Public Relations Jobs Key Terms

Learn the public relations lingo to help you get the job done

By Raechel L. Conover

Boost your business's performance with the help of public relations professionals. Before you hire someone, make sure you understand the language of the field. It will help you to know exactly what a public relations specialist does, the difference between a press release and a media release, what a strategic plan is and what it means to plan and buy media. It may also be useful to your company to know what a public relations firm is and what one can do for you.

Public relations specialists

Public relations specialists are people who specialize in making sure that businesses build and maintain a positive relationship with the public. Other titles for this job would be media specialist or communications specialist.
Try: The U . S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines this term and provides other information associated with it.

Press release

A press release is a written statement to the media giving it information on an event, product or activity. Press releases are written in a specific format and in a way that the media can use the press release as a story to print, rather than having to actually attend the event to get the story.
Try: Look at Publicity Insider; it's a press release writing service that helps explain (with examples of press releases) why a press release would benefit your business.

Media alert

A media alert is similar to a press release, but it doesn't give the media the whole story. It alerts the media to an event or activity taking place and gives it all the information it needs to attend the event to get the story.
Try: Public Relations Writing details the difference between a press release and a media alert and includes the format for a media alert.

Media planning

Media planning is the practice of planning out what type of media coverage you want for your business, product or event.
Try: Entrepreneur offers a definition of what media planning is and what it can do for your business.

Strategic planning

Strategic planning in public relations means developing what your business's target audience is, how you will communicate with that audience through media outlets and the message you want to communicate. Creating a strategic plan involves detailing your plan on a grid and checking off goals as you complete them.
Try: Check out Michael Turney's website. He was a professor in communications at Northern Kentucky University and offers advice on strategic planning along with specific questions to ask during this process.

Public relations firm

A public relations firm is a business specializing in meeting all of your public relations needs. Your business can hire a firm rather than a public relations specialist. A public relations firm can also be referred to as a public relations agency.
Try: Learn the definition of public relations firm at Agencyfinder.com.