Public Relations & its importance for an organization

Public relations (PR) is the method with which organizations, companies and individuals communicate with their target audience including customers, general public, media, agencies & other stakeholders. A PR specialist communicates with the target audience directly or indirectly through media channels with the objective to create and maintain a positive image. Examples newsletters, press releases, public appearances, story mentions, news features etc. as well as through digital media. Remember PR is not advertising.

PR is the Persuasion Business. PR people are storytellers. They create narratives to advance their agenda.  PR can be used to boost or build reputations through the efficient use of conventional media, digital media.

A PR specialist uses the organizational USPs and translates them to positive & impactful stories. During crisis, role of PR is to formulate the best response and mitigate the damage.

Popular PR Activities

• Write and distribute press releases

• Speech, business pitch & response writing

• Conceptualization & Execution of PR events related to public outreach and media relations

• Conduct market research related to branding, product positioning etc

• Enhance organizational networking through events & activities

• Managing development & flow of internal & external communication

• Formulation of PR strategies

• Social media promotions and handling negative sentiments.

Requirement to work in PR

To be a PR specialist requires a degree in communications or journalism. Excellent writing & verbal communication & strong networking skills are mandatory for this role. A PR specialist should be a quick analyzer of any situation / sentiments & should be able to respond to it in no time. PR professionals usually work from backend & keep the formal management of the company at the front.