Working in Public Relations
First, a public relation officer is also called a Publicist. A publicist is typically the role people think of when they think of a PR professional. Based either an agency or on an in-house team, publicists work directly with clients to help develop and execute their brand strategy.
A career in public relations has no defined career path. An individual can obtain a degree in a number of different fields such as public relations, communications, marketing, journalism, broadcasting, or political science.
Professionals in PR must have soft skills including strong written and oral communication skills, the ability to solve problems, and the ability to think critically and creatively.
A career in public relations can take many different turns. Some aspects of public relations emphasize digital media; potential careers include content creators, social media managers, or digital artists. Individuals can specialize in an industry (i.e. finance) to emphasize working between a company and its investors. Individuals interested in working for nonprofit organizations may find the branch of fundraising overlaps many aspects of public relations.
Public Relations in Practice
PR also involves managing a company’s reputation in the eyes of its customers. In a 2012 PR crisis, restaurant chain Chick-fil-A was forced to issue emergency statements with respect to its stance on same-sex marriage after a Chick-fil-A executive publicly came out against marriage equality. The statement stressed the company’s “biblically-based principles” and its belief in treating “every person with honor, dignity, and respect.”2 It was an example of how companies must exercise good PR. Most major companies have a PR department or utilize the services of an outside firm.
A company often has multiple publics to impress. Internally, a company will want to present itself as competently operated to its investors and biggest shareholders, which can involve arranging product demonstrations or other events directed towards shareholders.
Externally, a company that sells a good or service directly to consumers will want to present a public image that will encourage genuine, lasting brand support, which extends beyond the somewhat knowingly specious goals of advertising.
This can involve reassuring customers during a crisis, such as when Target (TGT) offered an $18.5 million settlement to its customers following a 2013 credit card hack in an attempt to restore good faith or the promotion of a lifestyle that would make the company’s product or service attractive.4 The company also generates PR to attract investors. In this respect, good PR is especially important for startups or rapidly expanding companies.
What Is the Primary Role of Public Relations?
Public relations often boils down maintaining the image of a company, individual, or brand. Public relations creates media, connects with external media, crafts public opinion, and ensures customers have a positive disposition towards the company’s brand.
What Skills Do You Need for PR?
Public relation specialists often have strong communication skills. Their role is to absorb information, process how it may impact a company’s image, and how to externally communicate to shift this image. Public relation specialists often forge relationships with many different types of people including key customers, government officials, and external media.
Why Is Public Relations Important?
Customers make decisions for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is the relationship they feel they have with a company. If a company has a negative image or is ensnarled in a controversial public issue, a customer may no longer feel as connected with the brand, image, and product. Public relations often manages this brand and ensures customers, employees, investors, and other external parties have a positive disposition to continue involvement with the company.
Who Uses Public Relations?
Public relations is useful for any party that wants to have a positive public imagine. Most often, corporations and publicly traded companies will embark on public relations. A company may have a different public relations team or public relations strategy for specific brands or products. Also, individuals such as celebrities or high net worth individuals may have private public relation teams. These teams are used to maintain a positive public image as well as handle media requests.