FAQ

Some frequently asked questions about Public Relations
What is public relations?
What do you do in public relations?
How does public relations differ from marketing and advertising?
What is the role of public relations in the workplace?
Why would I pursue a public relations career?
How much will I get paid?
How can I get into public relations?
How can I establish credibility and experience while I'm studying the field?
What's the job market like?
What skills do employers look for?
How important is it to be fluent in English?
How can I find out more?

What is public relations?
In its broadest terms, public relations is the profession of communicating on behalf of a business or organization with the public, media, other businesses, employees, investors, special interest groups, stakeholders, and communities. The old stereotype of slick suits dashing off press releases and hob-nobbing with reporters is a most inaccurate simplification of the field. Effective PR requires the expertise to evaluate public and audience attitudes towards a company or organization and to influence those attitudes ethically through a broad range of appropriate actions and the distribution of relevant, accurate information.

So just what do you do in public relations?
Most PR professionals work in one of three broad segments: in-house, consultancy, or agency.

Those working in-house are employed directly by a corporation or organization. They might be responsible for communicating with internal staff and produce newsletters, and/or they might be responsible for crafting and communicating major external messages and strategies.

Consultants are self-employed, engaged by corporations or organizations on short- or long-term contracts.

PR agencies are businesses, larger than a one-person consultancy, that are paid by corporations and organizations to conduct PR on their behalf.

PR professionals within all three segments practice a broad range of PR activities. Some specialize in one or a few activities, while others are generalists. The main PR activities include communications planning, media relations, investor relations, corporate branding, community relations, business writing and the production of business materials, special events planning, crisis communications, and research and evaluation.

Back to top

How does public relations differ from marketing and advertising?
All three fields are related, and often work in cooperation. Marketing and advertising are concerned with the direct sale of products or services and development of markets, while Public Relations is concerned with the public perception of those products or services, or of the outfit creating them. Marketing specialists identify markets for their employer's products and services and then develop and implement communications programs creating and maintaining demand for those products and services. PR specialists identify people and audiences who have a relationship with their employer, explore what that relationship is, then develop and implement communications programs to reach and influence those people.

Advertising is a specialized area of marketing that involves identifying the media to which people interested in a product or service are attuned, and then paying for guaranteed placement of advertising in those media. In advertising, a company or organization can place its ad exactly as it wants to (as long as it breaks no legal or ethical boundaries).

Media relations, a specialized area of PR, also communicates through various media. It involves two streams: identifying media whose audience includes people a company or organization would like to communicate with, and then pitching appropriate stories and messages to that media.

In this arena of PR, however, the company or agency does not pay for media placement. It can influence, but not prepare or control, the final article or photograph published by a print, TV, radio, or other media outlet. Public relations specialists provide journalists with information about a news event or feature story, but it is up to that journalist to determine what to cover, how to tell the story, and when to tell the story. While they can bring a company or agency guaranteed exposure, marketing and advertising are expensive. It can cost upwards of $20,000 to place a single big colour ad in a major daily newspaper, and upwards of $250,000 for a 30-second TV ad on a top-ranked network television show. However, you can include content in an ad as you desire. You can control the message. That control means ads are generally not considered as credible as an article or news story - readers know you paid for that ad so put limited trust in it. In contrast, a reporter's article in a newspaper about your employer comes with a great deal of credibility expressly because readers know you did not control the message. That lack of control is one of the great challenges a media relations specialist faces.

Back to top

What is the role of public relations in the workplace?
Public relations practitioners are responsible for an organization's reputation and profile, and for communicating information on behalf of that organization. As such, in-house PR practitioners are often in management positions. Whether working in-house, or as a consultant, or with an agency, they work to build solid relationships based on goodwill with anyone interested in the company or whom the company is interested in - the media, employees, the general public, customers and potential customers, government, regulatory agencies, communities, stakeholders, and investors.

Back to top

Why would I pursue a public relations career?
It's a highly challenging, rewarding career with almost infinite facets and opportunities.

Clearly, getting along well with other people isn't enough to make you a good PR practitioner, though it is important in this and most other fields. PR draws knowledge and skills for numerous disciplines - business management, marketing, journalism, and psychology for example - so is practiced by people from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds. A biochemistry specialist may go into healthcare PR, while a computer scientist may work in high-tech PR.

A degree in PR is not necessary, though the industry as a whole is starting to realize the value of such an education. After sufficient time in public relations, you might seek professional certification as an "APR" (Accredited in Public Relations), a designation of increasing value in the profession.

Some of the main industry sectors within PR are: corporate, financial, consumer, public affairs, government, business-to-business, trade and technical, internal communications, non-profits, and charities.

Back to top

How much will I get paid?
Salary varies dramatically depending on experience, employer, job functions, and whether you work in-house, as a consultant, or in an agency. An entry-level PR professional entering an in-house or agency position can expect to start around $28,000 - $32,000. Senior PR professionals, though, can make well into six figures.

Back to top

How can I get into public relations?
While PR has been practiced ever since the corporation came to be, its modern form is actually quite new. Until a couple of decades ago, very few post-secondary institutions offered PR or communications courses and most PR practitioners came from other fields - media relations specialists from the media, forestry PR practitioners from forestry. PR has become far more central to the modern corporation in the last few decades, resulting in the rapid formalization of the field.

Now, many post-secondary institutions offer PR and communications education ranging from short-term certificates on through undergraduate and graduate degrees. Most young people newly interested in the field now undertake a diploma or degree in the profession. People still come into PR from other fields, but generally only after gaining expertise in that other field that will prove valuable in PR, and often with some supplementary education to help them along.

Back to top

How can I establish credibility and gain public relations experience while I'm studying the field in college or university?
One good answer: Volunteer and network. Volunteering with an organization (such as CPRS Vancouver), or a business or non-profit provides you with a response to that all-important interview question: "What experience do you have?" It also allows you to work in several sectors, helping you determine where you would like to get a long-term job. Volunteer positions sometimes result in paid work.

Networking won't give you experience as volunteering will, but can put you in front of people who may be hiring someone down the road. Find some organizations in sectors you are interested in and check them out.

Back to top

What's the job market like?
It tends to expand and shrink along with the general economy. BC's job market for PR practitioners is reasonably strong, and showing signs of growth. As organizations and businesses look for creative and cost-effective ways to stand out, PR is emerging as an attractive alternative to traditional marketing. Some industry sectors, however, are doing better than others. Booming sectors tend to be the ones creating new jobs.

Back to top

What skills do employers look for when hiring someone for an entry-level PR position?
That depends on the position. Some strengths are important to all PR activities - the ability to listen effectively, the ability to work well under pressure, a vibrant personality, common sense, energy, curiosity, organization, ability to learn, creativity, stamina, organization, and literacy. In addition, employers will look for a good knowledge working knowledge of basic PR skills - the ability to write well for a variety of purposes, the ability to develop media (and other audience) lists and contacts, research skills, and project coordination.

From there, requirements vary. Some positions will require advanced writing skills, others attention to minute details, some an effective phone manner. Some will require advanced software skills: HTML, XML, a range of other web skills, page design, Photoshop and more.

Back to top

How important is it to be fluent in English to work in public relations here in Vancouver?
In a word, vital. PR practitioners are in the business of communication, so you must be fluent in both written and spoken English to work in Vancouver's PR industry. Many positions will require far more than simply fluency. That said, a number of PR positions involve working with specific ethnic markets and communities, in which case fluency in other languages as well may be an asset, or even required.

Back to top

How can I find out more?
You'll find the Vancouver executives of the Canadian Public Relations Society listed on our Contact Us page. Pick one, and pursue until you get answers! (After all, they are in business of relating to the public.…) Or come to one of the events listed on our events calendar and do a little questioning and networking.

If you are a student, we recommend that you contact CPRS Vancouver's Education chair. You'll find contact info on our Contact Us page.