Assuming a Public Relations job role at an international agency

The Public Relations (PR) professional works in the communication between people, institutions, organizations and the public. In my experience, it is a social and structured processing of information. In the case of an international agency, this process becomes a vast expanse of ideas and possibilities.

The strategy for being a PR consultant involves analyzing how the media in any given region operates and to suggest ways of connecting the client with its audience, promote business, ideas and to influence public opinion.

Those who coordinate this type of service tend to be professionals graduated in Journalism or Public Relations – based on the experience they have gained in the industry and, in this way, determining what news should or shouldn’t be communicated to the press.

One of the strategies of a PR agency communicating the client or company’s  messages to the public is by means of getting space in the media. The first step is to understand how each medium works with research, data and information.

For example, in Brazil the communication outlets give preference to exclusive agendas with unpublished data, different to that of the press in the United States or Mexico – this influences the way in which professionals should position their clients.

Understanding the target audience – to whom this material is aimed at -, the potentialities, sections and segment trends are also fundamental.

After getting to know how this sector works and drawing up the communication strategy, continued work allows you to create relationships of trust with other professionals and establish a positive image of your brand.

In the relationship between consultant and client, the most important thing is credibility, responsibility and trust.

A Public Relations job role covers different skills. The day to day involves writing press-releases and support texts, staff suggestions, relationships with the writers, reporters and editors of the media.

In addition, we need to follow up on client interviews, write briefings, organize press conferences, create journalist mailings, clipping news – it can be print or online content – and prepare reports with analyses of the results of PR efforts.

The client needs to know the progress of your work and its  metrics. From the scope definition which will be implemented, the client needs to be kept in the loop regarding things such as: what was delivered? What is the number of coverages? What is the relevance of publications?  How many materials were highlighted? All of this must be taken into consideration. 

The professionals also study the mechanisms to extract the maximum amount of produced and made available information by the clients,  identify who the spokespersons are, and, if necessary, run media training courses to prepare the respondent on how to deal with the press.

The briefing takes part as a security tool of the spokesperson. It must present data and essential information to prepare the client, as well as possible questions and key-messages about the company or the organization. 

Another PR tool is the media alert, utilized with the intuit of attracting the attention and informing communication professionals of any important matters regarding the client. 

A journalist receives tons of materials every day, so you need to show the relevance of your content, offer new and interesting data about the subject and always  propose an angle which has not been discussed yet.

Yet, our work still enables the offer of exclusive content and thinking about sources and quality photos to facilitate the publication.

A consultant aware of the main discussed topics on the segment they work with is valuable.  The “hooks” as we call it in journalism, are connections that we make between the news and what the client can add.

Is necessary to observe the market dynamics, sector regulations and what is being discussed. Keeping yourself updated is very important, because everything can be a part of the agenda.

Sherlock Communications operates in several countries. In Latin America, professionals are multicultural and speak to each other and to clients in English, Portuguese and Spanish. In such a culturally diverse continent, the challenges are diverse.

You have to pay attention to the writing, the functioning of the media and the public opinion of your brand in each country. PR plans always need to recall the brand’s message, but constant adaptations to the sociocultural context of certain regions are necessary.

For Latin American residents interested in this experience, Sherlock Communications is the right place to go. You can send your resume to [email protected].