Public Relations
Public relations is the management of communications between a business and its various publics, including customers, potential clients, government, suppliers, interest groups, stockholders, and more. This communication can take place via many forms of media, including television, Internet, mail, magazines, billboards, radio, and newspapers. The goal of these communications is to increase goodwill toward the company, which in the long-term should increase profitability, maintain and grow a customer base, and satisfy various contingents.
A public relations manager might organize a campaign to give away free samples of a new energy drink at a concert, draft a press release about an organization's recent donations to charity, or give interviews and handle publicity for a well-known company. If the company gains negative publicity over a mistake or controversy, then the public relations manager must work to repair and improve the company's reputation. Essentially, the more positive the information that can be transmitted to the public, the more likely a company is to be successful – and transmitting this information is the job of a public relations manager.
Skills: Because public relations work involves interacting with many groups of people, anyone specializing in this field of business needs to have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate simply and clearly. Professionals in this field tend to be extraverted and enthusiastic, with good judgment and the ability to take initiative. They need to be good at research and problem solving, and may work independently or as part of a team. These skills are honed over the course of a degree program, and can be applied to a wide number of career fields upon graduation.
Over the course of a public relations degree program, students take classes not only in their specific subject but also in marketing, communications, journalism, and psychology. Courses often include:
- Communication and Team Dynamics
- Consumer Behavior
- Crisis Communications
- Essentials of Marketing
- Ethics and Professional Responsibility
- Social Media
- Effective Negotiation Strategies
- Strategic Planning in Public Relations
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- Media Relations
- Public Opinion Research
- Social Psychology
- Public Relations Writing
Careers: These classes are useful preparation for careers in a number of fields, not just public relations. People with this degree often go into marketing, analysis, advertising, journalism, government, or promotions.
Salary: Salaries tend to vary – a public relations specialist in 2008, for example, earned $51,280, while an advertising and promotions manager earned $80,220. Writers made an average of $53,070 per year, whereas market research analysts made $61,070.
Article Resources:
The University of California, Davis
The University of Florida
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, and Sales Managers"
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Authors, Writers, and Editors"
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: "Public Relations Specialists"