Public Relations

Most people aren’t aware of the work that public relations professionals do for their clients, because the end products aren’t always visible. Edward Bernays, considered the “father of spin” by many in the industry, attempted to explain the role of public relations in our society in his 1928 book Propaganda: “…it remains a fact that in almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons—a trifling fraction of our hundred and twenty million—who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world. It is not usually realized how necessary these invisible governors are to the orderly functioning of our group life.”

Public relations pros work day and night (and often weekends too) behind the scenes to place their clients in the right situations to get them seen and to get their messages across. They study the public’s opinion of their clients to understand how best to position them in the media, and they position them through the placement of articles in newspapers and magazines, on Web sites and blogs, and in postings in social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, and others. In their work for corporations, they help employers to communicate more effectively with their employees. A testament to their success can be seen in workers’ improved morale and productivity and heightened sales of the companies’ products and services. PR professionals also help customers to understand and have a deeper knowledge of the companies from which they buy products and services. They help communities learn more about the politicians who serve them. They study trends such as existing social attitudes and advise their clients on the ways they can win the public’s support. PR professionals strategize book publicity tours, publicity, propaganda (for the government), corporate communications, crisis management, and advertising.

Responsibilities vary depending on the public relations specialist’s role. Some duties may include planning events, setting up speaker’s engagements, researching and pitching ideas to the media, and/or devising communications plans. Some public relations professionals step in as spokesperson for their clients, fielding questions from the media. As the media world has grown more complex, so too has the practice of public relations. Generating buzz is still a big part of the job, but complex strategic communications are now added to the mix. PR professionals identify the issues and trends on which their clients need to focus. They also manage social media, leading and guiding online conversations for clients and agencies. It’s true that they still write press releases, but the work has expanded to include writing e-mails, Web copy, social media postings, collateral copy, speeches, and more. Publicists also help to create the public image of their clients. For example, if a celebrity wants to be known for his environmental awareness, his PR agent could strategize to have him arrive at a red carpet event driving his electric or hybrid vehicle rather than being chauffeured in a limo.

Public relations professionals may aim their work for internal publics, meaning people who are company employees, stakeholders, or members of an organization. They may also direct their work to external publics, which are clients who are doing business with a firm or an agency. Public relations professionals may work in any one, or all, of these three areas: publicity, event management, and publication design. Publicity is usually conducted by placing text, audio, and video news releases about an individual or organization in newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, Internet sites, and elsewhere. This is known as free media because there’s no charge for the placement. Publicity work can also entail crafting e-mails and social media content such as Facebook or Instagram posts, making phone calls, and having in-person meetings and meals.

Event management involves handling events such as product launches, press conferences, corporate meetings, educational conferences, road shows, grand opening events, concerts, award ceremonies, film premieres, launch parties, fashion shows, festivals, and games. Public relations professionals who work in this area are responsible for various aspects of the events. Depending on their job, their work may entail creating and developing the event, scheduling and arranging it, coordinating logistics, sourcing talent, and handling the production and promotion.

PR professionals who work in publication design are involved in the conception, writing, layout, and production of presentation media such as catalogs, brochures, manuals, flyers, newspapers videos, podcasts, film credits, DVD covers, stage props, Web sites, logotypes, branded packaging, and more.

As industry professional and former communications professor Anthony Curtis pointed out in his paper "What is Public Relations?", that RPIE is an important acronym all public relations professionals should know, regardless of their specialty. It stands for research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Before a PR project can begin, PR professionals need to research the topic and understand the public’s perception. Developing the goals, objectives, and strategies of the project is the planning phase. Implementing the plan means executing it. Evaluation is what follows after the project has been released to the public. PR professionals analyze the results to determine whether the goals and objectives have been met and if the intended changes actually happened.

Positive media coverage of a company or individual can go a long way toward building credibility in the public’s eye. Freddy J. Nager, founder and director of the Los Angeles-based strategy agency Atomic Tango, breaks out the positives of public relations in his article “Public Relations vs. Advertising: No Contest” as follows: “A new product or company needs credibility fast. But thanks to the Internet and Chinese factories gone wild, too many scams and crappy products are stinking up the marketplace, so trust is harder to earn than ever. There’s one fast and effective solution: press coverage. Nothing confers credibility more quickly than a third-party citation. (Especially if that third party goes by the name 'Oprah.') Simply being mentioned in the media gives a product, company, or person instant legitimacy. As much as we all love to dis the media, we still trust what a journalist says about a company more than what the company says about itself.” Nager points out that successful public relations campaigns can generate thousands, even millions, of dollars worth of press coverage, and that public relations work is also effective in getting consumers’ attention when they can otherwise skip ads through ad-blocking software. “…Consumers are more likely to notice what’s featured right in the TV show or press article. To get that kind of placement without paying for it requires PR.”

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recognizes successful public relations campaigns with its Silver Anvil or Bronze Anvil award, and shares the categories and industries that awardees work in on its Web site, https://www.prsa.org/conferences-and-awards/awards. The industries are wide ranging, from agriculture, nonprofits, beauty products, and business products, to entertainment, environmental, health and medical, military, retail, sports, and plenty of others. PRSA’s list of industry categories gives a good idea of the different areas professionals specialize in:

• community relations
• content marketing
• crisis communications
• events and observances
• financial communications
• global communications
• influencer marketing to expand awareness
• integrated communications
• internal communications
• issues management
• marketing: business to business; consumer products
• multicultural public relations
• public affairs: associations/government/nonprofit; business
• public service
• reputation/brand management
• social responsibility

One example of a successful public relations campaign is the Silver Anvil Award Winner “We Need to Talk: Wake Forest University's Call to Conversation." This was an internal communications campaign intended to build community by holding moderated, small-group dinner discussions. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents were invited to participate in face-to-face conversations, to develop new relationships and energize the environment at Wake Forest University. By 2021, more than 5,092 people in 190 cities had participated in these thought-provoking conversations.

Public relations professionals who work for corporate agencies are usually situated in comfortable office spaces with all the equipment, supplies, and support needed to get the job done. Senior-level workers may be in offices with windows and doors, or in open-space setups. Entry-level and junior PR workers are normally in cubicles with less privacy. PR professionals may also work from home offices or in hybrid situations with some days working on site in the office and other days working from home. Work is also done on-site with clients at their offices and work spaces. Many work at least 40 hours per week, and the hours can run longer due to evening or weekend events, or when news or a crisis needs to be addressed immediately. They attend meetings and community activities, conferences, parties, and other events, and they travel.