Public Relations Careers and Degrees

What is a Public Relations Specialist?

Public relations specialists are trained professionals that provide a range of media-based services to companies and businesses who need assistance with creating and maintaining their public image. They may work within a specific business, be part of a business that specializes in media services, or go freelance and set up their own media consulting business.

These specialists work with a range of businesses. They may specialize and work with professionals and businesses in one specific field or work with clients in a variety of fields. They primarily focus on creating a coherent and beneficial voice across all the media channels used by their clients.

What Does a Public Relations Specialist Do?

Public relations specialists usually have a range of duties that are designed to help their clients to create, improve or maintain their public face. Some of these duties include the following:

Developing a public face for their clients

To survive and thrive, every business needs a public face, a unique brand and style that is immediately identifiable as their own. Public relations specialists usually develop and maintain this corporate image and identity across all of the media channels used by the company. This may mean including a specific color scheme in all the printed materials developed by the company, using specific phrases in written advertisements, or using logos where appropriate.

Evaluating and adjusting advertisements

Media relations specialists are usually in charge of evaluating their client’s advertisements and promotional efforts and adjusting them to make them more efficient and more congruent with the public image of the company.

This often means researching recent breakthroughs in sales techniques and analyzing sales results to identify any promotions or advertisements that need to be improved or changed entirely.

Communicating directly with the media

Individuals in this profession communicate with the media with the aim of improving or maintaining their client’s public image. They may do this by responding to media request for information on a service or products, preparing information on the business for the media, and by crafting press releases for specific products or changes in the company.

Designing social media campaigns

Social media is a big part of public relations these days, so people in this profession need to be able to create and implement a social media strategy that will improve the public image of their client. They may also have to create specific social media campaigns for new products and services.

Identify and target their client’s ideal audience.

Media campaigns cannot be too broad in scope or they will not catch anyone’s attention. Because of this, people in this profession need to be able to identify a client’s preferred audience and design a campaign that is designed specifically to appeal to them.

This may include changing the medium used, for example using social media for a younger audience and print media for an older audience. It also means designing the campaigns so the target audience identifies with the language and visuals used.

Preparing for and scheduling in person engagements

Depending where they work, people in this profession may need to schedule and prepare for their client’s in person engagements. This can mean drafting speeches, organizing interviews and even preparing the relevant staff for talking in front of a camera and answering probing questions.

Where Does a Public Relations Specialist Work?

Public relations specialists work with businesses of all sizes and in all different professional fields. They are most often found in office environments. Some travel may also be required with this type of position, as people in this profession often find themselves giving speeches, attending meetings and making appearances at community activities on a regular basis.

Some public relations specialists also work freelance from home and travel to their clients’ businesses when necessary.

What Do You Learn in a Public Relations Degree?

Public relations degrees are usually tailored to meet each students’ specific career needs and interests. This means that students can specialize in the business fields and media strategies that most interest them. However, there are a number of learning objectives and classes that are the same for all students in these degree programs. Some of these include the following:

Communications

Public relations professionals must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with their clients, the public and the media. As a result, communications training is a big part of these courses, no matter what fields the students eventually plan to work within.

Marketing Theory

Students who want to work in public relations need to understand the techniques used in marketing and how they can employ them in their own work as a media professional. To teach them this, most degree programs include marketing subjects that explore the various strategies used in this field.

Campaign Development

Before students can start using their skills to promote a business, they need to understand how to plan a media campaign that is congruent with the branding of a company and business and will also get the results they’re looking for. This can be a very demanding proposition, which is why they need to learn how to properly plan and organize a campaign before they actually start doing the work itself.
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News Writing

Writing skills are a big part of working in public relations, which is why students need to master some of the basics of writing for the news. Learning this means they can better use these skills to promote their clients’ businesses and products.

Electronic Media Writing

Writing for social media as part of a public relations campaign is not the same as writing personal social media posts. Students need to learn the techniques and strategies to make their posts effective marketing and advertising tools as well as efficient ways to promote a business image overall.

Brand Management

Branding, which is developing and projecting a specific voice across all the channels of a business’s media, is a specific skill set that students need to learn in their public relations degree program. This also means learning to tailor the branding for particular businesses, products, and audiences as well.

Public Speaking Skills

Public relations professionals need to be skilled in every aspect of public speaking. This is why students in these degrees are taught how to draft and give speeches and how to answer questions in high pressure situations and interviews.

Copywriting Skills

Public relations professionals often have to write all the copy their clients need for their business. This may include website copy, press releases, case studies, emails and advertising materials. To help them do this, most public relations degree programs teach them advanced copywriting skills.

Consumer Psychology

Public relations professionals are often involved with selling and promoting their clients’ businesses. Because of this, they are often taught consumer psychology as part of their degree program. This helps them better understand how to appeal to audiences and convey their messages in the most effective way possible.

Media Relations

The best public relations professionals have good personal and working relationships with media personnel. Because of these relationships, they are able to get the exposure they need to promote a business or service and can get their projects in front of the public. Building these types of relationships is key for a public relations professional, which is why it is taught as a part of the degree program.

Ethics

Working with the media and in public relations can present some interesting ethical dilemmas for media professionals. Because this can be such a contentious and important issue, students in these courses need to learn about the ethics of the profession and the standards that should govern their behavior.

What are the Requirements to Become a Public Relations Specialist?

Educational Requirements

Public Relations Specialists usually have an undergraduate degree in English, journalism, public relations, communications, or business. These degrees typically take 3-4 years to complete full time. Admission into these courses depends on achieving good results in high school classes.

Most of these degrees aren’t specifically designed to help students move into a career in public relations. As a result, students who take a degree that isn’t directly related to public relations need to work on building up a portfolio of work that demonstrates their abilities to prospective employers throughout the degree program.
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Experience Requirements

The field of public relations can be highly competitive. As a result, students who have experience at a public relations firm or in this department at other businesses will be more attractive to potential employers.

Another way to stand out to potential employers is to take on leadership or communication positions throughout high school and at university. This can be achieved by working on the school newspaper or by volunteering for leadership positions at school or in the community.

What is an Online Public Relations Degree?

Online training is becoming more popular as technology advances and people want to improve their job prospects in their own time and according to the demands of their own schedule. As a result, online degrees are becoming more common, and this applies to the field of public relations as well.

A public relations degree can be completed online over a period of four years. For admission into these courses, students must have a high school certificate. Usually these courses include 120 credit hours and the completion of a range of courses including critical thinking, writing and media relations. Students in these courses need to complete weekly work based on readings and lectures and also complete assignments for each subject they do.

Students who want to go further can also complete a master’s level degree in public relations. They can also choose to do one of the shorter certificate programs available, which can give them the basic skills they need for a position in this field. These courses do not include practical experience and students will probably need to seek out their own internship if they want to be successful in this field.

What Skills are Needed to be a Public Relations Specialist?

In today’s highly connected work, public relation specialists are in high demand. This means that anyone who wants to move into this type of position will need to have the right combination of skills and qualities to suit the demands of this job.

The most useful and essential skills, qualities and traits include the following:

• Interpersonal skills: Individuals in this profession need to be able to deal with the public and media on a regular basis. As a result, they need to be naturally open and friendly people who find it easily to relate to and connect with other people.
• Public speaking skills: Public relations specialists often have to speak on the behalf of their clients to promote their business or products. As a result, they need to be compelling public speakers who are comfortable talking in front of a crowd.
• Writing skills: Dealing with the media is not just talking to reporters. It also means crafting social media campaigns, press releases, and other written copy materials, which is why individuals in this profession need excellent writing skills.
• Creativity: It takes a lot to get the public’s attention these days, which is why public relations specialists need a lot of creativity to help them craft campaigns and social media releases that garner the right kind of attention.
• Problem-solving skills: A big part of this job is helping businesses cope with setbacks or problems within the business. Because of this, adequate problem-solving skills are needed to be able to handle sensitive issues carefully and in a way that does not damage the reputation or the value of their client’s business.
• Organizational skills: Public relations specialists often have to manage multiple clients, events and campaigns at once. Without good organizational skills to help with this, they would quickly become overwhelmed by the demands and the pressures of this job.
• Internet research skills: Public relations profession usually require a lot of research about clients and about the best ways to manage media relations needs, which is why good internet research skills critical.
• Flexibility: This type of profession is not always nine to five and sometimes demands innovative and creative strategies, thinking and processes. Individuals who want to go into this profession need to be flexible enough to react to what is happening around them without becoming stressed or overwhelmed.
• Social media skills: Social media has changed the face of public relations and individuals in this profession need to understand the trends and advances in social media and use them effectively to benefit their client’s businesses.

What are the Benefits of Being a Public Relations Specialist?

People who decide to become a public relations specialists will enjoy a number of benefits including the following:

• Independence: Public relations specialists typically work on their own most of the time, with very little oversight, and this can be ideal for people who prefer a lot of independence in their working life.
• Variability: Being a public relations specialist will never be boring. They often find themselves dealing with a wide variety of businesses and situations and performing a wide range of tasks.
• Good pay: Skilled and experienced public relations professionals can earn above average wages and the best people in this profession can find themselves earning over $100,000 a year.
• The chance to travel: People who do well in this profession will probably find themselves traveling regularly as part of their duties. This can be a very enjoyable way to see different parts of the country or even the world.
• Opportunity for advancement: Although most beginners in this profession will have to start at the bottom of the ladder, there is a lot of opportunity for advancement in this field, either by moving up inside one specific business or by moving into other companies.
• Comfortable working environments: Public relations specialists typically work in an office setting, which means they are usually safe and comfortable at all times. Companies and businesses that hire people in this profession usually provide very pleasant physical surroundings as well.
• Influence: As a media specialist, people in these positions will be able to affect how their clients do business and how consumers see and feel about specific businesses and services. For people who enjoy influencing other people, this can be a very rewarding part of their job.

What is the Job Outlook for Public Relations Specialists?

The job outlook for Public Relations Specialists is quite good and it is likely to increase in the future as more companies and businesses need expert and ongoing assistance with their public relations. According to the Bureau Labor of Statistics, demand for skilled professionals in this field should increase about 8 percent between 2021 and 2031. This is about the same as the average growth for all professions during this period.

Competition for these types of positions is extremely fierce, especially for big advertising companies, prestigious public relations firms and organizations that require a lot of media exposure. As a result, new graduates will probably have trouble finding good positions and will have to gain experience working in smaller companies and less prestigious roles before they can move up.

What Professions are Similar to Public Relations?

There are a number of professions that are similar to that of a public relations specialist. These include the following positions:

Market Research Analysts

These professionals study and research the sales market to determine how much potential a product or service has. They work with companies, businesses and individuals to determine how well a product or service will sell, if it is worth developing, and how to improve it to better fit the market.

Copywriters

Copywriters work with clients to design and create written material to promote a business or service. They often work freelance with a range of companies and businesses and do not do any of the in-person marketing activities, focusing instead on the written content.

Public Relations Managers

These media professionals plan and direct the creation of sales and marketing material that is designed to improve or maintain a client’s public image. They are typically paid more than public relations specialists and take on more managerial tasks rather than being directly involved in media events.

Advertising Managers

Advertising managers designs campaigns to market and sell products and services. They often work very closely with public relations staff, but are more focused on specific products and services rather than the overall public face of their company or clients.
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