More and more people are entering the PR world through a wealth of different means, from university degrees, work experience or from finding success in blogging or vlogging.

However, every PR professional still needs a core set of skills and expertise to become a success. In the modern age, anyone seeking a career in PR requires the right mix of traditional PR methods and new age techniques.

A love for the media
If you are considering a career in PR, then having a passion for the media is vital. PR professionals need to know their company/client, the industry, and the media like the back of their hand!

They need to be religious in keeping up to date with news and current affairs to fully understand the brands they are working for which in turn will help be in being able to pinpoint a good story that is likely to receive traction in the media.

A gift of the gab
A lot of PR involves communicating meaning you will need to be a dynamo at networking, meeting and greeting.

To be a success in PR confidence when speaking is vital. It isn’t a career for wallflowers as a PR person will need to be able to approach journalists with a thick skin when pitching stories and features.

A PR person is expected to network and socialise with clients, the media and colleagues on a daily basis to build and maintain relationships. This means that your social and working life may become slightly intertwined so get used to meeting clients out of hours or in different settings. There is certainly a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality.

Knowledge of the written word
Not only does a PR worker need to have a good grasp of how to structure a press release or a feature synopsis, but they should have good levels of skills in punctuation and grammar.

Journalists won’t take you seriously if you can’t spell correctly, so it is best to get a lot of writing under your belt before starting a fully-fledged career. A personal blog or work experience/internship placement will help budding PR professionals practice their writing flair and understand how to write for different markets.

This will also help with attention to detail, which not only comes in handy when writing, but also proofing other people’s work, which is needed to be done in pressure situations.

Social media savvy
Social media has changed the way that the public consumes news.

Social media in PR means so much more than uploading images to an account. It entails understanding the different best practices for various platforms, engaging with audiences, and connecting activities with business results.

Creativity
Perhaps most importantly, PR requires you to be creative.

You will constantly need to come up with new ways to promote businesses, reach out to the media and approach new clients. If you think you A constant source of fresh ideas and lateral thinking is a must and anyone who strives to be creative will be put in good stead for a career in PR.

Think you’ve got what it takes or already working in PR and looking for a new challenge? The Make More Noise team is looking for an experienced PR Account Manager to join our growing team.

To apply, please send your C.V. and a covering note to: hello@makemorenoise.co.uk or to find out more, please contact a member of our team on 0121 312 1177.