If you’re here you’re probably wondering what is Public Relations. There is a lot of information on our site about Public Relations. Here are 5 of the most frequently asked questions:

1. What is Public Relations?

Public Relations is the art and science of building and managing reputation of a brand or organisation or individual through planned communication to various stakeholders that can be measured

2. Who can get into professional Public Relations?

Any adult with loads of common sense, a flair for storytelling and a passion to excel can be in Public Relations. People in P come from various streams including medicine, law, technology, marketing, literature etc. Typically, those graduates or post-graduates who have specialised in media, mass communication opt for a career in Public Relations

(Related: 10 Signs you are made for PR)

3. What are the job prospects in Public Relations?

Jobs in Public Relations are of two types – In-house in the communications or PR department of a corporate or social organisation or in a consulting firm. A PR firm is similar to a law firm but has the vibe of an advertising company. Salaries start at Rs 3 lakh per annum and every five years close to triple for best-in-class professionals. PR professionals end up as Communications Directors and CEOs at PR firms by the time they are in the 15^th to 20^th year in the profession.

4. What does work at a PR firm entail?

Public Relations firms act on behalf of their clients. A client brand is called an account and four layers of professionals work. Entry level professionals are called associates or executives. Mid-level professionals are called managers or supervisors. Senior level professionals are called directors and then the hierarchy narrows into various avatars of Vice Presidents.

A key to understanding what is public relations is that an entry level professional is expected to monitor media – mainstream and social using various tools. This also includes voraciously reading the daily newspapers for news on the client, the competition and the industry at large. The news is tracked and shared with the client. This is followed by connecting with and interacting with various stakeholders including the media. Another crucial task is creating content which could range from speeches, press releases, white papers, social media posts among others. Dealing with potential and existing crises and planning events is also part of the job.

(Related: India’s biggest PR firms)

5. How is a job in corporate communications different from a job in a PR firm?

A job in corporate communications is like that in a PR firm in some ways. However, there are areas which are generally managed in-house. These include corporate social responsibility and employee engagement. In a PR firm there is scope to work on multiple clients across diverse areas. In a corporate communications set-up one has to work for the business that the company is into. Corporate communications is a good option after having worked three to five years in a PR firm.

(Related: Which are India’s top Corporate Communications Teams?)

You may also be interested in:

1. Why you should study public relations
2. Why public relations careers rock
3. Public Relations Trends to Watch Out for in 2018
4. How To Find The Best Mass Communication Colleges in India
5. A Letter to Class of 2017 of PR School – SCoRe

– Amith Prabhu

Amith is the Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe)- A post graduate institute of Public Relations built by the Indian PR community.

He is also the founder of the PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS, India’s annual summit of reputation management professionals. He can be reached @amithpr on twitter.