Guest blog by Jennifer Atkinson, Senior Consultant at Babel PR:

It is a common misconception that the role of public relations (PR) is blurred with advertising and marketing. In truth, the role has more overlap with the world of journalism. We work as a voice for our clients, building relationships with the public and media in one of the most competitive and communicative job roles across all sectors and industries.

The aim is simple: to promote our clients and get journalists writing about them. To achieve this, PR professionals have an expansive arsenal of tactics including news announcements and cleverly crafted pitches combined with a tried and tested charm offensive. We contact relevant journalists and analysts to arrange interviews which hopefully lead to written articles, filmed product demos and profiling opportunities for company leaders. These outcomes all help boost the company’s status in a particular industry.

As the filter between our clients and the public, PR professionals own the responsibility of managing the company’s image which is something we take the time to get to know with each individual client. Once we truly understand our clients’ objectives, we build key messaging to reflect their voice and develop tactics in line with their requirements, to get the attention of the media.

Generating publicity and media exposure is what a PR professional excels in, and the end result can not only contribute to increasing clients’ sales figures, but also drive industry change and evolution. This means PR is a very exciting and influential sector to work in and if you love writing and building relationships there is no doubt that it can offer a diverse and fast-paced environment for you, and a very rewarding alternative to journalism.