Public Relations Specialist

A public relations specialist is someone who creates and presents a positive image about an organization to the public. He/she is tasked with the responsibility of portraying the organization in a positive light in order to create a good impression about the company to its customers and members of the public. Public relations specialists can represent companies, individuals, celebrities, and politicians. In a situation where a client is being perceived negatively by members of the public, the public relations specialist is tasked with communicating with the public on behalf of the client and uses various media to spread the message in order to maximise reach.

As a public relations specialist you must understand what the concerns of the public are in order to communicate the company’s message in a way that suits and addresses those concerns. To be proficient at your job, you have to build relationships with media houses and personalities who can respond to your call at any time should the need arise. You are also responsible for building and maintaining your organization’s image by making public appearances at relevant events, issuing press releases, speaking at interview sessions, and ensuring advertising campaigns align with the overall image of the organization.

Let’s take a look at what it entails to be a public relations specialist.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

To be a public relations specialist you need a bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations, marketing or any other related field. However due to the steep competition in this industry, you may need additional professional training in order to improve your skills and proficiency. A master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications will be an added advantage to your CV. You may also take the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations exams in order to be certified as a PR professional.

SKILLS YOU NEED

To be a public relations specialist you must possess excellent communications skills and be able to communicate your ideas clearly in a way that makes it easy for your listener to understand. You must be an excellent writer; your content must be able to achieve the result you want to get with your customers. Your press releases should be captivating, engaging and have the ability to sustain the attention of readers. Ability to conduct research is also a skill required of a public relations specialist. Creativity is also needed to be a good public relations specialist because you will be faced with situations that require fresh ideas and you will need to deliver on the spot. Other skills you will need to have are interpersonal skills, and ability to listen to others.

JOB RESPONSIBILITY

Your job responsibility as a public relations specialist includes writing press releases and distributing information to various media houses. Develop and build your organization’s corporate image using various channels of communication such as company website, social media campaigns and other forms of promotion. You are also tasked with responding to requests and questions from customers and other personalities outside your organization. You are responsible for arranging interviews and drafting speeches for your organization’s top executives. You must keep up to date with current happenings in the media world so as to manage any negative comments or feedback about your organization online. Evaluate promotional campaigns on various platforms to ascertain that they are in sync with your company’s overall image and public relations effort.

WHO DO PUBLIC RELATIONS SPECIALISTS WORK FOR?

As stated above, the services of public relations specialists are required by various clients.  However, large organizations such as GTB, Zenith, MTN, Samsung, Microsoft, Shell, and Chevron do have PR specialists on their payrolls.

Being a public relations specialist requires creativity, and you must be apt to respond to negative information about your company. You must have the ability to think outside the box and come up with strategies on the go in order to present and maintain a positive image for your company.