The Wonderful World of PR (Part 3) - roles and responsibilities

What is PR? blog series by final year student Lindelani Moyo. Read part 1 and part 2.

In this third and final instalment of our fascinating 'The Wonderful World of PR’ series, we'll explain the differences between the terms 'agency' and 'in-house' as well as the responsibilities of modern PR careers and average salaries for PR graduates.

Explaining the difference between agencies and in-house

'Agency' and 'in-house' are common PR terms which are used to explain the working environment, and students will come across these when discussing placements, internships and graduate jobs. 

Working in an agency and working in-house are two very different experiences. 

• In-house: Working in-house usually refers to the public relations practitioners who work within a company's internal team, such as ‘Tesco's Corporate Communication Team’. The internal team promotes the company, and the company assists them financially.

• Agency: Companies that don't have an internal communications or PR officer, or who need a greater level of supprort, will typically outsource public relations to a PR agency or consultancy, hiring them to fulfil their PR activities, run specific campaigns or maintain an active press desk function. Or a mix of all three! 

Social media and public relations

The rise of digital PR and social media coinsided with the emergence of the 'influencer marketing# industry, which is now prevalent across every social media platform. Due to the rapid growth of TikTok, for instance, an 'average' person can become a 'celebrity' seemingly overnight, and influencers have grown in profile, from bloggers to vloggers and then into Instagrammers. 

There are more PR jobs in social media than ever before, working with or for companies and public figures who may need external management and communications support, and social and influencer engagement activities are central to many campaigns and PR related activities.

Social media influencers can be found in nearly every sector, look at Love Island's Dr Alex George for example; a contestant on the popular TV show, he is now a health influencer working with the NHS and the UK Government. If you find out which area you have a passion for, e.g. fashion, tech, automotive, beauty then you can look into specific companies that are hiring for social media and influencer executives, or PR executive roles where this may be part of the mix. Working with social media influencers can benefit many businesses, and even charities and cause campaigns, because it allows them to expand their reach and increase awareness, understanding and stakeholder engagement across multiple social media channels, whilst also increasing traffic to their website, footfall into stores and enhancing their reputaiton. 

Current PR careers

As the field of public relations has evolved, so have the job titles and responsibilities. For example, as social media grew in prevelancy, so did the position of 'Social Media Executive'; likewise, as influencer marketing grew in popularity, the role of 'Influencer Marketing Manager' arose. Here are some careers that BCU Media public relations graduates go into: 

• PR Account Executives - Public relations account executives can work for and with several companies at the same time. Public relations account executives manage social media campaigns, distribute press releases to the media, and seek to sway public opinion on behalf of their clients.

• Social Media Managers - Social media managers are the key players in leading a company’s social media strategy with the aims of increasing their client’s digital engagement with their audience, managing their online presence and boosting their online visibility. Analysing audience data, managing digital campaigns, creating engaging content, and developing a strategy are all common tasks for a social media manager.

• Content Writers - Content writers work with businesses to identify their style of voice and are in charge of designing, publishing, and editing various forms of content for a company's target audience. Emails, articles, ads, blogs, and website copy are just a few examples of the types of materials that content writers will create.

• Marketing Executives - Marketing executives plan and implement marketing strategies to increase a company's sales. A marketing executive's duties vary depending on their employer, but they typically collaborate with workers from other departments such as sales, advertisement, logistics, and market research.

• Digital Assistants - Digital assistants support their digital team in responding to customer and internal staff queries, reporting any troubleshooting problems, and publishing digital material. Writing content for a company's intranet and social media pages, updating databases, and conducting market analysis are amongst the key duties of a digital assistant.

 

What are the average salaries for a PR graduate?

Please note that these income figures are only provided as a guide, differ from location to location, business to business, and are based on current data.

 

• PR Account Executives 

Graduate/Entry/Junior public relations account executives can earn around £18,000 to £24,000 in their first two years.

 

• Social Media Manager

Assistant/junior social media managers can earn around - £19,000 - £25,000.

• Content Writers 

Junior content writers can earn around - £18,000 - £23,000 in their first two years.

 

• Marketing Executives 

Junior marketing executives can earn around - £17,000 - £23,000 in their first two years.

• Digital Assistants 

Entry level digital assistants - £19,000 - £24,000.

A PR degree like BCU’s BA (Hons) Public Relations and Media will prepare you for a career working in PR, in social media and / or working with influencers - in fact, many areas of the communications sector! And once you start, there is great potential for development and an exciting career in the wonderful world of PR.