If not, no need to worry – many of these abilities can be learned with time and dedication. Read on to find out the key skills you will need to be successful in the PR industry.
Communication Skills
If you currently work in public relations or are looking to work in public relations, chances are you majored in communications in college. In the PR industry, strategic communication (both written and verbal) is at the core of what you’d be doing on a day-to-day basis whether with clients, coworkers, or the media. Your job is to successfully relay, or communicate, your client’s story to the public in a captivating way through press releases, pitches, social media skills, and more. Overall, the result of your communications will not rely on what you have to say but will depend on how you get the message across. Take a moment to think about how many articles you’ve clicked on simply because of how the title was worded. What was it that caught your attention?
A few specific communication skills to home in on when it comes to professional development are relationship building, public speaking, and written communication skills. While these capabilities are great tools to have in almost any successful career, they are especially important for public relations specialists as these skills will help you build credibility and trust and build relationships with your client and the media.
Related: Different Press Materials and When To Use Them
Marketing & Social Media Skills
While it is easy to confuse marketing and PR for the same job, the main difference between the two is that marketing has the main end goal of promoting sales, while PR is focused on the client’s brand and reputation. With that being said, whether you are working in the PR world or marketing, it is important to have knowledge of both industries. Specifically, in the PR industry, it is vital to know about digital marketing. As the media landscape is always evolving with new social media platforms appearing every year, a strong understanding of digital communication has become a invaluable when it comes to amplifying your message, communicating and building relationships with new customers, and reaching new audiences with PR campaigns.
Teamwork
Working as a cohesive team plays a key role in successful PR campaigns. For many PR professionals, the major benefit of working together with a variety of people with different backgrounds and experiences is that everyone has unique perspectives to bring to the table. This helps to foster creativity and to differentiate all the work that you are presenting to clients. Working successfully in a team also helps to spread the love and alleviate pressures that come with work in a fast-paced environment filled with timely deadlines. It is important to remember as a PR pro that while your individual work is important, you have a team to lean on!
Attention to Detail
Another important skill to have as a public relations professional is attention to detail. This skill is going to come in handy in almost all aspects of the job description – from media list building, writing press releases, pitching under embargo, and more. For example, when making a media list for a press release about a product or company announcement, it is important to be extra aware of which journalists you are targeting in your list. To maintain positive media relationships, it is necessary to only include people on your media lists who would be interested in the news. Remember, journalists receive hundreds of emails a day, so if your pitch is irrelevant to them, chances are high that they won’t read it. On top of your pitch not being read, if you consistently fill journalists’ inboxes trying to get media coverage, you may overwhelm journalists and soil your relationships with the media outlet for the future.
Related: Mastering the Personalized PR Pitch
Writing Skills
As we discussed earlier, writing skills and verbal communication are core skills for PR specialists. So, let’s dive more into the written aspect of PR. When going through the interview process for a public relations job, many companies will have you complete a writing test and/or provide a writing sample to prove your proficiency in this skill. This is because you will be responsible for effectively developing unique messaging that will persuade journalists, clients and customers alike of why your client’s product or service is “all the rage.” The way you create messaging will vary depending on the target audience and the brand’s tone of voice. A few pieces of content you may be writing as a public relations specialist include:
- Pitches
- Emails
- Press Releases
- Blogs
- Social Media Captions
- Statements
- Leadership Quotes
- Presentations
- Speeches
- Media Kits
- Promotional events
- Background research
- Curating content
Organizational Skills
Last but not least on our list is organizational, strategic thinking, and time management skills for multiple clients. Whether working in a PR agency or in-house, you will be juggling multiple projects at a time. Organizational skills will come in handy whether you are working on a long-term campaign, handling multiple announcements at a time, or even with day-to-day time and task management. Pro Tip: To stay on top of deadlines, try writing them down! I personally like to keep an agenda of all my tasks and cross the list off as I go. Another great way to stay organized is to block off time on your calendar to work on a certain task. For example, let’s say you have a news scan due to your client at the end of every week. Try creating a weekly event on your calendar every Friday blocking off about 30 minutes for this task.
In this blog, we have discussed the important skills one must conquer to succeed in PR from active listening and the ability to communicate clearly with engaging content, being socially aware, having creative ideas and social media marketing skills, and teamwork to attention to detail, writing ability, and organization. So, which skills will you be adding to your PR resume?
Looking for more insights from public and social media relations professionals? Explore our Public Relations Agency and reach out today!
