A public relations (PR) manager is in charge of overseeing how customers and the media perceive a person or company. A public relations manager, also known as a public relations specialist or a PR manager, assists a company in managing its public image. A PR manager’s job typically entails both positive and negative publicity generation and management.
Depending on the nature of the job, a PR manager may have a variety of responsibilities. A manager in this position might be in charge of obtaining press releases to announce the start of a new project or to inform the public about a new initiative. A public relations manager may also be in charge of generating interest in the story from newspapers or other media outlets.
A PR manager’s responsibilities include spreading the company’s positive image and assisting in the development of a market presence. To help a company grow, managers devise programs and call on contacts and relationships. They also assist the business in determining the image it wishes to project.
Public relations professionals can also help a company deal with negative press. Through the development and maintenance of contacts within the journalism industry, this can include knowing ahead of time when a negative story will be published. It could also entail assisting a company in preparing a statement or determining how to turn a negative story into a positive one.
A public relations manager can work for a variety of people and organizations. A company might have a full-time public relations department or staff dedicated to managing the company’s press and image. Alternatively, a business may hire a public relations director or manager to deal with a specific issue or situation.
A public relations manager can also be hired individuals. This is common among celebrities who want to project a certain image and who want their publicist to find them jobs, get them news coverage, or keep scandals out of the press. Politicians and candidates for office may also have a public relations and public image manager working for them.
The majority of public relations managers have excellent communication skills. They must be able to develop and maintain relationships as well as serve as the company’s public face. Many PR managers need to understand marketing concepts and branding, so they need to have a good business sense.