When we talk about companies and corporations every person has a view on shareholders, customers, the government, the general public, and the media. So, there are dozens of viewpoints and many types of PR. Each PR has a different purpose and each suits a different professional.
People working in public relations are responsible for building good relationships between the client and the client’s audience as well as the wider public. Their main work is to maintain, build and repair the reputation or the image of a brand.
The different typical roles in public relations are:
Media Relations.
Main work of media relations is to deal with the media like scheduling interviews, writing press releases and giving press conferences. In short their main goal is to generate coverage for a company or a product. Simply, can we say that a company needs the media to do advertising for free. The key role is to generate positive influence to draw audiences towards the product by having an eye for compelling stories that the media wants to cover. Skills required for this role is to become a copywriter who can produce well written, snappy, press releases for company’s spokespeople who can stand and give speeches in the press. When it comes to media relations, you can consult with Indian PR Distribution, in case you are looking for the best PR agencies in India.
Community Relations.
The work of a community engagement officer is to develop a company’s relationship with the local communities. Their work includes – getting local support for any kind of projects such as building or manufacturing a new plant, proper interest of the public in your service or products and maintaining the company’s ethical reputation. To become a community engagement officer one needs to understand how people in a community act and things and how best one can engage with them by organising events or visiting schools or even writing letters in an organised and enthusiastic manner.
Public Affairs.
Public Affairs means getting the government on your side. In this position you need to make contact with a minister and convince them about your case and provide them with proper information so that they can talk confidently and work on your issue. They are occasionally sneaky, personable and tenacious. They make good relations with the government as well as other organisations.
Crisis Management
Crisis management in a PR is needed when a disaster appears like an oil tanker spills, an employee accuses the company for wrong doing, the CEO is arrested etc. these things can ruin companies reputation and create a bad image in the minds of the audiences. Crisis managers also known as the quick thinkers know how to spin and the issue; they have the potential to manage teams and disasters tasks. They know which problem actually needs a press conference and how it can be solved.
The proper skills needed are:
- Organisation
- Interpersonal skills
- Managing time
- Ability to write properly
- Have a good commercial awareness
- Well-versed in IT skills
Working in a PR is highly appreciated and is a very pleasant job where you can really learn different ways for studying people and their mindset.
