In my blog post from week 1, I reflected upon the skills that I would need for a career in broadcast journalism and podcasting. However, in our group we have looked more in depth at other careers within the media and I have decided to pursue another career path in public relations, more commonly known as PR.

PR is a way to “build a positive image and reputation” (Ketchup Marketing Agency, 2020) for organisations etc. PR is often split into freelance, in-house, and agencies (Laughton, F., 2020). Looking at this, I feel as though I would be best suited for an agency as I believe that I work best in a team environment rather than having to work independently and manage myself which may be the case in a freelance role.

The development of networking skills, as mentioned in the week 1 blog, would still be necessary as a way into a PR career, and I am therefore looking into work placements in local firms in order to make contacts and improve this skill.

Part of the reason I decided to pursue a career in PR is because I feel as though my skills are best suited to a role in this area. The PRCA states “If you are a strong writer and communicator, interested and engaged in all forms of media, have a creative mind and consider yourself a ‘people person’ then PR could offer a great career option for you” (PRCA, 2020) Personally, I feel as though I am well suited to the majority of these criteria, and that the only area here I would need a lot of improvement on is being engaged in all forms of media. To do this, I am going to attempt to broaden my horizons by watching and listening to forms of media that I wouldn’t normally look into.

The same areas of skill and improvements which I mentioned in my week 1 task still apply as PR, similarly to broadcast journalism, is a way of representing certain views to an audience. Therefore, this change in career goal feels natural and suitable as, rather than having a drastic change towards something entirely different, I have moved from portraying news events to portraying brands which are not too dissimilar at points.

Ketchup Marketing Agency (2020) A-Z of Marketing: Public Relations. https://www.ketchup-marketing.co.uk/a-z-of-marketing/a-z-of-marketing-public-relations/

Laughton, F. (2020) PR – In-House, Freelance, DIY or Agency?. https://blog.lano.io/pr-in-house-freelance-diy-or-agency/

PRCA (2020) What is PR? https://www.prca.org.uk/careers/what-is-pr