Public Relations Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a public relations manager job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a public relations manager. Feel free to use our public relations manager job description template to produce your own public relations manager job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a public relations manager.
Who is a Public Relations Manager?
A public relations manager (PR Manager) is a media and public relations specialist who is in charge of organizing and supervising the production of content that will maintain or improve their client’s or company’s reputation in the public eye.
A public relations manager (PRM) uses interviews, press releases, and other forms of communication to assist their audience to understand their organization’s point of view. They monitor political, economic, and social changes that may have an impact on them.
Public Relations Manager Job Description
What is a public relations manager job description? A public relations manager job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a public relations manager in an organization. Below are the public relations manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a public relations manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a public relations manager include the following:
- Prepare a budget and a plan for your public relations activities.
- Assist with the planning and evaluation of various promotional and marketing products.
- Review media announcements and media kits’ web content.
- Make sure the corporate image is in line with the company brand by regularly monitoring it.
- Examine and control the content that is created for websites and social media platforms.
- Establish KPIs for the department of public relations.
- Measure each public relations effort and give reports on it.
- Create enduring connections with all important parties, including the local administration, members of the media, lawmakers, and so forth.
- Develop content for a range of hearings, speeches, and events
- Create and carry out a media plan and crisis communications guidance, if necessary.
- Create a marketing communications plan that includes a strategy, budget, and goals.
- Create a media relations plan with the goal of securing prominent placements in print, television, and online media.
- Coordinate all public relations efforts.
- Engage audiences across traditional and new media, and direct the social media team.
- Utilize current media connections and establish new relationships with commercial and industrial media.
- Organize requests for interviews with the media.
- Create material for keynote speeches, byline articles, and press releases.
- Evaluate and discuss every quarter, and track the outcomes of public relations efforts.
- Evaluate potential joint ventures, sponsorships, and advertising opportunities.
- Create alliances with influential thought leaders to raise market awareness.
- Keep up-to-date on industry changes that influence clients and develop palatable suggestions for communication strategies related to them.
Qualifications
- Education to a degree level is frequently required. Sometimes businesses are seeking a BA/MA degree in marketing, advertising, or communications, or a public relations postgraduate diploma. But personal features and experience in business are the most valued attributes.
- Two to three years’ experience in public relations, either in-house or in an agency, is a minimum.
- A track record of designing and delivering communication plans is required, as is experienced in working closely with journalists and replying to media inquiries.
Essential Skills
- Effective Communication Techniques: From press releases to magazine articles to blog posts, a public relations manager must offer customers intriguing information. This content must be created to appear in locations that the consumer does not own, with blogs being the likely exception. Both the reader and the potential publisher—the editor of the magazine or newspaper that decides whether to publish the piece—must be interested in the content.
The goal with website content and blog posts is for readers to quickly engage with, read, and share within their own virtual networks. In addition to effectively communicating the client’s message, the content must also meet the requirements of the publisher. Technical writing ability is not sufficient; the message and content must be intriguing and relevant.
- Understanding of global perspectives: An international, multicultural viewpoint starts with the recognition that different people have different ways of thinking. Varying levels of politeness are expected. Icons and cultural emblems are distinct. Tastes can differ. A message that appeals to one audience may alienate a different one. A savvy public relations manager understands and accounts for these variations and can explore various audiences as necessary or enlist further assistance.
- Honesty: Your reputation is very important in public relations. Being open, truthful, and committed to your basic principles in your working life can not only give you better sleep at night but also help you expand your network and produce higher-caliber work. Falsehoods, spin, and alternative facts will diminish the efforts you have made to represent a client and their brand. Stick to the truth if you want to make an impression in the PR industry.
- Information and study: It’s crucial to have the ability to conduct research and broaden your knowledge of a client’s product or service. You can have a successful career in public relations by being current on the most recent market trends, competition, technology, and client needs. Additionally, conducting background research enhances your ability to effortlessly meet the demands of your clients and speak confidently and fluently with journalists and analysts about your subject matter. Consider how portraying yourself as someone who understands technology and the fast-paced nature of the tech industry would make you a preferred contact over those who solely rely on other skills. For instance, several public relations organizations specialize in specialized tech areas.
- People abilities: The ability to build a professional network is more than just a soft talent; it’s essential for success in public relations. Along with your vocal and written communication abilities, your capacity for building relationships and exuding confidence and charm will make you an excellent PR professional.
- Multitasking in a stressful work environment: The ability to work on multiple projects at once will be a part of your daily routine in the high-pressure environment of public relations. This involves managing numerous clients with various needs and time constraints. Public relations would be a blast for professionals who enjoy working in a fast-paced setting and thrive in it.
- Keen focus on details: In order to have a long and prosperous career in public relations, accuracy in your work is crucial.
- Keen attention to details: Accuracy and attention to detail are essential for a public relations specialist to effectively tell their customers’ stories in the media, which is moving at a rapid speed and undergoing constant change. It’s crucial to provide a flawless edit while continuously assessing and modifying written content for clients because even the tiniest errors could make the difference between a campaign’s success or failure.
- Ability to Adapt to Change: The media environment is constantly changing. More people than ever are using apps and social media to consume media, where clickbait is a common reporting technique. You must be nimble as a public relations manager and respond to these developments.
- Ability to think strategically: Public relations managers need to be able to make quick decisions. Since it’s now extremely uncommon to meet media buyers and journalists in person, quick strategic thinking can help you effectively communicate a client’s brand, create a proposal, host events, and carry out campaigns. Excellent strategic thinking originates from a place of passion, vision, and intimate familiarity with your subject matter. adept on social media
- Social Media Savvy: One of the main drivers of change in the media and public relations sectors has been the rise of social media in recent years. Twitter and Facebook have not only changed how information is consumed, but they have also completely changed how the material is created. Public relations professionals are increasingly creating material for social media as the primary means of delivering a client’s campaign. The capability of measuring a campaign’s reach and overall effectiveness while using social networks is a fantastic feature that contributes to social media’s power. More people than ever are using LinkedIn to connect with clients, editors, and media buyers. Knowing how to use social media will advance your career.
- Possessing effective writing abilities: A public relations practitioner must have excellent writing skills. Communication with clients and coworkers will be incredibly challenging if you can’t organize your thoughts on paper.
- Presentation expertise: Excellent communication and oral presenting skills are required. Developing presentation skills is essential because you’ll be actively summarizing and explaining your original ideas to clients, media buyers, and journalists, all of whom expect information to be delivered in an informed and professional manner.
- Possessing a Global Mindset: The need for bilingual or multilingual public relations managers has expanded as a result of company globalization. Customers in the public relations industry frequently don’t have the funds for pricey on-the-ground reporting in other countries, but they do urgently require enticing material in that foreign language on their website or blog. Therefore, the bigger the chance for international postings is for a public relations manager, which allows them to build a strong professional portfolio.
- Social media expertise: A large part of public relations necessitates being active on social media. You need to understand how your audience uses social media, what motivates them to take action, and what draws them in. Additionally, you must regularly monitor social media trends and apply them to your client’s or business’s advantage.
- Outstanding Research Skills: Researching may play a significant role in your career as a public relations manager. In addition to learning everything you can about your audience, you must also understand how to attract their attention. Additionally, thorough research can help you identify the best strategy for a particular campaign and unearth information that may be beneficial to your customer.
- Good time management skills: Campaigns for public relations frequently have strict time constraints. With all the work you’ll have to do to launch and maintain a campaign, excellent time management skills are essential. By using effective time management, you may maintain the appropriate level of quality in your work while being organized and achieving your goals.
- Skills in innovation and creativity: For a public relations campaign to be effective, creative thinking is essential. Since each public relations situation is unique, you should be able to use a variety of concepts and strategies to handle any particular situation.
- Flexibility: As a public relations manager, you must be able to react quickly to changing circumstances. For instance, introducing a new product can be your main responsibility in one public relations campaign. In another, it can imply a change in the company’s course. You must be flexible enough to function equally well in both roles.
- Self-motivation: Self-motivation is a key component of an effective public relations strategy. You should be able to figure out how you can help your client right away, whether that means researching the business or learning about fresh communication techniques.
- Working well in a team: Rarely do public relations experts work alone. Most of the time, you will be a part of a team that includes marketers, researchers, and people with related jobs. To run the most effective campaign conceivable, you must be able to collaborate with others in demanding circumstances.
- Brand management: Public relations work sometimes includes boosting your company’s brand’s reputation. Utilize your brand’s advantages and communicate them in a way that the general public will find appealing.
How to enhance public relations skills
- Acquire new talents: Public relations work can place you in different circumstances, with fresh lessons to be learned every step of the way. Use these scenarios as opportunities to gain new abilities, some of which you will be able to use to other campaigns in the future.
- Keep up with industry trends: The longer you work in the PR industry, the more conscious you will be of what other people are doing. Pay attention to what others are doing in your region, as well as what is going on in the wider sector. It can be good to monitor the social media postings of recognized PR gurus and to continually study trade sites and publications to stay current with new trends.
- Experiment with various writing styles: Experiment with different techniques of writing and voices you can apply when interacting with the audience. Over time, you may find yourself creating your own voice and gravitating toward it most of the time, which can give your work a distinct personal identity. Try investing some time every day to write and speak with people to widen your voice and to help you become a more flexible PR professional.
- Establish personal and professional growth objectives: Setting objectives for yourself and working to attain them is a good way for enhancing your skills as a public relations practitioner. For example, you may aspire to increase involvement over the next several months or raise the watch count of a particular video. Establishing personal and professional goals will offer you something to work toward and help you analyze your achievement.
- Learn more about your client’s priority: Ultimately, public relations job is about helping your clients achieve their goals. Whether they are introducing a new brand, signaling a shift in company direction, or increasing the firm’s reputation, your responsibility is to help them reach their objectives as effectively and as efficiently as possible. Therefore, you should consistently attempt to grasp as much as you can about the client and how you can help them reach their goals.
How to Become a Public Relations Manager
- Get Quality Education: Public relations managers typically have a bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, media writing, marketing, or a closely related field. If you want to acquire essential abilities and knowledge that will help you on your path to becoming a public relations manager, think about enrolling in a relevant four-year university program. Because entry-level positions in this industry are so competitive, you might want to think about participating in an internship while you are still enrolled in your degree program. Internships are an excellent method to gain practical public relations experience and impart industry knowledge to your network of contacts. Through your university, local classified advertising, or online professional forums, you can find internships.
- Acquire practical experience: Consider looking into entry-level work in public relations after earning your degree and doing an internship. This could entail working as a communications specialist, social media manager, public relations assistant, or marketing associate under the direction of a public relations manager. Think about using your network of PR specialists, contacts from your school or internship, internet job search engines, or classified advertisements to get entry-level work. You’ll most likely need to complete three to five years of relevant employment before you can become a public relations manager. These entry-level jobs are a great approach to develop the expertise and in-depth information you’ll need to advance your public relations career.
- Get a certificate: While certification is not typically required, some aspiring public relations managers wish to pursue it in order to stand out from the competition and get specialized knowledge and training. Aspiring public relations managers should take into account the following two key certification organizations:
Universal Accreditation Board Through the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) credential program, this organization offers accreditation. Candidates must have five years of relevant professional experience in addition to a bachelor’s degree in public relations, communication, journalism, or a related field.
Global Business Communicators International Association Public relations experts with at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field and nine years of professional experience are eligible for this organization’s Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) accreditation.
- Build a bigger network: In order to succeed in your job as a public relations manager, it’s essential to network with other professionals in the industry.
Consider networking with people in your field of work by participating in discussion forums, local events, or social gatherings for public relations, communications, and marketing professionals. The connections you make at these gatherings can open up new job chances for you in the future.
- Get management training: For public relations professionals who want to advance to management positions, there are various training options. Look into seminars, training programs, and educational opportunities that could assist you in developing the administrative skills required for a supervisory position in public relations. Companies will occasionally pay for or grant access to this kind of education. Try discussing this possibility with your employer if it’s possible.
- Submit applications for public relations manager roles: Try applying for public relations manager roles through professional connections, internet job search sites, or classified advertising after graduating from college, accumulating adequate work experience, earning certification, growing your network, and receiving management training.
A promotion within the company where you already work may occasionally be an option. Before looking for opportunities outside the company, think about exploring the potential for internal growth.
Where to Work as a Public Relations Manager
- Non-profit Organisations
- Advertising Agencies
- Media Outlets
- Marketing Departments
- Financial Institutions
- Fashion
- Educational Institutions
- Charitable organizations
Public Relations Manager Salary Scale
Based on 12 salaries, the average total pay for an entry-level public relations (PR) manager with less than one year of experience is $41,106 (ex. tips, bonus, and overtime pay). Based on 290 salaries, an entry-level public relations (PR) manager makes an average annual salary of $59,142. Based on 477 salaries, an experienced mid-career public relations (PR) manager makes an average annual salary of $76,862 in their field. Based on 289 salaries, the average annual salary for a public relations (PR) manager with 10 to 19 years of experience is $81,545. Employees who are in their late careers (20 years or older) make an average annual salary of $76,519 in total.
Based on six salaries, an entry-level public relations (PR) manager with under a year of experience can expect to make an average total income of £29,479 (tips, bonus, and overtime pay included). Based on 49 salaries, the average annual salary for an early-career public relations (PR) manager with 1-4 years of experience is £31,215. Based on 70 salaries, the average total salary for a mid-career public relations (PR) manager with 5–9 years of experience is £35,373. A public relations (PR) manager with ten to nineteen years of experience earns an average salary. compensation of £38,357 based on 38 salaries. In their late career (20 years or above), employees earn an average total salary of £32,115.