How Do I Start a Career in PR?
Public Relation (PR) has been described by many as the “Persuasive Business.” Although it is a very lucrative and rewarding career to venture in, there is a lot you must know first. This article is going to help in answering the question: how do I start a career in PR?
What is PR?
There are many definitions from various experts about PR. However, you can define PR as a relationship formed by an organisation through its strategic communication of information to the public and media.
It is the task of PR specialists to maintain or create a positive image for an individual or organisation by directly or indirectly communicating with the public through the media, often through writing newsletters, organising interviews, writing press releases, organising and participating in public conferences, among others means. These specialists can either be outsourced from a PR agency or the PR department of the business.
The PR Specialists
PR specialists are a team of professionals that come together to facilitate and organise communication between the organisation and the public. Since the field of PR needs no licence, there may be professionals with different backgrounds, which means that there are many job titles found under this field and many working in the background. But, for this article, we are going to look at: the PR Coordinator, PR Account Executive, PR Account Manager, PR Executive and PR Manager.
What is a PR Coordinator?
A PR Coordinator has the task of organising the tools made available to help create and maintain a company’s or a client's (if it is a PR agency) good reputation. They have the task of writing and issuing press releases, organising public appearances - such as organising interviews - and maintaining a social media presence.
What does a PR Account Executive and an Account Manager do?
A PR Account Executive works with a team in influencing public opinion. How do they achieve this? These PR specialists have the task of giving analytical reports of the public’s view on various subject matters, arrange for interviews with journalists, create campaign ideas, handle all the social media accounts of the company, or their clients.
The PR Account Manager has a similar task to that of the Account Executive. In contrast, the Account Manager works to find new clients for the company and communicates with the stakeholders of the company, whilst an Executive tries to satisfy the company’s existing clients.
What about the PR Executive and the PR Manager?
The PR Executive is a PR specialist with the task of planning, organising and implementing the strategies needed. They have to establish good relations with prominent journalists, influencers and sponsors, as well as research and get more sponsorship opportunities for the company- amongst other tasks.
The PR Manager has the responsibility of maintaining media bases, researching on and making known the key players that could help the company for the PR Executive to act on, as well as other administrative duties.
PR Qualifications and Experience
In starting a career in PR, you must look at your qualifications. In the UK, it would be good to have a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations. However, a degree in either Journalism or Marketing would suffice.
You can gain knowledge from doing internships at PR agencies or within the PR department of a company. Through internships, you would learn more about the field. For example, through your placements, you would learn how to become a PR Executive.
PR jobs in the UK
On average, a PR assistant would make from £18,000- £20,000 a year. For PR specialists, like a PR Coordinator, the average starting salary is £40,000 a year. For more senior positions like that of the PR Manager and Executive, the average salary a year is between £50,000- £55,000. Note that the wages you would receive would depend on your experience and your firm.
Find your next PR job in Brighton & Sussex
If you’re looking for a PR job, or any other digital marketing role in Sussex or Brighton, take a look at the latest roles on our Jobs site.
You can also find tips for helping you find your next job over on our blog below: