Types of PR: The five you need to know

media update’s Talisa Jansen van Rensburg takes you through five types of PR, which will allow to contact the right agency for the right situation.

The purpose of PR is to get your brand’s message out there in the most viable way possible. However, in order to ensure that your message is being sent correctly, you need to have the right communicator.

With this in mind, here are five types of PR you need to know about:

1. Crisis management

When it seems as if everything is falling apart, you definitely need a crisis manager on your side. If your brand has put out a product that is faulty or the service that was delivered was not up to par, you need the PR who is quick on their feet and who comes up with great solutions.

These managers will know how to handle any situation that has gone wrong — whether it’s a tweet, video on Facebook or a press conference.

2. Media relations

PR pros that work in media relations are responsible for getting their clients’ message out to the media. These professionals are in charge of ensuring that their clients receive free coverage; they are also responsible for writing and sending press releases, as well as giving press conferences.

Working in media relations means that the PR pro must be quick to adapt to change and they need to that they always plan ahead. The content that they receive might be time sensitive, and therefore needs to be placed as a first priority, even if they have already written press releases about other content.

3. Public affairs

When a brand wants to get the government's attention, they will need to make use of a PR pro that specialises in public affairs — aka, lobbyists. Public affairs professionals focus on making connections with the government.

PR pros working in public affairs need to be firm and professional. Building connections with a minister is not something that just anyone can do.

4. Community relations

A community relations specialist will ensure that your brand gets support from a local community and will also get them talking about your brand.

These specialists know the ins and outs of how a particular community thinks, feels and acts, according to varying situations. This means that, if your brand wants to focus on a niche market, they need to hire a community relations specialist to help them reach that audience.

Take Nando’s, for instance. The brand supports local artists, and by doing so, they build a strong relationship with that specific community.

5. Corporate social responsibility

With people being more aware about climate change and how humans have a responsibility to take care of the earth, it has become vital for companies to ensure that they reduce their carbon footprint.

Therefore, companies need professionals working in CSR to help show the public how they go about caring for the environment.

PR pros working in CSR are strong communicators and ensure that they have the attention of the CEO of the client they’re working for. Having the attention of the CEO means that they will influence the person directly in control of what is happening in the company.

What are other types of public relations play a vital role in the success of a brand? Let us know in the comments section below.

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As a PR pro, it is vital to ensure that brand safety is on your daily to-do list, which is why you need to take a look at Brand safety: The three must-knows for PR

*Image courtesy of Pexels