What does a public relations manager do?

March 8, 2022
March 8, 2022 Terkel

What does a public relations manager do?

From providing media training to representatives to interacting with the public, a public relations manager is integral to any business. Just in case you’re not convinced, read on to know what founders, CEOs, and PR professionals have said about what public relations managers actually do.

Here are 9 key contributions made by your public relations manager: 

  1. Ensure Accurate Representation in Media
  2. Write Press Releases
  3. Ideate On Great Content for PR Outreach
  4. Build An Identity on Socials
  5. Media Training
  6. Interact With the Public
  7. Ensure that a Campaign Fits the Client
  8. Diffuse Or Soften the Blow of Crisis Situations
  9. Brand Awareness Through Specific Media Strategies

What does a public relations manager doEnsure Accurate Representation in Media

Many PR managers actively and passively screen for media mentions online, on TV and in the press. They usually rely on software that detects every instance of brand mention, allowing for a timely response. It enables them to ensure that no false information is spread and every message remains factually accurate. Brand mention management is also crucial in case of putting out fires, such as handling informational leaks or lousy PR.

Michael Sena, SENACEA

Write Press Releases

A public relations manager is responsible for maintaining positive relationships between a company and the public. They may do things like write press releases, arrange interviews, and organize events. In writing press releases, they must carefully craft the message to ensure it is positive and accurate. They must also be prepared to respond to any negative press.

Matthew Ramirez, Rephrasely

Ideate On Great Content for Pr Outreach

A PR manager needs to ideate on (and create ideation processes for) great content and ideas that can be executed in writing or case studies which offer quantifiable insights that will be highly shareable in the media through PR. It’s important the PR manager and their team can deliver a fresh batch of ideas on a regular basis so as to always have great content to spread the visibility of the brand through PR.

Natalia Brzezinska, PhotoAiD

Build An Identity on Socials

Public relations managers can help brands build an identity in the social space. They can create a content calendar that contains posts, stories, and reels to effectively promote your company in a positive light to its target audience. These media mavens understand keywords that should be utilized and hashtags that will increase awareness. Public relations managers wear many hats, but their ability to advertise a company on social channels is one of the most important aspects of their job.

Corey Ashton Walters, Here

Media Training

A public relations manager has the role of teaching all types of employees, from executives to casual workers on how to interact with the media. Due to its multiple formats, the media’s reach today is very extensive, which makes media training essential for many people. It is especially important for those who will be in contact with the press. Public relations managers may offer media training themselves or hire somebody else to lead a training session. They may also develop media interaction guidelines, especially in a company that handles sensitive data.

John Tian, Mobitrix

Interact With the Public

Public relations manager interacts directly with the public by building and maintaining a beneficial relationship with the organization and the public. For these interactions to run smoothly, they focus on developing policies that should be used when the organization’s operations get involved in matters affecting the people to maintain its image to the public eye.

Ryan Yount, Luckluckgo

Ensure that a Campaign Fits the Client

PR managers need to ensure that a PR campaign and strategy fits the client, because different clients have different needs, and as a manager working with many different people and businesses, you need to adapt to those needs.

This can include many variables, which are connected. For example, depending on the target audience of the company, there can be different outsources (media platforms, journalists) that better fit the reach of the campaign for the right audience. Depending on the business (startup, scaleups, etc.) a different approach can be applied, with different scales and different procedures. For example, you could focus on networking with one company, and on articles with another, or pass one article across many platforms as opposed to many different articles in one funnel of a platform.

Marco Genaro Palma, PRLab

Diffuse Or Soften the Blow of Crisis Situations

A crucial component of a PR manager’s job is crisis management. After all, a crisis is the most critical time during which an organization or brand is required to protect its reputation or at least minimize damage. Timely and targeted damage-control exercises go a long way in diffusing a situation or in helping you share your side of the story. And this is why quick and effective decisions and steps by a PR manager prove even more critical in times of a crisis.

Eva Taylor, WP Buffs

Brand Awareness Through Specific Media Strategies

A public relations manager can help with brand awareness through specific media strategies. They can be viewed as marketing communications specialists due to their connections with journalists and the exposure that these writers can offer. From an initial pitch to product sendouts, PR managers are considered a middle man between the brand and the outlet. Brands can be featured in product roundups or reviews to gain more traction to their website and retail stores. Ultimately, public relations managers have the ability to maximize brand recognition in well-known publications to positively repute the company they’re representing.

Lillie Sun, Three Ships Beauty

Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.