Letter to Cousin

Dear Miguel,

 

            I suppose you’re wondering about this letter, especially since I don’t know that we’ve ever had an actual one-on-one conversation. That’s really not important. The reason I am writing to you is to let you know about one of the most exciting careers that there is: public relations (PR). The purpose of this letter is to give you an overall understanding of what public relations is, what its history is, and how it relates to modern society.

 

            Modern public relations started to develop and define itself within the last 150 years. As they grew and expanded, businesses and institutions began to face challenges. Connecting with the public, especially consumers, has become an integral part of any organization’s success. Instead of ignoring public opinion, organizations such as corporations, not-for-profit, and churches have begun to adapt to and prepare for shifting public opinion. In many cases, they even try to shape public opinion.

 

            The responsibilities of a PR specialist vary and are often difficult to define. I will attempt to address at least a few of them in this letter.

 

1)     Writing- any good PR specialist will have the opportunity to write, and to do lots of it. Press releases, memos and business letters are among the things that PR specialists are responsible for.

 

2)     Planning- event planning, product development and crisis prevention/management all fall under the umbrella of PR. This requires PR specialists to be willing to adapt and change in order to accomplish their goals and objectives.

 

3)     Internal and external communications- PR specialists are often responsible for the communication that exists within an organization, as well as the communication between two distinct organizations. For example, if Apple and AT&T want to go in on a phone together, the planning and communication that goes on between Apple and AT&T are done by PR specialists. At the same time, the communication that occurs between the management of a company and its employees is generally done through the PR department.

 

These are a few of the things that PR specialists are responsible for, but this list in no way summarizes all the possible responsibilities that a PR specialist will have. I hope this letter has at least been interesting to you, if nothing more. I hope New York is treating you well. No pressure to respond to this letter. Just think about it.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kevin Mouritsen