Letter to cousin

Nick,

Public Relations, PR for short, is what connects a company to its public. Many companies have a PR department that is responsible for communicating with their target audience through press releases, newsletters, brochures, advertisements, etc. They are also responsible for maintaining the company's image. If a crisis occurs, they are responsible for communicating with the media about the situation by writing speeches for press conferences and preparing company representatives for any questioning from the media.

Many companies, specifically those who do not have a Public Relations department, often look to PR firms to help them out every now and then. One major function of a PR firm is coming up with plans for a project. For instance, if NBC wanted to do something creative to attract more viewers for the new fall lineup, they could go to a PR firm for ideas. These ideas might include contests, commercials, and media kits. Media kits describe the plans of what is going to happen and are sent to the press. They can include everything from press releases to website designs. If NBC were to produce a media kit, they would most likely send it to Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and other entertainment-based TV programs, newspapers, and magazines.

Public Relations, in order to be the most effective, must find out what the public wants before it can produce it. That is why surveys and focus groups are such a huge part of PR. They are designed to create a better relationship with a company and their public so both sides benefit.

I hope that clears up a lot of your questions about Public Relations. PR not only involves a lot of writing but also a lot of research so that a company and its public can effectively communicate with each other.

Let me know if you have any other questions about Public Relations.


Sincerely,

Kym