Public Relations Manager
OFO No:
What is a Public Relations Manager?
A Public Relations Manager may be called a PR Manager.
A Public Relations Manager can work for a large company in PR department or for an individual, for example a celebrity or politician.
Their main job is to monitor how the company (or person) is viewed by the public, customers and the media.
It’s important that the PR Manager generates positive publicity and to maintain the company’s or individual’s positive image. Any negative action by company or individual must be managed and contained as quickly as possible. Negativity of any sort can seriously damage profitability. This negativity can take ages and a lot of time to mend.
Examples:
- When large, money-making oil companies are responsible for terrible environmental disasters, their public image is extremely negative. It takes a lot of hard work to rectify this situation.
- When Tiger Woods, international golfer, was seen to be having multiple romantic affairs, his image was extremely negative and he lost a lot of his sponsorships.
What does a Public Relations Manager do?
(depends on the nature of the job)
- liaises with other managers / individual to make sure of the image they want to present
- makes sure company or individual’s name has a positive image in the market place
- writes press releases informing the public on positive things – events, new products, promotions etc
- manages bad press and writes statements to try and diffuse negative image
- tries to prevent scandals ending up in the media and if they do, try to ‘spin’ a positive image
- networks
- develops and designs good PR strategies and implements them
- monitors effectiveness of strategies
- works with market research and advertising companies
Are you . . . ?
- a good communicator? (read, write and speak)
- a people’s person?
- positive?
- a problem solver?
- a good negotiator?
- sociable?
- prepared to work odd hours?
- professional?
How do I become a Public Relations Manager?
A PR Manager is usually an older person who has a qualification/s as well as years of experience and skills in this field.
To enter the PR department, it’s advisable to have a qualification in Public Relations / Communications or similar. Once qualified you could try and get an internship or an assistants / clerk job in the PR department.
Once there, you can work your way up through the department, collecting skills and experience along the way.
You can study courses in the above at most universities and universities of technology.
TRAINING:
- CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
- Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
- To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education.
- CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions.
OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER: Brand Manager … or … Advertising Manager
Is becoming a Public Relations Manager the right career choice for me?