High School
As a publicist, you are the voice of the person or organization that you represent, so it is very important to be an effective communicator. Take classes in English, writing, and journalism to hone your writing skills, and take speech classes to help you learn how to compose your ideas and thoughts and convey them to an audience. You should also take other college preparatory classes, such as math, business, science, and foreign language. A general knowledge of history, sociology, psychology, and current events will also be useful.
Postsecondary Training
Most publicists are college graduates with degrees in public relations, marketing, communications, or journalism. A college degree is essential, according to the Public Relations Society of America. Visit https://prssa.prsa.org/chapter-firm-resources/start-a-prssa-chapter/pr-program-certification for a list of colleges and universities that offer certified public relations programs.
Other Education or Training
The Public Relations Society of America offers continuing education classes, webinars, seminars and workshops on crisis communications strategy, public relations writing, branding strategies, digital media, social media, and other topics. The International Association of Business Communicators and the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society also provide CE resources. Contact these organizations for more information.
- Actors
- Art Directors
- Audio Recording Engineers
- Broadcast Engineers
- Copywriters
- Corporate Community Relations Directors
- Demographers
- Disc Jockeys
- Foreign Correspondents
- Fund-Raisers
- Grant Coordinators and Writers
- Hedge Fund Investor Relations Specialists
- Market Research Analysts
- Marketing Consultants
- Media Planners and Buyers
- Media Relations Specialists
- News Anchors
- Online Reputation Managers
- Political Consultants
- Political Reporters
- Press Secretaries
- Public Opinion Researchers
- Public Relations Managers
- Public Relations Specialists
- Publicity Photographers
- Radio and Television Announcers
- Radio and Television Program Directors
- Radio Producers
- Reporters
- Social Media Influencers
- Social Media Workers
- Sports Broadcasters and Announcers
- Sports Publicists
- Talent Agents and Scouts
- Webmasters
- Writers