September 1, 2009

Brady,
I am so glad you have shown an interest in learning about public relations. You first of all probably want to know what PR is. Those practicing public relations attempt to promote a good image for a person or group of people who want public attention. This promotion is done by public speaking, planning events, writing, editing and of course through social media. Often the writing involved in PR is a press release, which you I’m sure have come across many times. A press release is what you hear or read when a new product has come out or an announcement is made. There are a lot of job opportunities in the PR industry. PR branches out and ranges from client management, writers, media specialists, trainers, researchers and event planners.
As I am sure you could guess the career I want in public relations is event planning. Having experience through many student government and leadership positions event planning just seems to come so naturally to me. In event planning, like every other career in public relations, it is essential to create a good network. Often whether or not you get hired can depend on what network of people you are associated with and what connections you have that can benefit the company.
If you decide to get involved with public relations it’s a good idea to become familiar with all types of PR. Now more than ever they are all blending together and it’s becoming essential to gain a background throughout the industry. Many PR agents are actually working side by side with marketing and advertising now.
One of the most influential things in PR right now is social media. Social media are networking programs such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. The public through these networks help companies to reform and better understand their customers. Social media also helps in PR when an important message needs to get out. For instance the universities in Utah were having budget cuts by the state government and were losing 19% of their previous budget. People used Facebook to create a group called, “Save Higher Education”. Within days the group exploded with people interested in helping. Protests were arranged, petitions signed and possibilities were discussed on what to do about this issue. You should get the idea now how influential social media can be in public relations.
Well Brady, I hope I was able to get you started in learning more about public relations. If you have any questions I would be more than happy to answer. I hope everything is going well for you and I will talk to you soon.


-Your favorite cousin