An Inside Look at the PR Industry

by Francisca Zakowicz Blanco

Public relations is a career path that is hard to put in a box. It can involve writing, branding and storytelling for a variety of different companies or sectors. From healthcare to gaming, public relations is in demand across a variety of industries and can often be applied to a student’s own personal interests. Throughout this blog post, we will explore three different sections of PR through different made-up personas to understand each role. The personas detailed below are not actual people, but rather references used to explain each job role. 

Education

Within the field of education, public relations helps institutions share their message with target audiences to develop brand awareness, promote thoughtful leadership and advance their missions. 

Sandra began working for a university as a PR and Media Specialist after getting her degree in public relations and her minor in educational leadership. Her role involves managing the social media accounts and student interns for the college of education at her university. She produces written, visual and multimedia content for the school of education, specifically about their research, teaching, outreach and events. She also writes press releases and is versed in a variety of softwares such as Adobe Creative Suite and WordPress. 

Travel

Public relations is one of the big things that affects tourism. It involves getting information to the public about an entity, offering them something exciting and newsworthy. 

Tim has always loved to travel but was born and raised in the town of Savannah, Georgia. After graduation, he got some experience at an advertising agency in Atlanta before he decided to go back to Savannah and he now works as the director for public relations for Visit Savannah, which is the official destination marketing organization for the greater Savannah area. His role involves planning a tourism-focused strategic

Professionals often guide each other in their careers.

public relations plan, generating positive exposure for Savannah and developing and maintaining strong relationships with industry writers, editors and stakeholders. 

Nonprofit

Nonprofit PR can raise awareness around an organization’s cause and impact. Good public relations can lead to more money raised through donations and can attract more volunteers and ambassadors. 

Leslie recently graduated from school with a PR degree and a certificate in nonprofit management and leadership. She decided to stay in her college town and was hired by a local nonprofit she volunteered with throughout college to be their director of marketing and communications. Her role involves representing this nonprofit in public venues such as workplace campaigns and special events, as well as implementing volunteer opportunities and campaign activities. She implements the plan for year-round communication support and serves as content manager and graphic designer.