A public relations specialist is the one who develops and sustains a constructive image of its employer for the public. Their duty is to write articles for media releases. Plan and execute PR programs, and fundraising for their employer.
Duties of a Public Relations Specialist:
Some of the Public relations specialist’s duties are as follows:
- Preparation of press releases for the media.
- Identify the target audience, main clients and execute the best way to build a beneficial relationship.
- Designate a spokesperson or information source in response to the requests from the media for information.
- Build effective communication between clients and the public.
- By using logos and sign, because it will build and maintain corporate image and identity of their organization.
- Arrange interviews for top executives of an organization.
- Assess promotion and advertising programs to understand so they are well-matched with the PR efforts of the organization.
- Develop an organization’s fundraising strategies by contacting the possible donors and apply for contributions.
Public relations specialist deal with an organization’s communication with the public, including media specialists, investors, consumers, and reporters. But in government, Public relations specialists are known as press secretaries as they informed the public about government officials and agencies’ activities.
Improvements
The PR specialists must understand the group concerns they collaborate to maintain a healthy relationship. They contact people in the media to print their press releases. Many newspaper stories, magazine articles, and television special reports initiate at the desk of PR specialists.
Corporate events are arranged by PR specialists to improve the image of the organization. They help to clarify the point of view of an organization with the help of interviews and media releases to its main target audience. They monitor social political and economic trends that can affect the organization and based on those trends they recommend ways to improve the image of the organization.
In large organizations, PR specialists maybe act as a supervisor. They also work with the marketing and advertising department to make sure that the ads are well-matched with the organization’s image it wants to convey. They may also manage internal communications e.g. company newsletters and also help financial managers is making reports of the organization.
Sometimes they write reports that may face legal consequences so they need to work with the company’s lawyer to make sure that the information they release is legally accurate and understandable by the public.
Public relations specialist usually work in an office but they also have to attend meetings, travel, and deliver speeches. They are trained to work in a stressful environment and manage several events at the same time.
Public relations specialists Skills:
Public relations specialists must have a lot of skills. Some of them are as follows:
Great communication
One of the basic focus of Public relation is to build the reputation of your company. So, For that PR specialists spend a lot of time speaking at public functions and other events about your company. So they need to have good communication skills.
Writing skills
PR managers should have to communicate well in written form. It is the duty of a Public relations specialist to write a press release and news related to the company so they need to have good writing skills so that they can deliver a proper message to promote their company. This is also very important to write a blog and press releases to gain maximum coverage.
Creativity
Creativity goes a long way in the world of Public relations just like marketing. Public relations specialists should be creative while making a strategy to stand out in the market which is very important because a different perspective drives PR coverage.
Strong research skills
Public relations are considered as a social industry. People discuss it without even mentioning it. Good research skills will help to find and manage these opportunities. They also need to research while making their Public relations strategy. They might need additional information to boost the power of their owned media so they need strong research skills.
Work under stress
PR specialist must have the ability to manage their work under stressful conditions. A company can go through under different conditions at times when it comes to stressful conditions, Public relations specialists need to know how to manage these conditions and also need to find a way to overcome that.
Marketing Manager vs. Public Relations specialists:
Marketing Manager:
Marketing managers’ duty is to increase sales of a product or service by initiating and managing marketing plans. They execute detailed marketing research so they learn new market trends works along with the advertising agencies and media to fulfill the objectives of the company’s marketing, do budgeting, and help in developing marketing campaigns. They are the main person who helps in anything related to marketing as they are well-informed about the latest social media, web designs, and graphic designs. Marketing managers need a high level of creativity but top-tier professionalism. They work closely with the executives of an organization and inform them about the latest marketing trends and strategies and on-going campaigns.
Public Relations Manager:
Public relations specialists are specialists in sustaining a positive public image for their clients by corresponding efficiently written, verbal, and interpersonal forms. But, They do a lot of work. Like writing press releases. They handle press conferences. They write speeches for their clients. Their duty is to create a positive image of their client. They also deal with negative or unfavorable publicity to restore public trust. They work closely with the PR staff and creative staff to maintain a positive image of their client.
While a marketing manager and public relations specialist’s main roles are very different, both must have excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, and leadership skills. They must also acquire strong business knowledge, which is the result of years of professional experience.
The positive and negative side of PR
“Public relation is a deliberate process of communication between organizations and their publics that build mutually beneficial relationships.”
This definition arises so many questions about PR that how a beneficial relationship can be built with the public and lead into a good press.
The positive side of PR:
A client’s reputation, idea, product, accomplishment, or position can be portrayed in the form of a story so by a PR specialist in a positive way. PR specialists are more like storytellers but unlike advertisers, they tell their stories through unpaid or earned media while the advertisers tell their stories through paid media.
Unpaid media include social media, speaking engagement, or traditional media which are the best way to communicate with the general public, PR specialist aims to reach every person, but the paying customer. Let’s take an example to understand clearly.
A small interior design company won an award for “Best Interior Design Company in Canada”. Because, PR specialists will try to spread this news to the public about your accomplishment through any media. So, This will help any customer who is looking for an interior designer too. The government can also hire PR professionals for their political campaigns. PR professionals will not only carry out political campaigns but also explain the new policies of the government to the public to maintain a healthy relationship and to build trust.
The negative, damage-control side of PR:
PR is about positive and negative storytelling. It is also used to moderate the damage that destroys a client’s goodwill. In the early 1980s, Johnson’s and Johnson’s Tylenol products were tied because with cyanide killing seven people by an unknown person. So, This results in the banning of all Tylenol products.
To moderate the damage, Johnson & Johnson took aggressive PR actions because the company drew all the products from the stores and issued a national statement for the public to not buy any Tylenol products. Then the company issued products with tamper-resistant seal and reintroduces their Tylenol bottles with the help of 2000 salesperson who gave presentations to the different medical community. This PR strategy saved their company’s reputation and product. There is an increase of 24 percent in shares just six weeks after crises.
In this case, any campaign cannot work that way. Instead, Public relations professionals communicate through media that describes Johnsons & Johnsons as a company that gives importance to their customers rather than profit. This helped people to know that consuming cyanide-laced Tylenol is harmful along with moderating the damage of the company’s goodwill and then again informing them that the Tylenol is safe again. A win-win-win.
These examples will help you to understand the importance of PR. Because you see that PR specialists are trained in handling bad and good situations and must communicate these situations to the public to maintain a healthy relationship between public and client. PR specialists also help in advising the decisions of policymaking and action needed and conducting programs like networking events or fundraising to help the public value the company’s goal. PR is not just about a story after it happens but also used to write that story firstly.