Sports Public Relations

By Samantha Ross
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Nikki Barjon owns her own company called The Barjon Group located in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of the company’s services include public relations, creative and relationship marketing, communication, advertising and much more. Some of Nikki’s clients include T.I, Nike, Puma as well as many other celebrities and athletes. About 98% of her clients are referred to her by others.

Nikki used game plans for sports such as football and referenced this terminology towards life and success. The first game plan she talks about is knowing your role. Nikki’s role is being the coach. As the coach, you are the strategist, the problem solver and a miracle worker. “I can never afford to just think about one side.” You always have to think about which way do we go, why do we go this way, and what happens if we go this way.

Nikki gave a lot of great advice! Of the advice she gave, one of the tips was to know who you’re playing for. This is where you do research on the company. Find out what they do and really understand it. Go somewhere that aligns with who you want to be.

Know your competition. Everyone is going to try and outdo everyone they work with. Know what they do well. Know what they don’t do well. Excel in what they don’t do well in and take chances that others won’t.

Nikki talked about points that are vital to your success, and some of those are based on your experience that works, guide your moves, and makes sure that you have a plan. All of these points were part of the playbook.

One thing that really stuck with me is how she kept saying how anyone going into sports PR should know that it is high stakes, fast paced and intense. You need to stand out from your
competition.You need to show that you were made for this, and you’re not going to back down.

Nikki has had a lot of experience working with well known celebrities. You could tell that she’s very passionate about her career, and she’s open to talking to anyone about how you can be as successful as her.

Nikki can be reached at nikki@thebarjongroup.com.