Is it a Good Idea to Work in a PR Agency?

We invest just as much in a particular brand, as we do in their product or service. That’s where companies shift their focus to PR, that is Public Relations. It is aptly called the “The Persuasion Business”. PR is a great role for creatives, as you’ll be thinking up marketing campaigns to help different brands sell themselves. It falls under the domain of Advertising Media among the other types of Mass Media. You could also be creating brand stories and messages or working more on the art and design side. Here, through this blog, we will understand whether it is good to work in a PR Agency or is there any other alternative available? And some brilliant reasons to work or not to work for a PR Agency. 

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What is a PR Agency?

It is a wide misconception that PR people use paid advertising agencies to push their products or services or they give off free samples or write cute stories or memos for clients. It is not at all the scenario in a PR agency. They use some tools and tricks to persuade the general public to buy from their clients or rather from themselves. There are some PR departments in big firms but today we are talking about PR Agencies, that is, the private ones who take on big firms as clients. 

How Does A PR Agency Works?

PR Agency thrives on client satisfaction. They don’t have their own agendas, they are given agendas that they have to push using their own expertise and knowledge. There are some tools involved in the process and there are certain procedures that the agencies follow. We shall look at them and understand How does a PR Agency work? And Am I Interested in Working in One?

Develop a Plan

PR is a dynamic and quite adventurous field where the clients keep on changing and simultaneously the plans keep on changing. First, after checking in a client, the agents have to devise a plan regarding the:

• Competitive Advantage
• Demographic Targeted
• Challenges Faced by the Client’s Firm
• Measurement, Methods and Tools required.

Using PR Tools to Reach Client’s Goals

As told earlier too, there are some tools that the PR agencies use to fulfil the client’s demands and to do the work efficiently. These tools can be-

• Writing and holding press releases
• Writing speeches or advertisement dialogues
• Creating and executing special events designed for the public outreach
• Having great connections in the media public
• Conducting marketing research on the client’s firm
• Writing and Blogging on the web

Through Digital Marketing, you can do lots of wonders be it in the Marketing field or the PR field. Interested in knowing more about the course and its syllabus? Check out our choice blog- Diploma in Digital Marketing!

Advantages of Working in a PR Agency

Working in a PR agency or not, that totally depends on individuals’ interest and availability of specific skills and talents. But, there are surely some advantages of working in a PR agency. Not just as a career but also as a step towards building your career. Now, let’s take a look at some of the advantages-

PR Professionals need to be All-rounders

PR professionals need to be all-rounders with hard-wired expertise in everything from research and writing to creativity and communications. PR is a dynamic field and for those students who want to work in a dynamic field, this is a good choice. Everything changes here and the networks and relations help the most. To build a good network, a PR agency is a way to go. 

Meeting with Clients from Big Firms

One of the most succinct advantages of working in a PR agency is that you get to make a lot of connections with some heavy hitters of the industry. If you work for a big PR agency then Bingo!

Facing “Real-world” Opportunities Every Day

Real, in-your-face problems come across in a PR agency firm when different clients ask for different expertise and for different methods. To increase their familiarity with their products and services, PR agencies work with their tools. Now, different situations can ask for different tools. As for some, writing campaigns or press releases can not be enough or for some, there is not enough budget for video messages. It all changes with changes in approach or clientele.

Many individuals choose this field to work in for a few years and then shift to a rather lucrative or a choice-based field like Marketing, HR, etc. To know more about MBAs in these fields and to receive some guidance regarding this, contact Leverage Edu experts. 

Top Courses for Studying PR

The following table represents the top courses for achieving a degree in PR along with the duration for each course.

Course	Duration
BJMC	3-Years
BA in Journalism and Mass Communication	3-Years
BMM	3-Years
MJMC	2-Years
MA in Journalism and Mass Communication	2-Years
PG Diploma in Public Relations	1-Year

Top Universities

To work for a PR agency, one has to have a degree in Mass Communication or Multimedia or Marketing. Some of the top universities offering these courses are listed below-

Rank	University
1	University of Amsterdam
2	University of Southern California
3	London School of Economics and Political Science
4	Stanford University
5	The University of Texas
6	University of Pennsylvania
7	Goldsmiths, University of London
8	University of California
9	New York University
10	University of Wisconsin

Top Colleges in India

The following are the top colleges that provide excellent courses for PR in India. 

• Xavier’s Institute of Communications (XIC), Mumbai
• Symbiosis’ Institutes: SIMC, Pune & SSMC, Bangalore
• School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe)
• Delhi School of Communications (DSC), Delhi
• Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC), Delhi
• KPB Hinduja College of Commerce

Online Courses

Here are the best online courses (2022) for working on your PR and marketing skills.

• Introduction to Public Relations and the Media, Coursera
• Crisis Communications: Survive a Media Crisis, Udemy
• Create and Implement Engaging Content, Coursera
• Writing for Brands: Freelancing in the Age of Content Marketing, Skillshare
• Journalism Masterclass: The Ultimate Guide to News Writing, Udemy
• Marketing in a Digital World, Coursera
• Being a Better Communicator: Grammar, De-jargoning, and Articulation, Pluralsight

FAQs

Now, we have made clear what are PR Agencies, how to work in one and what to expect when working in one, we hope you will make a meticulous decision whether or not you want to work in this industry. Still confused? Or Don’t know how to approach universities abroad? Book a counselling session with Leverage Edu which is totally free-of-cost!