Getting into political consulting is more accessible than most people think — it starts with picking one skill and becoming excellent at it. In this video, political consultant Jay Townsend lays out the path: developing a marketable skill, building a network, finding a mentor, and showing up in the places where you need to be seen and heard.
In this video, we’re going to talk about how to get into political consulting. Frankly, it’s pretty easy, and I’m going to show you exactly what you need to do. In fact, being really, really good at one special task can lead to a lucrative career as a political consultant. It’s a step-by-step process: number one, it starts with a marketable skill; number two, you must have a network; number three, somewhere along the line you’re going to need a mentor; and number four, there are certain places you need to be seen and heard.
Let’s start with developing a marketable skill. The world is your oyster here. Start with what candidates actually hire consultants to do. One is helping the candidate with their words — not every candidate is a wordsmith, and nearly every candidate, including most office holders, needs help crafting what they want to say into eloquent, understandable, compelling messages. There’s a whole field of consultants who do nothing but this: speechwriters, debate coaches, people who prepare candidates for contentious interviews, and the person a candidate calls two minutes before a press conference to ask, “I know I’m going to be asked this — how do I answer it?” If you love words, if you’re a master of the English language with a strong grasp of history, you can build a career helping candidates find their words.
The second area candidates need help with is marketing their message. Social media has become essential — if a candidate isn’t using it, they might as well not be campaigning, since so many people now get their news from social platforms. If you become an expert in Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, or even LinkedIn, there will always be demand — and the platforms will keep changing, so today’s leader may fade in a couple of years while a new one rises. AI is coming too, and it’s going to have major uses in political marketing. If you master how to apply AI as it develops for campaign use, that’s a whole new field of consulting waiting to be built.
The third area campaigns always need help with is fundraising. There are firms that specialize in direct mail fundraising, raising money through social media posts and emails, raising money through organized events, and even firms that simply connect candidates to the people who make decisions at political action committees and interest groups. Getting the candidate in the door is its own entire field of consulting.
If you want to be a political consultant, pick something you like and become very, very good at it. I do a lot of things for candidates, but my favorite task is crafting their words — it’s not the craft for everyone, but it’s mine. Once you’ve decided which lane to pursue, make it your job to be a sponge. If your specialty is helping candidates express themselves, watch every political debate to see what worked and what didn’t, read speeches from prominent political figures for ideas, and study interviews to see what was done well and what wasn’t.
If your passion is raising money, watch what other people are doing, read books, attend seminars and webinars, and learn everything you can about the profession. If it’s social media, become the expert. I have someone I turn to every time I need to run a Facebook campaign — he knows the back end of Facebook better than I ever will. I can help craft the words and graphics, but he’s my go-to guy for the technical side. He’ll always have income and clients because he knows that one task extremely well.
There are two organizations in the United States whose members are political consultants, operatives, and campaign managers. One is the American Association of Political Consultants — they have their own magazine and website, and consulting firms hire people who’ve worked in political campaigns through it. It tends to attract people who work full time in the profession. They hold get-togethers a couple of times a year, along with training seminars where consultants come in and share what worked in their last winning campaign, including the technology they used.
The other group is called Campaigns & Elections, a similar organization that hosts events three or four times a year where the best and brightest in the field showcase what they did and how they did it. If you attend these meetings, you’ll run into people in a position to hire you, and people with deep knowledge of a subject you want to learn — conferences are a great place to build those relationships. Join both organizations; they’re where you should be seen and heard.
There’s a lot of word of mouth in this profession. I’ve been in it for 45 years, and it’s sometimes about who you know. I’ll get calls from friends saying, “So-and-so is going to need some help — I’m giving you the heads up, and I’m going to suggest she talk to you.” A referral like that is worth its weight in gold. Consultants get matched to campaigns, and campaigns to consultants, through networks built over years of working together and friendships that have blossomed.
The rule to follow: if you want to make a friend, be a friend, and if you want to keep a friend, stay in touch. Never let your connections to people who could be helpful to you grow cold — make a concerted effort to stay in touch with candidates, political staff, people from past campaigns, and influencers you’ve met along the way. You never know when they’ll need a consultant to help a candidate they’re working with, and staying fresh in their mind is what gets you that call.
Don’t go out at 22 and say, “I’ll hang up my shingle and wait for people to come talk to me.” That’s not a realistic way to start. Political consultants are people who are really, really good at winning elections, and they know a lot of things about politics that take years to learn — it’s simply not possible to have that base of knowledge after just a couple of years.
So find a mentor. Look for somebody who runs a political consulting firm where you can work for a period of time — I’ve seen people build entire careers by starting inside a firm and eventually becoming partners. If working inside a firm isn’t your path, find another way to secure a mentor to help keep you out of trouble.
After a long time in this industry, you see things that work, but you also see plenty of candidates whose careers were derailed by something stupid they said, something stupid they did, or something stupid their consultant did. Part of having a good mentor is having someone watching over your shoulder, saying, “Don’t do that — that will backfire. Try it this way instead.” Getting some training inside a political consulting firm, with someone looking over your shoulder in the early years, dramatically improves your odds of surviving in this profession and keeping clients coming in.
Q: What skill should I focus on to break into political consulting?
A: Pick something you genuinely enjoy — helping candidates with their words, mastering social media and emerging AI tools, or fundraising — and become an expert in it rather than trying to be broadly competent at everything. Deep expertise in one lane is what makes you valuable and keeps clients coming back.
Q: How do I become an expert in my chosen political consulting specialty?
A: Immerse yourself in it. If you’re focused on messaging, watch every political debate and study speeches and interviews to see what worked. If it’s fundraising, study other practitioners, read books, and attend seminars. Becoming a “sponge” for your specialty is what separates experts from generalists.
Q: Where should I go to network in the political consulting industry?
A: The American Association of Political Consultants and Campaigns & Elections are the two major organizations in the field. Both host regular events, training seminars, and showcases where practitioners share what worked in past campaigns — and where you’ll meet people who could hire you or teach you.
Q: How important is networking compared to advertising in this industry?
A: Extremely important — arguably more important than advertising. Political consulting runs heavily on referrals built through years of relationships. Staying in regular contact with candidates, staff, and past colleagues keeps you top of mind when they need to recommend a consultant.
Q: Do I need a mentor to succeed as a political consultant?
A: Yes, ideally. Political consulting requires years of accumulated knowledge that’s hard to gain on your own. Working inside an established consulting firm, or finding another mentor to guide you, helps you avoid the kind of costly mistakes that can end a candidate’s or consultant’s career.
Jay Townsend has spent more than 40 years advising candidates at every level of American politics. For more campaign strategy resources, visit JayTownsend.com or subscribe to Jay’s YouTube channel for new videos every week.
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