Guide Note

Public relations focuses on creating a positive image of a client, for example a company, a public figure or an organization. This can be done by communicating with journalists, answering questions and writing press releases, newsletters or marketing material. Public relations is often abbreviated PR and a person working in PR can have a variety of titles, including PR associate, publicist, press secretary, information officer or communications manager.

Fast Facts

1. Public relations is a rapidly growing area, with employment predicted to increase faster than in any other career over the next year
2. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of employees in PR grew 55% between 1990 and 2008
3. The majority of PR associates work in advertising
4. A press secretary is a PR associate working for a government official
5. Lobby groups seek to change policies or laws by communicating with government officials
6. Ivy Ledbetter Lee, whose clients included the Rockefeller Family and the Pennsylvania Railroad, was a pioneer in PR
7. PR firms are adapting their practices to a changing media climate: according to a 2007 survey, 84% are using blogs to promote their clients and 60% are using podcasts

PR Background

Public Relations has existed long before the term was coined. Leaders in ancient civilizations, including the Roman Empire, had writers produce material to improve their public image, especially during wars. In the United States, PR expanded rapidly during the period of Industrial Revolution in the end of the 19th Century as many new businesses were created. Another period of growth was World War I, when the government used the Committee of Public Information to create a positive image of United States' involvement in the war.