten it updated before your client even noticed that the story went live.
A Medley of TJMaxx Clearance Section Decorations: You’re more than just a Maxxinista—you’re also a master at planning ahead. You shop the clearance section in November every year so that you’re prepped for the next Halloween. When a client asks you for a media strategy, you’re not just thinking about the next quarter—you’re mapping out what their media program will look like years ahead. You’re also an excellent bargain hunter, skilled at snagging a good deal. That trait is beloved by your teammates, who know that you’re the person they need most when it comes time to negotiate contracts and ensure that payments are arriving on time.
You’ve Converted Your Home into a Haunted House: Organizing conferences and events is your calling. The conference circuit is your arena, and you’re the ringmaster who’s orchestrating the best, most exclusive events and gatherings for your clients and your company. Among other great traits, you have an innate sense for curating memorable experiences, and you know exactly how to bring the right people into your orbit at the right time. As “the” house in the neighborhood with a whole haunted experience, you’re no stranger to people lining up to see what you can do—and it’s no different at work.
No Decorations Whatsoever: The only thing scarier than Halloween is how insane your schedule has been. You’re in crisis comms, and you’ve been working so much that you didn’t even have time to decorate. At most, you bought some candy to give to trick or treaters. If you managed to do that, there’s a decent chance that you’ll end up subsisting off of said candy for the weeks following the holiday…and that eating a Kit Kat is the closest you’ll get to taking a break. Yet despite the lack of nutrients in your body, you’ll still manage to crush it at your job and help your clients navigate sticky situations with ease.
Cute Scarecrows, Ghosts & Signs that Say “Boo!”: While you take your work seriously, you don’t take yourself too seriously—and people love that about you! In fact, your warm, positive energy is practically contagious, and people gravitate towards you because of it. No matter how busy you are, you’re always free to hop on a call or grab coffee with someone who needs your guidance and mentorship. Never one to shy away from a wholesome joke, there’s a non-zero chance that you’ve unironically contemplated buying a mug that says, “It’s PR, not ER.”
Lewis the Jack-O’-Lantern: If the centerpiece of your lawn is the infamous, 8-foot-tall Jack-O’-Lantern who insists that you call him “Lewis,” you’re chronically online, and you don’t care who knows it. You take pride in being the go-to social media guru among your peers, a boundless emporium of TikTok and Instagram knowledge. Your colleagues and clients alike see you as their sherpa for navigating trending topics, avoiding coming across as cheugy, and developing content that people actually want to engage with. Slay, queen.
Happy Halloween! 
*Note: This post was written in good fun. It is a reflection of the author’s thoughts, and not of Prosek’s opinions as a firm.