R Public Relations Firm
Is a Public Relations Specialist Different From a Journalist?
Is a public relations (PR) specialist different from a journalist? The short answer is yes! Although there are many similarities between the two professions, they have distinct functions in both the marketing sphere as well as in their relationships with brands and the community.
Keep reading for our full breakdown of the differences between the two career paths—and why you might choose one over the other.
1. Amount of Responsibilities
At publications, journalists on staff typically focus on one main role. Editors will work with journalists to improve the strength of their writing, while journalists will focus on writing compelling stories for their beat. There is very little overlap between the two. The newsroom functions smoothly because each person within it has a defined job function that complements the others’ work perfectly.
Meanwhile, in the world of public relations, Public relation specialist will often wear multiple hats for each of their clients. They might write, edit, host in-person events, manage social media communities, and send marketing emails—sometimes all within the same day! There’s less of an opportunity to focus on one task or become an expert in any area, but the fast pace and daily variations for PR pros can be thrilling.
2. Different Audiences
When journalists write stories, they are always addressing the general public. Even journalists who cover niche beats, like car racing or local politics, write to address general audiences.
In PR writing, however, specialists write to address specific audiences that care about the brand’s messages. This can mean people who’ve selected to “follow” a brand on social media, employees, company stakeholders, or email subscribers. No matter who they are, at some point they opted into hearing from the brand, and they have invested in the brand’s story in some way. Because of this, PR writing tends to be a bit more targeted in content and tone, and it can also be a little more creative and whimsical in nature. PR writers might adjust for a variety of demographics, including age, region, gender, or relationship to the brand.
3. Differences in Tone
As mentioned above, journalists need to write stories that address large swaths of audiences and that approach news in an unbiased, factual manner. That means journalists typically need to follow a strict code of ethics in their writing. They also need to take a wholly objective approach to their stories. Tweaking a quote or message to fit better with the story is not acceptable and can destroy the public’s trust in that journalist and publication.
Meanwhile, public relations specialists get to let their creative flags fly when it comes to writing. PR teams select messaging, verbiage, tone, and mediums that best represent their clients and the stories they want to share—even if their claims are a bit biased or out there. PR specialists also don’t have to worry about including all the facts as a journalist does—they can pick and choose the messaging that fits the campaign best, whatever it may be. Molding a favorable narrative around a client, especially a company with a bad reputation, is hard work that requires lots of creative thinking and problem-solving in the writing space.
4. Main Goals
The ultimate goal of journalism is to share messages, information, and stories that the journalist believes would be interesting or helpful for their communities. Those messages might be positive (i.e., “Dog Saves Man From Burning Building”) or negative (i.e., “Company X Declares Bankruptcy”). But no matter what they cover, the journalist believes the details included within are important for the general public to know.
Public relations goals are more widespread and varied. Of course, public relations specialists want to share important information and messaging, but they also aim to create goodwill in the community, build consumer confidence, and craft a positive public perception of clients. That requires a level of bias that journalists simply can’t adopt. Because PR teams have a stake in a business’s health and revenue, harmonious relationships are at the forefront of every PR pro’s mind at all times.
How should I choose whether to become a journalist or a public relations specialist?
Recent graduates and others looking to make career changes should consider both options carefully and consider each role's pros and cons. Do you prefer to tell unbiased stories or craft careful messaging? Do you like learning about many different topics or specialize in just a few? And do you like to build lots of relationships or focus on a few important ones? Journalism careers allow individuals to share important stories with the community, build a vast network, and write about many topics each week. Meanwhile, public relations specialists have the opportunity to control their own narratives, and they pride themselves on specializing in certain topics and curating strong relationships with fewer people. Ultimately, you should make your choice based on which sounds more appealing and which role matches best with your current skill set.
Want to chat with a team of PR professionals about their careers and lives in the fast-paced industry? Contact us to schedule an informational interview today!
Role of PR in Crisis Management
When you think about public relations (PR), most people picture businesses sharing news and trying to get positive press mentions to increase brand awareness and credibility. Yes, PR does those things, but there’s an important flip side to it as well. You see, PR doesn’t just help businesses promote the good; it also helps you to overcome negative publicity. As such, PR has an integral role in crisis management. Here’s how it can help your brand in a crisis.
What is Crisis Management?
By definition, a crisis is a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. But in the business world, a crisis is really any unanticipated event that could disrupt your operations and/or cause potential harm to your brand reputation, including:
- Product recalls
- Customer injuries
- Employee misconduct
- Security breaches
- Natural disasters
In turn, crisis management is the art of not only responding effectively to events that have occurred but also being proactive in anticipating crises so that your business is prepared.
How PR Can Help with Crisis Management
The goal of public relations is to influence, engage, and build a positive relationship and/or image with your target audience, which is why PR tactics are so ideal for helping brands in a crisis. The role of PR in crisis management gives brands the following.
1. Peace of mind
When a crisis hits, panic typically follows, and that’s when mistakes happen. For most businesses, crisis management isn’t something you or your team deal with every day. So it’s natural to be overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. A PR specialist can take that worry off your shoulders by acting swiftly and surely on your behalf to protect your brand in the public eye.
2. Freedom to focus on the crisis
There’s much more to worry about in a crisis than public relations alone. Having to split your focus between what to say in public, to your customers, and to your employees while also working on the logistics needed to resolve the crisis itself leaves you pulled in so many directions that you and/or your team may not be as effective as you could be. With a PR specialist handling the media and your message to each audience, you’re free to focus on the aspects of the crisis in which you’re needed most.
3. More control of the narrative
When it comes to crisis management, speed is everything. Especially how fast you communicate about the crisis. It’s much harder to change public perception once the crisis is already being talked about in the news and/or on social media than to drive the message from your point of view. During the time it takes you and your team to decide whom to contact and what to say, the narrative can quickly spin out of your control.
The key is getting the right message to the right people right away. A PR specialist can help you do just that because they already have the processes and the connections in place.
4. Ability to present your brand in the best light
Most of the time, how you say something is just as important as what you say. If you’re not used to speaking with the media or on video, you could inadvertently come across in a way that does more harm than good during a crisis. PR specialists have the training and finesse to help you get your message across in a way that puts your brand in the best light. It’s imperative that everyone representing the brand about the crisis is authentic, honest, and transparent in their words and their body language.
5. An even better reputation
When done right, crisis management may potentially improve your reputation over the long run. Of course, it depends on the crisis at hand, but businesses that are authentic, honest, and open the lines of communication through effective PR have often been the ones who have thrived despite the circumstances.
6. The means to monitor the situation
As the crisis evolves, so will public sentiment, which means you need to keep a pulse on national and local news outlets and what your customers are saying on social media. Again, if this isn’t something you deal will every day, you may not have the means or the time to stay on top of this effectively. Not to mention knowing when to respond and how. But your PR specialist will!
They’ll also be able to track your campaigns carefully as well. If your crisis communication approach is working, great! If it’s not, they’ll help you reassess to see how you might tweak to improve communications going forward.
Next Steps for Crisis Management
The adage, “the best defense is a good offense,” certainly applies when it comes to crisis management because the reality is that you’ll be best prepared to respond to a crisis if you proactively plan for one.
A PR specialist can help create a plan that identifies where your brand might be vulnerable, develops messaging for potential scenarios, and appoints those who will speak on the brand’s behalf. They can also help with media training. But, most importantly, keep in mind that one crisis does not have to define your brand, and with effective crisis management, it won’t. So, to get started, contact us to schedule a call today!
