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Public Relations

Public Relations is a branch of communications that focuses on maintaining a favorable public image. Public Relations, also known as PR, connects a company or organization to their key publics. Professionals in the field work either ‘in-house’ where they do the PR work for a specific company, or work at an agency where a PR specialist will help several companies at a time.

History

Public Relations technically dates all the way back to BC age where cave drawings were among the earliest forms of communications, however specific public relation methods can be credited to Ivy Lee, the forefather of contemporary PR. In 1903, Lee quit his job and joined politics where he took upon a publicist role, handling presidential candidate Judge Alton B. Parker’s public image. Lee understood the importance of a positive public image and eventually went on to establish a national public relations firm, Parker and Lee.

However, it wasn’t until 1914 that Lee’s professional skills became noticed. In December of 1914, Lee was hired by the Rockefeller family – a wealthy family that was being attacked in the press. Lee’s advice and scope of work with the Rockefeller family truly boosted their image and overall mention in the press. Lee’s work did not go unnoticed and was later hired to represent the Soviet Union. Lee is now known as the forefather of Public Relations and was a key player in PR today.

Types of PR

1.     Media Relations – dealing with the media. This type of Public Relations has a strong focus on writing press releases, organizing press conferences and scheduling interviews. The goal of media relations is to create positive coverage for your client. There is a large debate surrounding media relations because some professionals believe that media relations is completely separate than Public Relations.

2.     Community Relations – dealing with the community. This branch of Public Relations works to develop a positive relationship between a company and the local community.

3.     Corporate and social responsibility – related to community engagement. This branch of PR works to improve a company’s reputation as it relates to ethics, environmental responsibility, and philanthropy.

4.     Public affairs – lobbying. This form of Public Relations is extremely involved in the government and works to get the government on your clients side. PR specialists in this branch often strive to make connections with government officials.

5.     Crisis Management – when disaster strikes. This branch of PR specializes in responding to crisis. Specialists in crisis management are quick thinkers and work to spin an issue so the client remains favorable in the public eye.

While there are several other branches of Public Relations, these five are the most common amongst the PR fields.

Future of PR

Like every other form of communication, PR is looking toward a future with social media. Digital PR is up and coming and several PR professionals are finding ways to incorporate social media and the internet in their work. The internet is newly the biggest medium of communications and publications are slowly moving away from print and becoming almost exclusively online.