Different Types of PR & Why They Exist

Often people see public relations as only one of many marketing tactics, when in reality, the field has a wide range of components that make up the industry. As a student studying public relations, you are introduced to these silos of PR and based on your personality, you decide on which to specialize and pursue in a professional career. These are just a few of the different types of public relations sects and why they are important to a brand:

General Communications: Often, students pursue a degree in general communications, which can be applied to the public relations field. Entering general communications, one can expect to have the qualities of ensuring good communication within a business or organization. Why is this important? Okay, so your organization has levels in which it operates, leaders, employees, volunteers, etc. These public relations communicators ensure that all communication across this divide is carried out appropriately, efficiently and effectively.

Community Relations: For a business or organization, it is vital to have a presence in the community. It not only builds a good reputation for your brand, but doing things in the community is really just a great opportunity to help out those who need it. These are just a few reasons why a PR pro would pursue a community relations position. Communicating what a brand stands for through events and community engagement can be a powerful tool in locally building brand reputation in the area.

Health Communications: With the medical field being such a intense and specific category of business/non-profit it is imperative that the individuals that are facilitating its internal and external communication be coherent in the operations and positions of the industry. These PR practitioners deal with clients, doctors, nurses, billing, etc. in order to ensure that, like all fields, communication is carried out effectively and appropriately. Although these pros aren’t specialists in the medical field, they are educated and train to know at least what is going on in the facility to provide better communication processes and develop relevant PR plans to engage clients.  

IMC: Okay, so you want to do a little bit of everything. That’s alright because there is a position just for you. Integrated marketing communications is the process that brings in all forms of marketing and communication (Marketing, advertising, public relations, web development, design, etc.) and morphs it into one, consistent communication channel. This process is a new idea that is taking off in the industry and is bringing much success to firms and corporations around the world. A perk about IMC is that across all channels, the receiver/consumer is seeing the same message, therefore is easier to remember a brand, product, campaign, etc. Busybodies and people who like to do a little bit of everything tend to fall into this category of PR pros (myself included).

Media Relations: Generally, the public and businesses have a perception of PR that everyone deals with the media and press. Some do and yes, it is crucial to have the skills to do this, but not all practitioners have this in their everyday job description. Media relations personnel are the pros that specialize in press communication. This means that they are the ones who are writing press releases, scheduling press conferences and anything else that has to deal with media. These folks are the ones who are responsible for how your brand is portrayed in the media. They are brave souls.

Public Affairs: This sect of public relations is mainly using the government as a tool for communication, whether that is to enhance your brand, organization, or cause. If your brand or cause is one that a politician or government official is interested in, this could lead to them endorsing it or being a spokesperson for it. As we all know, politicians have a lot of power in persuading and informing the public about things (that they care about) that is going on in the community & your brand could be one of them! Public affairs pros specialize in making connections and keeping relationships with these officials and can be a great tool in your PR toolbox.

Crisis Management: This is where Olivia Pope (or professionally, Judy Smith) comes in. Although she handles government issues, many crisis management pros work in the industry and handle issues and brand-threatening situations. They must be quick in the mind and able to formulate strategic solutions in an extremely quick manner. For brands, this is imperative because no one knows what could happen in any given situation. Crisis management pros often draft tweets & content or develop plans prior to events in order to be prepared for unexpected outcomes. I think inside, all PR practitioners desire to be Olivia Pope, but few of us have the skills to deliver as she.

 Tyler Lehner, Account Associate | Tyler is a junior at Grand Valley State University studying Advertising/Public Relations with a double minor in business and Arabic Language. His public relations strengths include writing and design, which he maintains on his personal blog www.tylerlehner.com. He is a proud ENFP and consumes more coffee than he should in a day. In the small amount of free time allowed, he keeps up on current events, studies foreign languages and writes.