Page 80 - PR Communication Age January-June2020

Six basic skills that every PR practitio-

ner needs to know

O ften it is assumed that pub- municate with the target audience. pitching the journalist. Therefore, cre-

Even small misinformation or misunder-
ative and new ideas for brand cam-
lic relations involve only dis-
semination of press releases
vere damage to the reputation of your
brand a lot of exposure in the market.
in media outlets for publicity standing in the public may cause se- paigns and initiatives will give your
of a brand. But if you dig deeper, you brand.
will find various aspects of public rela- 3. Power of Persuasion
tions that are not known by many Whether you are writing a press re-
What makes a PR practitioner differ-
people. According to AtulMalikram, lease or you are holding media inter-
ent from other professionals is the abil-
Founder of a renowned public relations actions, you should always convey ity of persuasion. Pitching a journalist
firm, "Public Relations is an amalgam- proper and precise information. Not for a specific story related to a brand
ation of different industries and there- only is it imperative to be able to com-
takes a lot of convictions. It is an abil-
fore, the scope in the Public relations municate well verbally to get your ity to tell your idea or story most con-
Industry is very high and so is the com- point across effectively, but PR practi- vincingly. This includes clear and pre-
petition. tioners also need to have excellent cise communication from your end. You
writing skills. Needless to say, they must impart what your brand is, what
Only those having proper skills and must possess the ability to write an services it is offering, or how the pub-
ability can build a successful career in impressive and eye-catching content. lic will be benefitted. In short, persua-
this industry." PR exists to shape pub-
sion involves conveying your brand's
lic opinion that requires a definite un- 2. Creativity credibility to the media.
derstanding of the customer's psychol- In the present day and age, publicists
ogy. Suffice to say, it is not everyone's need to come up with creative ideas
cup of tea. To be a public relations 4. Versatility and multi-
and plans to capture the attention of
practitioner, you need to have good the public. Brands need to stand out tasking
technical, analytical, communication, from the crowd to catch the public's A good PR practitioner should be ver-
and interpersonal skills. Aspiring PR eye. It is, therefore, necessary for a PR satile and should have the ability to
practitioners must be well acquainted practitioner to have out of the box multitask. Whether it is organizing a
with media and brands.
ideas that will make a brand shine press event or meeting deadlines or
brightest among the others. handling many clients, he/she should
1. Communication know how to handle various responsi-
It is of utmost necessity for a PR prac- Being creative does not mean you bilities at once. A PR specialist is re-
titioner to have proficient communica- have to be an artist; it means you can sponsible for all kinds of media engage-
tion skills. Without proper communica- solve any problem with an air of nov- ment activities of its clients including
tion, PR cannot exist. To promote a elty. A publicist needs to have a cre- press events, interactions, get-to-
brand in the market, you need to com- ative and unique story idea while gether, etc.

"The more the father doubts his son, the more the son doubts his father. A transparent father is indeed an
inevitable blessing a son can get!"

80 PR COMMUNICATION AGE January - June 2020