Public relations is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. However, the aim of public relations is to persuade the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders to maintain a certain point of view about it, its leadership, products, or of political decisions. Common activities include working with the press and supplying written content for news and feature articles together with arranging interviews with expert spokespeople, speaking at conferences, winning industry awards and internal/employee communication.
The importance of public relations in an organisation cannot be over emphasized and some of which are:
Media Relations
Talking with the media is a core function of public relations departments. Public relations professionals field questions from reporters, arrange for interviews with key individuals in the organization and write press releases to make the media aware of company events or achievements.
Social Media
One emerging function of public relations is to maximize an organization’s positive use of social media to build its image. Managing a Twitter feed, a Facebook page and a YouTube channel are all vital ways to connect with possible new customers or stakeholders. Monitoring public comment about the organization on the Internet can also give PR professionals early warning of any emerging trends or problems.
Handling Emergencies
Sometimes a company or organization is struck by a disastrous event that ruins its public image. This might be an oil company that has to deal with a high profile spill, or a marketing company that has a contamination event . Public relations professionals decide how the organization will repair the damage to its image, communicate how it is dealing with the problem and regain control of its message.
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