Public Relations

The public relations industry consists of various structures: corporate agencies dedicated solely to providing public relations services, independent public relations firms, solo practitioners, and then there are public affairs and public relations departments (in-house) within corporations, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and colleges and universities. A single designated distribution channel for public relations content does not exist; instead, PR professionals rely on all available media outlets to gather information as well as spread news on behalf of their clients. They work closely with journalists at television stations, magazines, newspapers, Web sites, and radio stations to pitch and place stories. They also gather information as part of their communications strategy for clients. Depending on the type of agency or specialty of the individual practitioner, public relations services may be offered in areas such as brand marketing, corporate positioning, corporate social responsibility, crisis management, digital marketing, opinion research, organizational communications, public affairs/government relations, as well as general public relations.