Want to become a public relation officer? Learn about these 5 duties

Posted by prajval rajeshirke on August 17th, 2019

Perception is a reality today, and it does not get truer than how the public perceives people, companies, products, and services. Public relation officers play a critical role in creating these perceptions. They do so by building relationships and keeping the audience updated with their clients. Public relation officers create the brand story that they want to recite, conduct media inquiries during the crisis, and are on the forefront for creating and maintaining public perception. They help businesses reach their goals.

How to become a public relation officer? You first have to enrol for public relation courses which are available in undergraduate, diploma, and management level. The next step is to understand their role. They are as follows:

1)    Strategy: PR officers have to chalk out plans for their clients. This plan talks about the client’s objectives and goals, the best campaign tactics, timelines and budgets for the project. Most of these strategic planning involves research, and PR officer conducts most of it. They measure public perception by using surveys, other tools, understanding what the competitors are doing, learning about specific issues, determining the best influencers, and how to position and social platforms for the brand. PR officers have to keep their brands under good light. For this, they have to create and implement a plan.

2)    Media relations: A media school also teaches aspiring PR officers to work cordially with the media. It tops the list of duties, in fact. Not only do PR officers handle media inquiries, arrange interviews, and provide information upon request, but are also involved in media training and preparations. In many cases, PR officers are also called upon as the company’s spokesperson. They also send out new press releases, arrange interviews, and organise a press conference for their clients.

3)    Internal communication: Considering several PR officers work directly for the organisation they represent and not as an agency, internal communication is vital here. Some of the duties involved are managing company newsletter, planning and promoting employee communication in the event of a crisis. They typically have to focus on building and boosting the morale of the employees which ensures the employees keep up with company policies, changes, and initiatives. School of communication emphasise on this part the most.

4)    Publicity: The other part of a PR officer is to get publicity for their client. They have to get favorable coverage, and the best way to achieve that is by issuing a press release, reaching out to the media, scheduling press conferences, and attracting media attention. Some PR officers also focus on creating a buzz on social media mediums. The other part to this duty is creating brochures, organising and assembling press kits, writing blogs, updating social media accounts, and so on.

5)    Crisis communication: Public relation courses prepare you to face challenges as well. They are put to the test when a crisis occurs, be it a disaster, a death, damage, a scandal involving the top executive, or negative comments from customers. PR officers have to take the necessary action and protect their employer and client’s reputation.

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prajval rajeshirke

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prajval rajeshirke
Joined: August 17th, 2019
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