The public relations industry has its share of both positive and negative feedback, no doubt about that, but it’s an industry that continues to thrive and evolve. As the common adage goes, good or bad publicity is still publicity, so anything that PR people do that gets attention means they have done their job well.

A good example is the 12-metre rubber duck, originated by Dutch artist Florentjin Hofman in 2013, which made its way to Toronto’s Redpath Waterfront as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. When the news of this giant rubber duck floated initially, many were quick to criticize what it had to do with Canada at all. It turned out that the weekend the rubber duck made its appearance would be Redpath Waterfront’s biggest draw of all time.

Public Relations Agent – What You Need to Know

Public relations agents can be employed across various industries or entities, which can range from political parties to corporations. Actors, artists, musicians, and other personalities may also benefit from employing PR agents to help boost their career or land gigs or jobs.

The main responsibility of PR agents is to help their clients maintain and enhance their image, and this can involve implementing campaigns and programs to create buzz and improve visibility. PR agents can work individually or under the management of a PR manager or PR director. Depending on their clients’ clout or influence, PR agents often work as part of a team which will also include writers, artists, and others. They also help to defuse negative press and feedback, coming up with mediating techniques between the public and media outlets ( the news).

Salary

According to PayScale.com, a PR officer can earn an average of $37,745 to $69,043 per year. In some cases, they can also earn bonuses when their clients experience a boost in their career (such as landing product endorsements, etc.)

Skills

To be successful in this field, PR agents will need to have expert knowledge in the industry where their clients belong. For example, if they are hired as a PR agent for a hockey personality, they have to know the sports like the back of their hand.

To learn the tricks of the trade, so to speak, aspiring PR agents can benefit from completing a bachelor’s degree in public relations, marketing, or any communications-related degree. As it is part of their job, PR agents should have expert communication skills in order to be able to coordinate with clients, stakeholders, media, and the general public regarding their clients. They should have top-notch writing skills to prepare speeches, presentations, press releases, news releases, and any material that is for public consumption.

It always pays to be extremely good in creative thinking to thrive in the public relations industry too.

Pros and Cons

A career as a PR agent can ultimately be rewarding in both professional and financial context.

However, it can be incredibly demanding of one’s time and effort especially when a client runs into a public image issue. In such cases, PR agents are expected to work overtime until the issue is resolved and a positive image has been restored.

SOURCES:

https://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Public_Relations_(PR)_Officer/Salary

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2018/02/25/the-new-rules-for-public-relations-success/#1b63cda74d7a