You are currently viewing What the Heck is PR?

What the Heck is PR?

Almost every time I tell someone that I am taking Public Relations at Durham College, that is the question I am always asked. But really, what the heck is PR anyways?

Google defines Public Relations as: “The maintenance of a favorable public image and relationship with the public and a company, organization or famous person.”

So what the heck does that mean? Well, simply put, PR Professionals are the people who make companies, organizations and individuals look good and do good by the public. Any company, organization or famous individual that you have ever thought very highly of probably has a really good PR representative.

 

WhatPeopleThinkWeDo_Horizontal

The next question I then get is, “So what can you do for a job?”. This may be the tougher of the two questions, because the answer is: anything. And people don’t usually like that answer, because they still have no idea what I can do. But when I say anything, I mean it. Every single (successful) company, organization and famous person has a PR representative. TV channels, TV shows, celebrities, charities, banks, hospitals, cities, clothing stores, breweries, department stores… The list goes on and on! All of these places have PR people who write their scripts, organize their appearances, promote their work, create their events, design their materials and help to communicate their ideas. The PR person is the behind the scenes life saver in many cases.

keep-calm-let-your-publicist-handle-it

Because of this, sometimes PR means long hours. It means always being on the ball. Being ready for chaos to strike. Being prepared for anything.

But it also means seeing your ideas come to life. It means connecting a large group of people over one common interest. Sharing content that people would otherwise not know about a business. It means seeing the impact you can make on millions of people through an idea you are passionate about.

It might sound like a stressful job, sure, but it is also rewarding. All of these things are possible as a PR Representative, but only if you have the right training. I can confidently say that I can do all of the things I listed before, and more, because of the education I am receiving at Durham College.

Still confused about what Public Relations is? Sorry about that, but the Public Relations Society of America explains it a little bit better.

Tiffany Nobes, Class of 2016