What is public relations (PR)?

Public relations or PR is a strategic communication process that fosters mutually beneficial relationships between individuals, companies, or governments, and their audiences.

Businesses place plenty of importance on marketing and advertising, but did you know public relations is just as vital for boosting success? Contrary to popular belief, PR offers vastly different benefits than both of these related fields, yet it seems like an arena that many organizations aren’t utilizing to their full potential.

If you don’t understand what public relations is or its importance within your company, then you’re in luck. We’ve put together this helpful, in-depth guide to teach you everything you need to know about this field.

From boosting and maintaining abrand’s positive reputationto generating credible press through unpaid or earned means, and performing crisis management if things turn sour; prepare to be wowed by all that PR has to offer.

Everything you should know about public relations

1. What is public relations?

Put simply, public relations is about sending the right messages, at the right time to the right people in order to positively affect their public perception.

At its very core, public relations involves engaging, shaping, persuading, and developing a relationship with numerous and key stakeholders to influence and form a positive public opinion of an organization. This is done primarily through various unpaid or earned communications, such as traditional media, social media, and in-person engagements.

Public relations embraces the idea that anything can be newsworthy and generate positive press if it’s expertly handled. It is therefore the role of a PR professional to see an organization through the eyes of the media and to provide the media with factual information they can use at the right time.

PR serves a vital role in the success of any business across any industry. Through long-term strategies, the field is able to establish credibility, enhance reputation, and develop meaningful relationships with essential audiences.

PR also involves assisting clients by defending their reputation during a crisis, such as in situations that threaten their credibility. As such, there are two vital and distinct sides to PR, including achieving positive press through storytelling, and damage control through mitigation.

It’s helpful to think of public relations as a large umbrella, under which the following disciplines fall:

• Media relations

• Corporate communications

• Content creation

• Social media

• Crisis communications

• Event management

• Marketing communications

• Reputation management

• Internal communications

• Multimedia

• Brand journalism

• Executive communications

• Investor relations communications

2. What is a public relations specialist?

A public relations specialist, as the name suggests, is someone who specializes in all aspects of public relations — including the strategies and duties we have already discussed heavily in this article. They can be commonly found within all types of organizations, including in government, non-profits, and small to large companies.

They manage an organization’s communication with the public, including consumers, investors, journalists, and other media workers. Public relations specialists are also responsible for establishing and maintaining a positive public image and reputation for their employer or client. Just some of the popular methods they use to achieve this include drafting press releases, sponsoring strategic corporate events, and bothorganizing and delivering public relations programs.

The role and responsibilities of a PR specialist may vary depending on who their client or employer is. A personal relations specialist working for the government, for example, must keep the public informed about the actions of government officials and agencies.

A public relations specialist might go by other similar names too, such as communications specialist, media specialist, press secretary, public affairs officer, or information officer.

These professionals usually work in offices, whether for a PR agency or in-house as part of a public relations team within an organization. Their role also involves some travel, including to local, national, and potentially even international locations to attend meetings, give speeches, address the media with press releases, and be present at events or community activities.

Usually, a public relations specialist will have at least one degree majoring in the following subjects:

• Public relations

• Marketing

• Journalism

• Communications

• Business

• Advertising

A PR specialist will also have excellent verbal and written communication skills as their job requires them to convey information effectively to the public, media, and other members of their organization — both through speeches andwritten press releases. Additionally, they must have exceptional interpersonal skills, as their job entails them building close and positive connections with the media and other key stakeholders. Finally, those working within public relations must also listen carefully, respond appropriately, and coordinate their actions with the actions of others.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, social media’s growing popularity and dependence will create a strong demand for PR specialists. In fact, the employment rate of public relations specialists is projected to grow by 7% from 2019 to 2029, which is swifter than the average for all occupations.

Find a public relations specialist for hire

3. What does a public relations specialist do?

包括公共关系专家的角色a long list of responsibilities and tasks that are performed on a daily basis. Let’s look closely at each one below.

1. Write and prepare information for the media.PR specialists must put together press kit materials for media outlets. These include things such as press releases, images, pitch letters, case studies, feature articles, and trend stories. When writing and preparing these materials, PR professionals must craft a careful and strategic brand message that puts the client in a positive light.

2. Respond to information requests from the media.Journalists put out a lot of media requests with tight deadlines and are often inundated with replies. It is part of the PR team’s job to respond quickly and effectively to these requests in order to gain their company press in the form of quotes, comments, or interviews. Media information requests are one of the quickest and easiest ways to get a business featured in the press, and therefore play a vital role in PR.

3. Help clients communicate effectively with the public.Public relations specialists handle an organization’s communication with the public, including key stakeholders such as consumers, investors, reporters, and other media personnel. One of the most common ways they do this is through releasing a press statement, which might describe a newsworthy public issue, such as health or the environment, and what the positive things the organization is doing concerning that issue.

4. Handle internal communications.Along with a company’s communication with the public, a PR specialist must also handle internal communications within an organization, such as between executives, employees, investors, and other shareholders. This might include the company-wide newsletter or an organization’s reports, for example. They must also work with the company's or client's legal representatives to ensure the information they release is both legally accurate and publicly accessible.

5. Help maintain their organization’s corporate image, identity, and reputation.A PR specialist does this through monitoring social, economic, and political trends that might affect the company, and then proposing ways to boost the client’s image based on those trends. Strategically sponsoring corporate events to help maintain and improve this image is another common duty, as is helping to make clear their organization’s viewpoint to its main audience through media releases and interviews.

6. Draft speeches and arrange interviews for an organization’s top executives.Because it is the PR specialist’s duty to maintainthe correct brand voice, message, and identity, they are also tasked with writing speeches for executives to deliver at high-profile events. Additionally, they must arrange for press conferences, interviews, and other media and event appearances for the company.

7. Evaluate advertising and promotion campaigns to assess whether they’re compatible with their organization’s public relations efforts.他们还必须与广告和营销工作professionals to ensure advertising campaigns are consistent with the image the company is trying to portray. For example, if the organization wants to connect with a certain group, such as mothers of infant children, the public relations specialist will make sure the current advertisements will be well received by that target market. Additionally, they must track, evaluate, and share the results of their PR activities.

8. Evaluate public opinion of clients.In order to monitor and either protect or boost a company’s reputation among the public, PR professionals must evaluate public opinion through conducting surveys and polls or performing social media listening.

4. Why is public relations important?

Now that you know exactly what PR is and isn’t, it’s also important to understand the true impact PR has on businesses. We explore each of the benefits of public relations below.

增加品牌credibility

PR utilizes thought leadership pieces,influencer connections, and networking strategies to boost an organization’s overall reputation and credibility within its industry. Trust is a vital part of any business’s success, particularly from a customer standpoint. Without it, a business is missing out on potential sales and revenue. Thankfully, this is where public relations comes into play, as it’s responsible for bridging the trust gap between a business and its prospective customers.

Increase profits, sales, and leads

组织至关重要的市场的地方ting, but a successful marketing strategy doesn’t exist without PR, which is an essential piece of the puzzle. Public relations professionals help a business craft the right messages so they connect with their target audience on an emotional level. They do this through a company’s business stories and press releases, for example. When customers have the chance to connect with an organization in this way, it is natural that an increase in profits, sales, and leads follows.

Changes the way people think about a business

In our increasingly digital world, businesses are having less and less control over their public image, particularly what is said about them online. Sometimes, through no fault of their own, a business’s reputation may be left in ruins. For other businesses, they find it increasingly difficult to position themselves online in front of the right audience — consumers who will benefit most from their products or services.

PR campaigns are an effective way to solve these problems, as they focus onboosting brand awarenesswhile maintaining a positive and consumer-resonant image. Audiences are also more likely to listen to a message coming from an independent and unbiased source, as opposed to advertising that has been bought. By leveraging their connections with trusted media sources, PR agencies can gain credibility for a company.

Enhances online presence

Public relations is also able to enhance a company’s online presence in a way that goes beyond just marketing. This is because PR agencies not only provide businesses with support and guidance to help them market themselves online, but they’re also constantly ready to step in when calamity occurs or a situation threatens to damage the reputation a company has worked so hard towards earning.

PR experts can identify the best channels to spread a company’s message to the right people, including through press releases, social media, influencer connections, and promotional content-publishing sites. Additionally, they can use their expertise and networking abilities to maximize a brand’s online reach.

5. The difference between PR and marketing

Remember how we stated that PR is not the same as marketing? Although the two fields are closely connected, they both have key differences which are vital to point out.

In a nutshell, marketing is centered on promoting and selling a specific product or service, whereas public relations is dedicated to maintaining a positive reputation for an organization as a whole. In their hands, marketers hold the power to sell, while PR specialists possess the power to change minds.

To explore this further, let’s delve into the specific differences between various aspects of each field, including daily duties, metrics of success, and target audiences.

Daily duties

Marketing:

• Developing a promotional campaign for a new product or service

• Purchasing advertising for marketing campaigns across websites, social media, print, radio, TV, etc.

• Creating marketing materials to support a product or service launch, such as landing pages, brochures, whitepapers, or FAQs for the customer sales team

• Performing research on a company’s target market, industry, and competitors

• Drafting content such as newsletters, blog posts, or guest posts to connect with target consumers

Public relations:

• Writing press releases for new company initiatives or upcoming product/service launches

• Building relationships with the media and other influential stakeholders within the industry

• Crisis management, including speaking to the press and creating talking points that protect the company’s reputation

• Managing and updating company messaging

• Pitching relevant story ideas to the media to attract positive press for the organization

• Securing and organizing speaking opportunities for company executives at events, on podcasts, or within the local media

Metrics of success

Marketing:

In order to gauge the success of a marketing campaign, a marketer might ask the following questions:

• Did the product or service meet or exceed the sales goals from this marketing campaign?

• When comparing the expenses of the marketing campaign to the profit made from the sales it produced, did the campaign have a high return on investment (ROI)?

• Was there a lot of excitement, engagement, and activity surrounding the product/service from social media, industry influencers, and general consumers?

Public relations:

In comparison, a PR specialist would ask the following questions to determine the success of their public relations activities:

• Did the PR campaign generate lots of positive, unpaid press for the company in industry-relevant publications or top-tier media outlets?

• Was there a boost in brand reputation and awareness from journalists, social media, industry stakeholders, and the general public?

• Did the PR activities help the company win awards at high-profile events?

• Did the speech written for a company executive to perform at a high-profile event generate even more positive and unpaid/earned press?

Target audiences

Marketing:

• Current or prospective consumers

Public relations:

• All stakeholders, media, and the public at large

6. Advertising vs. public relations: what's the difference?

Now that we’ve delved into the various, key ways PR is different from marketing, let’s examine how the field is also separate from another related department: advertising. It is easy to see why people often confuse public relations with advertising. After all, both fields help to build brands and communicate with target audiences.

The most significant difference between both departments, however, is thatadvertising space is paid for, while public relations results are earned through providing the media with information via press releases or pitches. If the information is deemed newsworthy, it will then be reported on. As the old saying goes: “Advertising is what you pay for, publicity is what you pray for.”

To explore this further, let’s delve into the specific differences between advertising and PR, including their target, goals and objectives, control, strategy, and credibility.

Advertising

1. Target.Advertising campaigns are primarily targeted towards current or potential customers, much like marketing.

2. Goals and objectives.The primary objective of any advertising campaign is to generate product or service sales from a target market. Rather than promoting the company as a whole, an advertising campaign will commonly focus on a specific offering from the organization, such as a single product or service.

3. Control.The extent and exposure of an advertising campaign is largely dependent on one thing: how much an organization is willing to spend. Because advertisements are purchased, a company has control over many aspects of the campaign, including how it will look, the content it will contain, where it will be featured, and when it will go live.

4. Strategy.Advertising campaigns have a narrower, short-term strategy. This is because they’re usually centered on specific and upcoming buying seasons, such as Christmas, summer, or Black Friday, for example. The content of the advertisement aims to promote a new product or well-timed special deals to boost sales.

5. Credibility.而广告目的影响,让萨尔es, consumers are largely aware of this, and therefore won’t trust everything they see or read on an ad. Although advertising is an important facet of marketing, it isn’t highly credible in the eyes of the public, as consumers understand that whoever is paying for that ad is dictating exactly what it does (and doesn’t) say.

Public relations

1. Target.In PR, activities aim to cast a wider net and target internal or external stakeholders. These can include anyone from employees, investors, and customers to the media, industry influencers, the general public, and more.

2. Goals and objectives.The main idea behind PR is the fact that consumers are more likely to do business with a company they trust and admire. Therefore, building brand awareness and reputation are the most important goals of PR activities. Rather than generating sales or creating buzz around a specific product or service, public relations aims to generate positive press about an organization as a whole.

3. Control.Unlike advertising, PR relies on unpaid and earned methods of promotion, such as press features, interviews, event participation, and more. Therefore, there is much less control over what’s presented in the media, how it’s presented, and if the company will even be featured at all. This is why it’s a vital part of a PR specialist’s job to form close connections with media personnel.

4. Strategy.PR professionals, on the other hand, must focus on the ‘big picture' and employ long-term strategies that focus on the company’s reputation as a whole. In doing so, they are building a sustainable and devoted fanbase including not just consumers, but other key players too, such as investors, media personnel, and governing bodies.

5. Credibility.PR utilizes unpaid or earned press, meaning the media hasn’t been paid for what they say or write about the company or its products and services. Because such messages are communicated through this trusted third party, consumers find this information to be more credible and authoritative.

Achieve success for your business with public relations

After learning all there is to know about public relations, there’s no doubt you can see just how vital this field is to any business, big or small. From boosting and maintaining a brand’s positive reputation to generating credible press through unpaid or earned means, and stepping in for crisis management if things turn sour; public relations offers its own set of unique benefits that other disciplines such as marketing and advertising don’t provide.

If your business isn’t already utilizing public relations through both digital and traditional means, now is the time to start.