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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?
Which schools are better recognized for its Public Relations programs?
Do I need a degree in Public Relations to find work in the industry?
How do I get my foot in the door to find a job in the Public Relations industry?
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Which schools are better recognized for its Public Relations programs?
The schools listed on our website are all recognized and credible, and have graduates now working in the industry. Each school has a different specialty. Once you determine which area of Public Relations you want to focus on, talk with the program coordinators (and if possible, graduates) from the different schools to see which school best meets your needs, budget and schedule.
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Do I need a degree in Public Relations to find work in the industry?
No. It is not necessary to have a degree in Public Relations. However, the industry does value formal training through certificates, diplomas, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees. After sufficient time in Public Relations, you might want to consider professional accreditation as an “APR” (Accredited in Public Relations), a designation of increasing value in the industry.
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How do I get my foot in the door to find a job in the Public Relations industry?
Consider some or all of the following options to get your foot in the door, receive some experience and get noticed by professionals in the industry:
- School
- Volunteer with charities and professional organizations
- Find a mentor
- Networking
- Joining CPRS Vancouver is also highly recommended; the CPRS Vancouver bi-weekly newsletter, website, and job postings are considered valuable industry resources
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 have any other CPRS Student Member related questions, please contact:
Adam Grossman
Education Chair
adamgrossman1@gmail.com
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