No matter what profession or field we are in, we need to constantly build relationships with the people around us and beyond. Networking, social media, face to face communication does that for us. Having general and tailored conversations help foster relationships with others and make meaningful connections.
Essentially, that is the bulk of what public relations is. As someone who studied this subject in undergrad, I always get asked questions like: what is it, what does it entail and isn’t it similar to marketing? So I’m here today to answer general questions + give more insight.
Public Relations
According to PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), the official definition is “about influencing, engaging and building a relationship with key stakeholders across a myriad of platforms in order to shape and frame the public perception of an organization.”
This should bring clarity, in some form or fashion, because companies, businesses, and brands are subconsciously and consciously building relationships with you. For example, individuals love, LOVE Target, myself included, to the point where all products have to come from there and not similar stores, like Walmart. That has a lot to do with their branding, marketing, and public relations efforts. It also builds brand loyalty because you chose one brand over another.
Breakdown
PR Services | PR Skills |
Crisis Management Media Relations Branding and Strategy Journalism + Writing Events + Planning Corporate Communications Internal Communications Social Media Marketing Speech Writing | Social media Read Research Writing Creative Open mind Objectivity Warm personalities Storytelling |
While you may not relate any of this to public relations, you see one of these services every single day. We have been seeing a lot of crisis management situations, like natural disasters, where the communications department or spokesperson needs to act quickly to solve/fix a problem, but in a positive and honest way.
Each skill helps in every aspect. The two most important for me are research and writing. Without these two, the rest of the skills do not matter. Research allows you to gain information, insight, see what has already been done, and also know who the audiences are. Writing is a no brainer. It will always be important no matter what you do or profession you are in.
Isn’t Marketing similar to PR?
Yes and no. Here is my breakdown of what each profession means:
Public Relations
Relationship building from clients to an audience through various media.
Advertising
Visual content seen to represent a brand or company, i.e. commercials, etc.
Marketing
The sales aspect to promote and sell products + services.
Branding
The consistent packaging (name, logo, color schemes, slogan, etc.) a brand or company portrays to its audience. This ties into Marketing.
Biggest Takeaway in PR?
It’s understanding your clients’ audiences and having
I honestly love this profession because it is way bigger than me – it’s about the client. It brings the visions and dreams of clients to their intended audience, and when the final plan comes to life, it is amazing to see. In no way, shape, or form, would I say I’m the best publicist because the profession is ever-changing, a lot of hard work, late hours, and always so much to learn. I will say I’m willing to keep learning and growing to become better for current and future clients, and myself.
There’s honestly more I can say about this topic, but it would be the overwhelming and longest post ever.
Ask Questions
If you still have any questions about public relations or any of the following – I am happy to answer them! Leave comments below or tweet me.
xo,
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