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Choosing a career path is a big deal. Some career paths are already carved out, and moving industries is not so simple. For instance, once you start getting into engineering, becoming a lawyer is an uphill battle.
This isn’t true for every career. In fact, Public relations is a very open career path with opportunities to pivot and interesting niches to explore. In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about a career in public relations, including:
- Definitions
- Requirements
- Important skills
- Common jobs
- Career paths
Public Relations Definition
Public relations, or simply PR, is a field dedicated to managing and sending information about an organization or person to the public. They do this to maintain perception and influence what people think.
At first glance, this definition seems seedy, but in reality, the best public relations professionals build mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and the public.
This practice can be geared toward external relations or internal relations.
External PR
External PR is the most common form of PR. It’s when brands, organizations, and political figures work to manage their public image.
When working in external PR, you’ll work closely within the organization you work for. That includes developing strategies, managing press releases, and delivering messages effectively.
Internal PR
Internal PR is less known than the typical external PR. Some organizations require an internal PR department to manage their employees’ image of the organization.
Employees are the livelihood of organizations, and internal PR professionals help organizations keep talent, engage workers, and keep employees informed. The goal is to foster positive relations between employees and organizations.
While working in internal PR, you’ll work alongside different departments including:
- Human Resources
- Executives
- Sales
- Customer Service
- Product Development
- Operations
- Legal
You’ll gather important information from various departments that need to be disseminated to the rest of the organization.
Requirements for Public Relations
Public relations is a deeply professional profession. You’ll be working closely with external organizations and maintaining the image of your organization. You’ll need to be well-trained in how to handle difficult questions and maintain messaging,
These are the important requirements for working in public relations.
Bachelor’s Degree
Most PR professionals got started with a bachelor’s degree in:
- Public relations
- Marketing
- Communications
- Journalism
Each of these areas of study is either directly related to PR or is adjacent to the required skills for working in this field. Moreover, many colleges will have a lot of overlap in marketing and PR studies, often combining the two in a degree. Marketing is basically PR but from a different angle.
Learn more about what a marketing career entails, including how to break into digital marketing and a look into the top-paying marketing jobs.
Training
Alongside a bachelor’s degree, some PR training will go a long way. Formal certifications in:
- Strategic planning and crisis management
- Social media & online presence
- Communication strategies
- And more
Online training and courses will prepare you for a career in PR while also making you more appealing to hiring managers. These courses can be done alongside coursework for a bachelor’s degree or independently.
Online courses can prepare you for a career in PR, and, in some instances, could kickstart your career without a college education.
The REDC at Yavapai College can help you get started on your career in PR. Check out our courses:
Start your journey in PR and Marketing today with the REDC.
Important PR Skills
While taking courses or receiving your college degree, you’ll want to develop specific skills that will improve your likelihood of getting hired and having a successful career.
Soft Skills
Soft skills are important skills that affect how you interact with others, work as a team, and adapt to workplace dynamics. These skills are crucial as they interact with different kinds of people and various organizations.
The soft skills most important to PR professionals include:
- Communication
- Crisis management
- Emotional intelligence
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Critical thinking
These soft skills can be developed through training and over time.
** Learn more about soft skills necessary for any career, and take the related course, Developing Emotional Intelligence **
Hard Skills
Hard skills can be tracked and are very tangible. These hard skills help PR professionals deliver messages and deliverables with ease.
- Pitching
- Multimedia creation
- Social media campaign management
- PR tools
- Public speaking
These skills can be developed a bit easier than soft skills. Coursework, both online and in-person, will develop these skills and prepare you for a career in public relations.
Learn more about how to improve presentation skills, and take our related course on public speaking.
Common Public Relations Positions
Public relations, like many careers, involves specialties. Some professionals will manage specific kinds of media or press, and others will take care of general outreach.
Specialists - $64.000 a Year
A PR Specialist crafts and executes communication strategies that shape and maintain a positive image for their organization. They do this through media relations, branding, and crisis management.
Specialists can be in an entry-level position, but it can also go beyond that. The duties of this job include:
- Ensuring brand consistency across marketing materials
- Crafting effective brand stories
- Writing and editing speeches
- Responding to requests from clients and the media
These positions may look different from organization to organization. However, they’re a great place to start your PR journey.
Managers - $83,000/year
To get started as a public relations manager, you’ll need a couple of years of experience in PR and management. The job duties of a PR manager include:
- Overseeing public relations strategies
- Handling crisis communications
- Organizing events
- Crafting compelling narratives
- Working alongside various departments
As a public relations manager, you’ll be overseeing a team of PR professionals. This role includes the duties of specialists, but they also monitor larger organization goals.
Stay on top of leadership training with REDC’s online courses designed for managers and supervisors.
Media Relations Specialist - $61,000/year
Media relations specialists work as the in-between for organizations and the media. This job is specific to media outreach and will maintain positive relationships with media outlets.
The duties of a media relations specialist include:
- Building and maintaining relationships with journalists and media outlets
- Writing and sending press releases
- Answering questions from the press
- Monitoring media coverage
This position is important for organizations that work closely with the press. Smaller organizations that only interface with media from time to time may not have this position available. Instead, it will be looped in with another PR role.
Community Outreach - $52,000/year
Organizations that want to make a positive impact in their community will need someone to manage their outreach efforts.
Community outreach professionals are in charge of:
- Promoting community programs and services
- Creating and distributing outreach materials
- Identifying community needs
- Conducting surveys to gather information
- Plan outreach programs
Community outreach specialists play an important role in an organization’s PR strategies.
PR Career Path
A career path in PR can transition between emphases and categories. You may start in community outreach then work your way into a media-focused role. A career path in PR can start in almost any niche and adjust to any interests and opportunities.
Marketing
PR and marketing work closely together. They share the same goals of building brand image and creating awareness. PR jobs that are in charge of marketing and promotions include:
- Brand ambassador
- Digital marketer
- Copywriter
- Content strategist
These roles help tell the story of their organization and share important news. The experience gained from these positions will be useful for other roles. You’ll learn how to craft narratives and tell stories effectively.
Read about what a content marketer does to discover the ins and outs of this specialized marketing career.
Media
Media outlets provide important information to the public. It’s important for any PR team and strategy to include media relations. Working with the media requires good communication skills and general media skills.
The media roles of PR include:
- Publicist
- Broadcaster
- Communications director
- Media planner
Media relations are important, and people in this field will deliver important information to the public and answer questions from the media.
Fundraising
Some public relations professionals are tasked with creating campaigns and promotional activities. These often engage the community and provide fundraising opportunities.
If your background is in finance or you’re interested in that field, then these finance, budgeting, and fundraising jobs might be a good fit:
- Finance manager
- Fundraising coordinator
- Budget manager
Public outreach is a big portion of public relations and fundraisers' work as a way to engage community efforts. They place your organization in the center of something that benefits the community.
Learn With the REDC
Whether you’re getting started in a PR career or looking to pivot to a new niche, the REDC has everything you need to learn about career choices and skill development.
Our extensive online course library has many courses that can help you at any point in your career path. These include:
- Media and Public Relations
- Social Media Marketing
- Social Media for Nonprofits
- Budgets and Financial Reports
- Communication Strategies
Go further in your PR career with Yavapai College’s REDC.