Work in Public Relations

A public relations specialist is the essential link between a client and the outside world. They prepare statements and press releases, coordinate publicity events, and talk to the media. Some PR specialists even work with celebrities. If you’re interested in working in public relations, learning about the field, building your portfolio, and networking will help you land a job in this competitive, demanding, and fun career!

Steps

Learn About PR Careers

1. Assess your personality. Are you a good fit for public relations work? PR specialists need to be good communicators, good storytellers, and be able to research quickly and accurately. They also need to be able to smooth over crises, promote successes, and manage major client changes in a way that satisfies both the client and the public.
   • If you are lacking any of these skills, you can practice them! Ask your professors or a trusted friend to work with you on anything you are struggling with.
2. Check your credentials. PR jobs don’t necessarily require a degree in public relations, but if you have one, that’s a great start! Other degrees that can help you get a public relations job include communications, media studies, marketing, journalism, creative writing, and psychology. If you’ve had jobs in media or corporate communication before or are willing to start small, you may not even need a degree.
   • If you don't have any relevant education, take 2-3 relevant courses at your local college to help prepare you for a career in public relations.
3. Research salaries in your area. You should know if the salary is right for you before you start applying for jobs. Salaries may be higher or lower than average depending on your location and the kind of PR work. For example, a public relations specialist working for a nonprofit in a small city will make much less than a specialist in a major city working for a celebrity or a major corporate brand.
   • The average American public relations specialist makes about $44,000 a year.
4. Learn about job demands. PR work can require very long, irregular hours. Are you prepared to work overtime every week, be on call on weekends and holidays, and to spend your entire workday researching or speaking to clients and the media? If not, public relations may not be for you.
5. Focus on a specific industry. Public relations specialists can work for almost any industry. You can be employed directly by a corporation or the government, work for a public relations agency that assigns you to celebrity clients, or even start your own business. Choosing an industry to focus on will help you build a stronger portfolio and meet the right people to help further your career.

Develop a Portfolio

1. Take classes that relate to PR. If you’re still in school, take classes that will help your future public relations career. If your college doesn’t have a public relations major, take classes in marketing, journalism, and communications. You can use your coursework to build your first portfolio.
2. Apply for internships. Check your school’s student employment office or your major’s department every semester for internships that could help you break into public relations. They don’t have to be specifically about PR--anything that will help your portfolio or introduce you to people in your chosen industry will be helpful.
   • If you don't have college resources, try asking your local government's communications department for internship opportunities or applying directly at corporations or nonprofits. Most major companies hire interns.
3. Write a press release for your portfolio. A press release is an official statement to the media about public news involving your client, such as a corporate merger or an election. They are usually about one page long and use formal language.
   • You can use samples or coursework in your portfolio. Just be sure that you clearly label them so interviewers won’t be misled.
4. Include a public statement in your portfolio. A public statement is issued for events that are important to your client, but aren’t necessarily public matters. They are usually very brief and often address bad news about the client. Things like accusations against your client or issues in your client’s personal life would be addressed in a public statement.
5. Write a plan for a publicity event. Publicity events are events designed and coordinated by a public relations specialist to promote their client. If you have never worked on one before, include a general plan for a mock publicity event in your portfolio.
   • Your plan should include an overview of the event, a planned location, a list of prospective advertisers and sponsors, and a brief description of how this event would help your client’s public relations image.
   • Try planning a free concert, a town festival, or a tee-shirt giveaway.
6. Prepare a media pitch. A media pitch is information you provide to a reporter or broadcaster about your client in an attempt to get media coverage. They usually focus on a specific event, like a new product line. They shouldn’t be more than a page long, and your focus should be on convincing the reporter that it is newsworthy.
7. Consider volunteering your services. You can consider volunteering to do free PR work to build your portfolio. Ask local entertainers, small non-profits, or local businesses if they would like a free press release or news statement to post on their website or social media page. Use these items in your portfolio.
8. Ask for feedback from different people. Once you have a few items in your portfolio, show it to several different people to get feedback. They should be people you trust who know something about either public relations, writing, or the media. Good choices can be classmates, your professors, or even a supervisor from your internship.

Promoting Yourself

1. Find a mentor. A good mentor can teach you about the job, coach you during applications and interviews, and keep an eye out for opportunities you might not know about. Think about people you have met whose careers you admire, and talk to them about mentoring you. Good choices can be your professors, supervisors from an internship, and alumni from your college.
   • Check with your college’s alumni relations office. Many schools offer mentorship programs for students or former students.
   • If you want to ask a former supervisor or professor, sending them a polite thank you note for working with you in the past is a great way to break the ice.
2. Relate your experiences to PR. If your educational or work background isn’t in PR or a closely related field like communications or marketing, think about how you could relate your experiences to public relations work. This will help you introduce yourself to public relations specialists, write cover letters, and answer tough interview questions.
   • If you have a humanities background, talk about how your degree has made you a great writer with sharp research abilities.
   • If you have any kind of experience interacting with the public, you’ve got PR experience!
3. Network as much as possible. Meeting new people is an essential public relations skill, so be sure to network as much as you can. Go to press conferences in your area, keep in touch with classmates from your major, and take every opportunity to meet people at your internship. Be sure to save people’s contact information and keep in touch with them! You can also join LinkedIn and other networking websites.
4. Join professional organizations. Join the International Public Relations Association or your country’s national public relations organization. They offer networking and mentorship events and some organizations are open to students. If you want to work as a public relations specialist in a specific industry, join that industry’s professional organization too.
5. Develop contacts at relevant companies. If you want to work in a specific industry or for a specific company, work to develop contacts at those places. Take a look at your contacts list, college alumni list, or anybody you’ve worked with in the past. Check if any of them have ever worked for your target company, and get in touch with them!
   • If you don’t know anybody who works at your target company, ask your closest contacts if they know anybody.
6. Send out your portfolio and resume. Apply to every opening you are qualified for--it’s a great way to let hiring managers see your work. You can also contact human resources at companies you’d like to work for and ask to submit a resume, even if there isn’t a current job advertisement.
7. Consider moving. Many companies are reluctant to hire people outside of their immediate area. If you are having trouble finding a public relations job or live in an area with a small public relations industry, consider moving to a location with more jobs.
   • If you live in Germany and want to work with Hollywood celebrities, moving to Los Angeles will greatly increase your odds of being hired.

Advancing Your Career

1. Research industry trends. Get into the habit of regularly doing research on the PR industry, even if you’ve already landed your dream job. Public relations is a quickly-evolving field, and if you don’t keep up, you run the risk of being left behind.
   • Attend PR industry events and conferences and note which companies, platforms, or techniques are the most popular.
   • Keep in touch with colleagues at similar firms.
   • Pay close attention to the news and social media. Observe what PR teams are doing and how the public is responding.
2. Learn to use social media platforms. Social media has drastically changed the way public relations specialists do business, and you’ll need to stay on top of social media trends to keep your job. Keep a close watch on which social media platforms are popular in which demographics, and learn how each platform works.
   • Include review sites like Yelp in your social media research.
   • Be aware of privacy settings, word and image limits, and interactivity across platforms.
   • If your client composes their own social media posts, keep a close eye on their accounts. Depending on your client’s prominence, you may want to hire someone especially to write social media posts for them.
3. Develop your tech skills. PR specialists don’t work on paper anymore. You’ll need to learn basic web development skills to succeed. Take an introductory course on HTML and basic coding, or ask your company for on-the-job training.
4. Handle problems quickly. Internet culture means that a PR issue can appear anytime, including in the middle of the night and on holidays. Be sure that you and your team are ready to handle any issue at any time quickly.
   • Delete any controversial posts immediately. Do not attack anyone sharing screenshots.
   • Acknowledge the issue. Don’t respond aggressively or blame a specific person--this can inflame the controversy further. Instead, release a statement acknowledging that there is a problem, that it is being fixed, and that you apologize for any offense or distress.
   • Take preventative measures immediately. These can include deleting accounts, limiting access to media, or even reassessing your entire public relations approach.

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