esterday, we explored seven skills that can jumpstart a career in public relations.
A PR professional is essentially involved in building and enhancing the image of an organisation or an individual.
S/he also acts as the link between the media and the client.
This client can be a company, an individual or a government entity.
These days, most actors, sportspersons, fashion designers, artistes as well as professionals like doctors, lawyers and even architects, hire PR professionals.
Responsibilities include:
- Coordinating interviews
- Coordinating interactions between company officials/ clients and the media
- Organising press conferences
- Charting out a media strategy
- Writing press releases
- Coordinating events, among others
"There are so many companies, brands and industry sectors. So PR associates are divided into teams. So you have one team in a company that is working for the corporate sector, another working in the banking sector, another in healthcare, yet another for media, for lifestyle, and so on," says Pooja Chaudhari, co-founder of Zzebra, the PR agency that handles the Lakme India Fashion Week
"Film PR has become a separate entity. Sports PR is huge. Healthcare is rapidly gaining ground. If you have a natural or an inkling of any of these topics, you tend to move there. And then you grow in ranks," she says.
Here are some of the duties of a PR manager, taking the example of the Lakme India Fashion Week, explains Pooja.
i. The media manager puts in a media strategy for any event leading up to the event.
ii. You also have an event PR agency, which works with the media manager to make sure the strategy is implemented correctly.
iii. The media manager's role is that of a centrepoint, wherein PR agencies of all sponsors, stakeholders, designers, event organiser and everyone else associated with the event, pool in their resources to make sure it gets maximum mileage.
You have 13 sponsors for the event, you have 67 designers who participate. And, by now, everyone realises the importance of PR. So the media manager acts as the nodal professional.
iv. This means s/he has to be exposed to all facets of an organisation -- technology, manufacturing, quality control, finances, marketing, human resources, corporate social responsibility, training and legal, among others.
v. The media manager also decides when to disseminate what information. Should the information be revealed in Mumbai or Delhi, should there be a road show, do you do a photoshoot so there is more visual opportunity, or do you call a press conference?
In the case of an event, a PR manager's role involves scheduling everyone's presence, handling the conference and the media people.
The entire handling of a publicity campaign has a huge impact. And this can happen only when you have a good understanding of how the media works.
In course of a career in PR, you have to deal with people from different levels of a company. "You need to be able to hold conversations with people in different industries and from different levels. One day, you are talking to a CEO, the next day, to someone in the lower echelons," says Chaudhari.
Making contacts is imperative. The more people you know, the better your career will shape up.
The salary
A PR associate starts off with a salary that ranges between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000 a month. But growth is fast.
The highs and lows
The biggest attraction of a PR job is the amount of knowledge you can gain.
Being a mass media-related job, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and people who are well connected is a given.
You deal with celebrities, ministers, VIPs, internationally known names, top corporate honchos and achievers of different fields.
"You learn about different professions and different industries all the time. It's a fun place to be in," says Chaudhari.
But like in any other profession, there are downsides as well.
Far from being a cushy 9 to 5 job, a PR career requires you to be on your feet all the time.
Also, it is not a desk job that allows you to sit in one place and work. Attending late night parties and events might strain your health and give you little time to spend with your family and friends.
Besides, you meet all kinds of people. Some good and some not-so-good.
Complacency is one thing that's just not acceptable in this career.
You have to know about world affairs and current affairs. So, if you don't like reading papers, watching television and staying up-to-date on everything happening around you, this career won't work for you.
So if the pluses weigh out the minuses for you, take the plunge!
Part I: Seven skills to jumpstart a career in public relations
