New Media: How to become a Public Relations Specialist
Public relations specialists work for a specific employer or for an agency. In both cases, the job involves “getting the word out,” either for the employer or for a variety of clients. That means informing the public about, for instance, an event, a development, a new product or whatnot.
“Public relations is storytelling,” said Dresden Engle, founder and executive director of Dresden Public Relations, based on Browncroft Boulevard. Storytelling can be through platforms including the clients’ or employer’s website, social media posts, advertising and printed materials, as well as exposure through “traditional” media, such as newspapers and TV and radio stations.
“No two days are ever the same,” Engle said, adding that the hours are varied and often include weekends. Her firm has specialists in different areas, but often the situation is “all hands on deck.”
Qualities needed:
People employed in public relations (or PR) should be outgoing and like people and be able to communicate well, both succinctly and creatively. They need to be writers, said Engle, who was a newspaper reporter and free-lance writer before she started her firm.
Because of the way that people “consume” information nowadays, PR specialists must be savvy with “new media” like Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and Snapchat, Engle said, as well as have an understanding of “traditional” media. They need know about the analytics involved, like how and when to post information or updates, and think “visually.
Video is two-thirds of all online consumption,” Engle added.
Other essential qualities, Engle said, are honesty and integrity. “One thing with public relations people is they should never, ever, ever lie,” she said. “In the ethics of it, you have to be the conscience of the organization.”
Education/training needed:
Typical entry-level education for the field is a bachelor’s degree with a background in journalism. Writing for the college newspaper is good experience, Engle said, along with elective courses in marketing. Internships are important.
“The field changes every day, and if you’ve never had the hands-on experience, it’s difficult to go from zero to 100,” Engle said. That’s particularly important if the client or employer is going through what is known as “crisis relations,” as happened a lot when Coronavirus first hit and upended pretty much everything.
By ALAN MORRELL
