pr career
pr career

The public relations industry was ranked as the third-best creative and media job last year by the World Report, and the evidence is clear – PR jobs have become incredibly popular, especially in the digital age.

Contrary to popular belief the PR industry isn’t all about press releases, media coverage, and viral ads. By its very definition, PR is all about strategic communication and mutually beneficial relationships.

Public relations professionals are supposed to build strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders. Those stakeholders include everyone from the clients and their businesses, to journalists and media outlets, government agencies, and more. What’s more, all of those relationships are then leveraged to put the client and their business in a positive light in front of the public.

All of that is done through media, collaborations, networking, awards, and other industry events, which means PR professionals are essentially communications specialists.

The industry itself functions at a very fast pace, with multiple tasks, projects, and events constantly ongoing throughout the workday, which can be overwhelming for some. However, the best way to go about accomplishing anything in public relations is usually to dive in and learn as much as possible about a variety of topics, and never being afraid to ask questions.

Education

Although it’s considered an advantage, studying communications doesn’t really matter at the end of the day, as long as the upcoming PR professional can communicate and write well, is able to think on their feet, have a knack for newsworthy stories, and is flexible.

There are plenty of situations that can happen in the public relations industry that aren’t related to topics covered at university or college classes, which is why being able to learn new things along the way is an essential skill. There are plenty of ways that anyone can learn basic communications skills, however, those skills aren’t the most important things for the job, as knowing which questions to ask, and how to respond in various scenarios is just as important.

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Networking and Creativity

Another large part of public relations jobs is networking, although it’s not all about meeting with different celebrities at different hours of the day. Even if it’s not a typical office job, it does require plenty of communication with media outlets, especially when working on getting media coverage for a client’s big event.

Furthermore, a lot of the working hours are also spent in researching and brainstorming with the goal of coming up with a perfect idea – whether that’s a perfect way to create a product launch campaign or the perfect angle to a story, it’s all about showcasing the client’s work to the target audience.

Influence

Finally, there’s the big element of being able to influence other people. That means having the ability to convince others that the PR professional’s idea has great potential and will lead to positive results for the client, the audience, the media outlets, and everyone else involved.

Along with influence, it also means being able to cultivate trust with other people and create a positive reputation too, to be able to work with top clients.

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.