What makes a good PR pro: A degree or a journalism background?

In my experience, I’ve found that the most successful PR people are those who think and act like reporters.

Anyone in sales will tell you that you have to know your customer base. For those of us who toil pitching stories to reporters, it certainly helps—and may be imperative—to have the journalistic background that tells how to define a story, write it and present it. PR is sales, and reporters are the customers.