PR Consulting

PR Consulting
Photo by Austin Distel / Unsplash

Public Relations is the management of "public opinion" (i.e., the beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and understanding) of an organization's stakeholders - primarily its target audience - through human interaction. It is a continual process that involves both the organization and its publics.

Public Relations is a management function defined by both its nature and extent, and it can be addressed in terms of the entire organization, only departments or programs, or through specific function areas.

Who are PR Consultants?

Public relations (PR) consultants manage the communications between an organization, its stakeholders, and the public. PR consultants represent clients to an industry and/or organization stakeholders. They provide guidance on how to effectively communicate with their audience as well as how an organization can deal with outside communications, but they also deal with general business issues such as media relations. Many different types of people work in the PR field including marketing professionals and communicators who have learned about PR through classes or internships abroad.

The relationship between an organization, its stakeholders and its public is a complex one, with many variables that interact. The role of an organization in this dynamic of relationships is to maximize its ability to achieve success in the current and emerging communication environment; to increase awareness about the existence and nature of their organization through effective and strategic public relations programs; and to build corporate image by minimizing negative perceptions.

Duties and Responsibilities of a PR Consultant

PR Consultants have a wide variety of duties and responsibilities, depending on the type of consultation that client requests. These range from crisis management and media relations to pricing strategies. PR consultants ensure public opinion is properly articulated for their clients by managing the following;

· Media Monitoring:

A PR consultant monitors the media and consumer perception of your clients. This includes the content of the material or articles produced about your client, as well as who is reading the material or articles in your client's industry, geographic region, and so forth. The PR consultant also monitors whether or not consumers are taking actions such as boycotting a product or service, becoming customers of another firm, etc. The PR consultant will then pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of this perception and then put together a strategy to help you improve or negate these perceptions.

· Outreach:

A PR consultant contacts and communicates with individuals in the media that are producing material that is related to your client, as well as individuals in your client's industry, geographic region, and consumer segment. The PR consultant may do this on behalf of your client or they may connect an agent (publicist) of your client with these individuals.

A PR consultant's goal is to create a good relationship with these individuals so that they will consistently provide information about your client that is relevant, accurate, and helpful. Additionally, the PR consultant may use this communication with these individuals to help you develop a presence or increase awareness of your client's brand or mission.

PR Consultants Skills and Job Requirements

To become a PR consultant, you need a number of personal and professional skills and requirements that are necessary for success in this career. Here is a list of some of the most important requirements:

· Savviness with the media: You must have an understanding of how to work with the media, what they expect from you and how to create a strong presence in the media.

· A high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ): You must be able to empathize with others and be able to effectively communicate your ideas and opinions about your client's organization or brand.

· Metrics-based thinking: You must be able to see the bigger picture and understand how your actions will affect both the present and future of your clients brand.

· Idea generation: You must be able to generate creative, unique and innovative ideas for marketing campaigns.

· Media relations: You must know how to effectively communicate with key individuals in the media as well as what content they are expecting from you. This includes writing press releases and pitching story ideas.

· Development: You must be able to plan, organize and execute large scale public relations campaigns for public awareness as well as raise funds for your clients.

· Strategic thinking: You must be able to plan, organize and execute large scale projects.

· Analytical: You must be able to analyze data and utilize this data to make changes in the marketing or advertising of your clients organization.

· Creativity: You must be able to create effective marketing messages that are appealing, creative and work with a variety of media outlets.

· Dealing with failure: You must be able to take action after you have found out that your strategy or plan is not working.

Work environment for a PR consultant

PR consultants work in an office or other professional environment. Their work is independent and deadlines are important. PR consultants may need to travel for their job, such as to attend conferences, workshops or client meetings.

Education and experience requirements for a PR consultant

A PR consultant needs a bachelor's degree in public relations (BPR), public relations and communication (PRC), public affairs, journalism or a related field; some employers will accept a related master's degree instead. Experience in public relations or related fields is also preferred.

PR consultants are required to pass their state bar exam before they are qualified to work with clients.

Job outlook and salary for a PR consultant

The demand for PR consultants is expected to be high, with a growth rate of 5% to 8%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job outlook is strong with a range of job openings at the entry level of 13-15%. The median salary for PR consultants was $38,160 as May 2015.