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Public Relations Agencies

Public relations agencies manage the flow of information between a company or organization and the public. Public relations firms work for a wide range of clients - including corporations, trade associations, and non-profit groups. The goal of public relations, or PR, as it is commonly called, is to gain favorable press for its clients.

Public Relations Uses

PR can be used to build a rapport with employees, investors, and the general public. Any organization that has a stake in how it is portrayed employs some level of public relations, whether it's working with the press, speaking at conferences, or crafting employee communications.

Some public relations agency campaigns are designed to boost the public profile and sales of a company by helping the public better understand the company and its products. Often, public relations are conducted through the media, that is, newspapers, magazines and television. The principal instrument of publicity is the press release, which provides the mass media with the raw material and background needed to create a news story.

Creating Public Interest

A public relations firm knows how to present information to the press so that it can be used as a public interest story. Because public relations uses exposure in third-party outlets like magazines and newspapers, it offers an implied legitimacy that advertising campaigns do not.

The Evolution of Public Relations

The most significant change in PR today is social media, which allows companies to directly participate in the media through blogs, social media press releases, search engine optimization, content publishing, podcasts and on their own website.