What is PR
PR stands for Public Relations, which covers a scope of areas in the communications field. In the entertainment industry, PR is called publicity. And other people call it press relations and media relations.
Publicity aims to draw positive attention to something within the media and public eye. Our job is to get as many eyeballs as possible on a piece of news, product, person, or cause.
Public Relations
"A publicist will help you shine."
Like many other industries, there are many areas of expertise within public relations. It could be internal communications in a large organization, crisis management, writing copy, or media relations. A public relations specialist can work in-house, in an agency, or independently.
My career has focused on publicity, writing copy, and crisis management. To the public eye, we don't exist. However, a PR person is often involved in a media story in one way or another.
A publicist is equipped with media contacts and knows the way various media outlets work to produce news, stories, articles, interviews, etc. What is of interest to a particular TV show may not be of interest to a radio show. Different outlets are interested in different stories, angles, and topics.
How PR differs from advertising
The publicist works with the editorial departments of media outlets. Therefore, you do not pay for space to be featured. The media decides to feature you as content. Advertising is paid for by (often) large amounts of money.
Even the way copy is written for advertising compared to publicity is different. To be successful in placing stories, you need to understand how to write a compelling pitch.
Public relations also protects
"You need to work in real-time during a crisis as it unfolds. The key is to be adaptable while creating a strategy."
When a crisis occurs, the PR's job focuses on protection. We often focus on not letting sensitive private information being leaked to the media. Sometimes the PR person might need to strike a deal with a journalist to help protect the client.
What about social media?
Public relations and social media are two very different and separate jobs. The industry has tried to bunch them together, but as social media has evolved, it is two areas of expertise. However, working with traditional media outlets, a publicist can often get placement on their social media accounts as well.