UNDER CONSTRUCTION BEYOND THIS POINT!
UNDER CONSTRUCTION BEYOND THIS POINT!
JOB TITLE: PUBLIC RELATIONS
I’m not really sure how to classify Public Relations. From my experience, I was doing more marketing than advertising. In some cases, the organizations that I worked with did pay for swag to get the community excited, so this would fall in like with advertising.
PR to me is all about brand awareness and making sure the public knows what you’re all about. When I worked in PR I didn’t have to clean up any messes, hold press conferences, or prep anyone for interviews like Olivia Pope. That’s a side of PR that I didn’t really want to ever have to touch.
I worked in multiple PR roles, and I always saw the fun sides of it.
My first exposure to PR was with the Residence Hall Association at my University. It was more so of a hybrid PR, Communications, and Marketing role. I worked alongside my community board to plan our community events, promote them, and do stints that got our residents excited about being a part of the community. I did this for 2 years, working with freshmen, and then moving on to work with a community filled with both underclassmen and upperclassmen. I later became a Resident Assistant. I basically did the same thing, but for a smaller amount of residents.
I also worked for a local Public Library and my role there also was all about getting our community excited about the library. It was fun! Check out a few of my duties below.
Public Relations Job Duties
Residence Hall Association/ Resident Assistant
- I owned a bulletin board (like the ones that teachers have in their classrooms) that I used to keep residents updated on all our events.
- I promoted events on ran social media.
- I planned, owned the logistics, and executed events for my residence hall residents alongside a community council.
- I designed residence hall swag (i.e. buttons, t-shirts, etc.) to get residents excited about living in the community.
Public Library
- Designed flyers detailing upcoming summer library events (storytimes, festivals, etc.)
- Printed, prepped, and disturbed flyers in various formats (poster size, bookmark size, and standard flyer size) and around the public library.
- Hung out flyers throughout the city at restaurants, on the street, and on the college campus, to promote our events.
- Drafted radio ad spots and announcements that were distributed to local radio stations and publications.
- Showcased our events via our social media channels
- Uploaded content on the website via our content management system
- Helped set up and breakdown our events
Public Relations Skills
- Copywriting and Copyediting
- Social Media Management
- Layout Design
- Social Media Template Design
- Print Production
- Event Planning / Production
- Project Management
- Public Speaking
- Creativity
Public Relations Tools
- Canva
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Adobe XD, Premiere Pro)
- Content Management Systems (i.e. WordPress)
- Social Media Platforms (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
- Microsoft Office Suite / Google Docs
Communications (digital, print)
Another place that I’d never imagined working was at my college’s alumni association. When I started working I didn’t even realize that there was a powerhouse function that made all things alumni work. I learned everything from branding to professional blog writing. That summer my writing was fine-tuned for sure. I loved seeing the inner workings of this organization. I left because
My duties:
Rewrite pre-written copy to fit specific audiences and specific formats
i.e. I had to re-write a letter that was addressed to older alumni and make it work for young alumni. I’d also have to make it work in a regular letter and then transition it to fit/work for something else like a pamphlet.
Write blog articles based on pre-researched topics and interviews
Research other schools’ branding decisions, and inquiry about the tools and resources they used to do it
Skills
Blogging
Copywriting
Copy editing
Competitive Analysis
Research
Tools
Microsoft Office Suite
WordPress
Asana
Journalism (digital): Journalism can be a form of marketing or advertising. Especially if brands pay for the articles that you’re writing (sponsored content). When I did journalism, I was working for the student newspaper in the pop culture/human interest category. I interviewed bands, and local organizations, and reviewed tv shows.
Duties
Scope out and pitch stories weekly.
Write at least one story a week before the deadline
Attend concerts, events, or whatever else in order to get the story
Skills
Tools
Why I left: It was a cool experience but I always felt like I was writing under pressure (we had weekly deadlines). My writing also would be altered heavily without the editing explaining why certain choices were made. At this point in my college career, i also didn’t enjoy writing as much. Ultimately I needed an experience that involved a mixture of media (not just writing), which would allow me to more freedom to tell stories the way I wanted to.
Production Design (digital, print)
Marketing Operations (digital)
Channel Marketing (digital)
Advertising Operations (digital)
Creative Project Management (digital)
Brand/Event Marketing (physical)
MARKETING/ADVERTISING INDUSTRY TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW
- B2C: Business to consumer marketing
- B2B Business to business marketing
