Authority Magazine | PR Pros: Samantha DeRose On The 5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career

This article was originally published on Medium.com.

Public relations is, at its core, a relationship business. Building strong relationships with media, clients and industry peers is essential. Those relationships create trust, and trust is what leads to consistent, meaningful coverage over time.

Have you seen the show Flack? Ever think of pursuing a real-life career in PR? What does it take to succeed in PR? What are the different forms of Public Relations? Do you have to have a college degree in PR? How can you create a highly lucrative career in PR? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career As A Public Relations Pro” we are talking to successful publicists and Public Relations pros, who can share stories and insights from their experiences.

As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Samantha DeRose.

Samantha DeRose is an award-winning publicist and the co-founder and president of Liminal Public Relations & Communications. She specializes in transforming under-recognized brands into market leaders through integrated campaigns that blend earned media, thought leadership, content strategy and executive communications. Her work focuses on the built environment, representing companies across the full ecosystem that shapes how buildings are planned, designed, constructed and operated — including commercial real estate developers, architecture and planning firms, contractors and construction companies, building product manufacturers and sustainable technology innovators. Her work has earned coverage in major national and regional outlets including USA Today, CNN International, CNET, Architectural Digest and HGTV as well as leading industry publications spanning commercial real estate, architecture and design, construction, building products, technology and sustainability.

. . .

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I studied Business Communication at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, with a minor in Public Relations and Strategic Communications. Early in college, I realized how much I loved writing and the storytelling side of business. At the same time, I was drawn to my marketing classes because they showed how communication can shape the way people understand a brand, company or idea.

That’s what led me to add the public relations minor. I quickly learned that while PR and marketing often work closely together, they serve different roles. PR focuses on credibility, reputation and third-party validation, which really fascinated me. I liked the idea that a well-told story could influence how a company, project or leader is perceived in the market.

During college, I also pursued several internships that helped clarify the direction I wanted to take. I worked in social media marketing and content creation and I spent time writing about commercial real estate and development projects. That experience exposed me to the built environment and the many industries that shape it — from developers and architects to construction firms and the companies creating the materials and technologies that go into buildings.

What I found was that these industries are doing incredibly impactful work, but many of the stories behind them weren’t always being told in a way that resonated with broader audiences. That’s where I realized PR could make a real difference. By the time I graduated, I knew I wanted to build a career helping organizations uncover the stories that make them meaningful and bringing those stories to the audiences that matter most.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

When I co-founded my firm, that quickly changed. I began attending industry events, economic development gatherings and business community meetups throughout the Phoenix metro area. What surprised me most was how welcoming and collaborative the community is. People are incredibly generous with their time, insights and introductions.

Through those events, I’ve met developers, entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, journalists and creatives who are all contributing to the growth of the region in different ways. Many of those conversations have turned into meaningful relationships — some became friendships, others turned into partnerships or client relationships.

What’s interesting is that something I once avoided has become one of the most rewarding parts of running a business. Every event is an opportunity to learn about what others are building in the community and to find ways communications can help amplify those stories. It’s been a great reminder that careers — and companies — are rarely built in isolation. They grow through relationships, shared ideas and a willingness to show up and connect.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Early in my career, I remember spending a long time crafting what I thought was the perfect media pitch. I had carefully written the story angle, researched the outlet and was very proud of how polished it sounded. I sent it off to a journalist — only to realize shortly afterward that I had accidentally addressed them by the wrong name.

It was one of those moments where your stomach drops and you immediately wish you could pull the email back. I followed up quickly to apologize and correct it and thankfully the reporter was gracious about it.

What that moment taught me is something that still applies to my work today: details matter in public relations. Media relationships are built on trust and professionalism and even small mistakes can stand out. It reinforced the importance of slowing down, double-checking everything and treating every interaction with care. Proof everything multiple times! It helps prevent small errors from turning into bigger mistakes.

You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1. Curiosity: Curiosity has always shaped how I approach my work. Many of the industries I represent — construction, commercial real estate, sustainability and building technology — can be highly technical. Early in my career, I realized that if I was going to represent experts, I needed to truly understand what they do. I ask a lot of questions and spend time learning the nuances of my clients’ industries. That curiosity allows me to translate complex expertise into clear, meaningful stories that resonate with journalists, stakeholders and decision makers.

2. Persistence: Public relations — and owning a business — requires resilience. Not every pitch becomes a story, and sometimes strong ideas take time to gain traction. I’ve had situations where a journalist initially passed on a story, but months later the timing shifted and the topic became relevant again. By staying persistent and maintaining thoughtful communication with reporters, those opportunities often come back around. Persistence in PR isn’t about pushing harder — it’s about understanding a journalist’s beat, their audience and when a story is truly valuable to them.

3. Organization: PR also involves managing many moving pieces at once — media outreach, deadlines, interviews, client approvals and follow ups — across multiple clients and industries. Staying organized has been essential to keeping everything moving smoothly, and fortunately it’s something that comes naturally to me. I’ve created structured systems to track pitches, monitor coverage, manage editorial calendars and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Early in my career, I realized that strong organization isn’t just about productivity — it’s about reliability. When journalists need information on a tight deadline or clients need quick updates, being organized allows me to respond quickly and confidently. Even my email is extremely organized.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I’m excited about several projects I’m working on right now because they highlight how much innovation is happening across the industries our clients operate in. One project involves supporting a client who is helping define a new niche within light industrial development by creating modern neighborhood flex bay campuses designed for small businesses that need to store, operate and serve customers from a single location. It’s an interesting concept because it blends traditional industrial and commercial space, offering more functionality than retail and greater accessibility and visibility than large warehouse facilities.

I’m also working with a client who specializes in large-scale, master-planned environments. These are complex, multi-phase projects that emerge from a clear framework that aligns land use, infrastructure, open space and identity from the very beginning. Being involved in the communications strategy around those types of projects is fascinating because you get to see how thoughtful planning shapes entire communities over time.

On the building products side, I’m supporting a few companies that are bringing new innovations to market that improve building performance, sustainability and resilience. Helping translate those technical innovations into stories that resonate with both the industry and the public is one of the things I enjoy most about my work.

Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, can you help articulate what the different forms of PR are?

Public relations includes several forms of communication...

This article was originally published on Medium.com. Read the full story here.