If you’re interested in the field of public relations, you may want to eventually become a public relations manager or specialist. A public relations manager or specialist is a skilled professional that deals with a company’s relationship to their clients.

What Is a Public Relations Manager & Specialist?

The field of public relations is an extraordinarily deep and complex field that begins with a company’s unique message and branding. Every company has a different type of message they want to display to their clients. Public relations managers work in many types of media to cerate a comprehensive campaign for the company they work with. While a public relations consultant may work with a multitude of companies, a manager usually manages the public relations division for a specific organization. They usually have other specialists working underneath them.

A public relations manager usually has a significant amount of experience within the business. Public relations managers may undergo a certification program by the Public Relations Society of America, and this will show that they have the experience needed to head their own team as management. Public relations managers need to be able to manage and deal well with individuals and are usually educated individuals.

What Does a Public Relations Manager & Specialist Do?

A public relations manager will learn as much as they can about their client and the company’s needs. They may start from scratch to develop a brand and reputation for the company, they may modify an existing brand or they may need to work within a brand that has already been established. Regardless, the manager will usually need to work with the specialists under them to create a comprehensive campaign that will use all of the media at their disposal.

Public relations managers often need to react quickly to changes in the market. They may need to analyze the clients of the company and figure out the best possible way to connect with them. Public relations managers often need to be a jack-of-all-trades and need to be aware of the proper ways to network, create advertisements, market companies and analyze market information. According to O*Net Online, the field is very closely linked to the field of market research analysis and marketing.

How Do You Become a Public Relations Manager & Specialist?

A public relations manager usually begins as a public relations specialist working under a manager, though there may be exceptions for those that are highly skilled in areas such as market research or market analysis. A public relations manager will usually have many years of experience within the industry and will usually have at least a Bachelor’s Degree within a related field. Those interested in advancing through the field may want to have a Mater’s Degree.

How Do You Advance as a Public Relations Manager & Specialist?

A public relations manager may eventually become a self-employed consultant if they want more control over their client base or if they want to work individually with a multitude of companies. Public relations specialists usually advance through developing a reputation for creating and managing superb campaigns.

Public relations managers & specialists generally make about $58,000 a year, with a bachelors degree.  Also, the career path is growing faster than average at a rate of 21% forecasted by the year 2020.

A public relations specialist may also be able to advance through conscientious networking within the industry.

Public relations is a very people-oriented industry that demands results, and those that wish to develop a career within public relations will often need to prove their worth. Those that wish to work in larger corporations will also need to show that they can manage large amounts of people effectively and that they can remain effective through the appropriate delegation of tasks.