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Creativity / communicationCreativity / communication
Public Relations Specialist
Public relations specialists tell the story of organisations, companies or people to the public and media. They write press releases, speak to journalists and manage how their clients are seen in the news.
No degree needed for many routes
AI impact: high£££ payDirect entry route
62
AI impact
how much AI is reshaping it
Robin · your guide
Curious about being a public relations specialist? Here's the honest picture - what you'd really do, what you'd earn, and every way in. No need to decide anything yet.
What you'd actually do
As a public relations specialist, you control the messages that go out about the people and organisations you work for. When a charity wins a big grant, a business launches a new product, or a council does something important, you make sure journalists know about it and tell the story in a good way. You write press releases that journalists might use, build relationships with reporters, and pitch story ideas to them.
Your day involves reading the news and social media to track what people are saying about your client, writing clear and interesting announcements, and answering journalists' questions honestly and quickly. If something goes wrong and your client gets bad publicity, you help them respond calmly and fairly. You also plan events and look after your client's reputation day-to-day. You need to be a good writer, understand how media works, and be able to stay calm when things go wrong.
1Craft and distribute press releases to media outlets, ensuring timely and accurate information dissemination.
2Develop and maintain relationships with journalists, influencers, and key stakeholders to secure media coverage.
3Monitor media coverage and public sentiment, analyzing trends to inform PR strategies.
4Organize and coordinate events, press conferences, and promotional activities to enhance brand visibility.
5Create compelling content for various platforms, including social media, blogs, and newsletters, to engage target audiences.
6Manage crisis communications, preparing statements and strategies to mitigate negative publicity.
7Collaborate with marketing teams to align PR efforts with broader business objectives and campaigns.
Career progression & pay
01
Getting in
Junior PR Executive
£28,000 - £35,000
BSc in Mass Communications or related field
In this entry-level role, you will assist in executing PR campaigns, writing press materials, and supporting senior team members in media outreach efforts.
02
Building up
Mid-level PR Manager
£40,000 - £55,000
3-5 years experience in PR + strong media relations skills
As a mid-level manager, you will lead PR campaigns, manage client relationships, and oversee junior staff, ensuring the successful execution of communication strategies.
03
At the top
Senior PR Director
£70,000+
10+ years in PR, chartered status with CIPR preferred
In this peak career role, you will develop high-level PR strategies, manage large teams, and represent the organisation at industry events, shaping the overall communication vision.
Degrees that lead here via Communications and Media
Acting and Film & Visual Culture
Liverpool Hope University
Acting and Film & Visual Culture (With Foundation Year)
Liverpool Hope University
Acting and Media & Communication
Liverpool Hope University
Acting and Media & Communication (With Foundation Year)
Liverpool Hope University
Acting and Performance
Sheffield Hallam University
Acting for Screen
Central Film School London Ltd
Apprenticeships that lead here
Public relations and communications assistant
Sales, marketing and procurement
Level 4 · Higher1.2 yrs
Public sector compliance investigator and officer
Business and administration
Level 3 · A-level1.5 yrs
Public service operational delivery officer
Business and administration
Level 3 · A-level1 yrs
Public health practitioner - integrated degree
Health and science
Level 6 · Degree3 yrs
Specialist community public health nurse (NMC 2022)
Health and science
Level 7 · Master's1.5 yrs
Who hires - top UK employers
Edelman UK
A leading global communications firm known for its innovative PR strategies and strong client portfolio.
Weber Shandwick
A top PR agency that offers diverse opportunities for career growth and development in a collaborative environment.
FleishmanHillard
Recognised for its strategic communications and reputation management expertise, providing a dynamic workplace for PR professionals.
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
A global leader in public relations, offering a range of services and a vibrant culture for creative thinkers.
Ketchum
Known for its data-driven approach to PR, Ketchum provides exciting opportunities for innovative PR specialists.
AI & the future of this job
Public relations sits in a genuinely complicated spot right now. AI tools are already handling significant chunks of the work: drafting press releases, monitoring sentiment at scale, generating social content, and analysing media trends. The tasks that AI handles poorly are the ones that matter most in PR: genuine human relationships, reading a room during a crisis, and the instinctive judgement about what a journalist or public will actually respond to. The problem is that the junior roles, where you traditionally build those skills, are the ones being squeezed hardest.
Within 5 Years
Significant workflow disruption
By 2031, AI will be handling first drafts of press releases, automated media monitoring, and basic social content as standard practice across every agency and in-house team. Junior headcounts will shrink noticeably, and surviving entry roles will require immediate fluency with AI tools rather than learning the craft from scratch. Specialists who can pitch, build media relationships, and advise on strategy will remain in demand, but the volume of pure execution roles will drop. Graduates entering now need to position themselves as strategists from day one, not junior content producers.
Within 10 Years
Structural role contraction
By 2036, the PR profession will look significantly leaner in terms of headcount but not extinct. Senior communications advisors, crisis managers, and specialists in highly regulated or politically sensitive sectors will command strong salaries precisely because AI cannot navigate those environments alone. The mid-tier generalist role, producing content and coordinating coverage without deep expertise, will be largely automated or consolidated. The professionals who thrive will have built either deep sector credibility, a strong personal media network, or a track record in high-stakes reputation management that AI simply cannot fake.
Within 20 Years
Transformed, smaller profession
By 2046, public relations as a profession will have consolidated around strategic counsel and human relationship capital. AI agents will manage most routine communications autonomously, and organisations will need far fewer people to maintain those systems. What survives is the work that requires cultural intelligence, ethical judgement, and trusted human connection: executive positioning, geopolitical reputation risk, and the kind of relationship-driven media work that depends on years of trust-building. It will be a smaller profession, but the practitioners at the top will be well-compensated and genuinely difficult to replace.
How to stay ahead
Build a sector specialism early
Generalist PR is exactly where AI displacement hits hardest. Choose a sector during your studies, whether that is healthcare, financial services, defence, climate, or politics, and go deep. Sector credibility takes years to build and makes you far harder to replace than someone who can write a clean press release.
Invest in real media relationships
AI can monitor journalists but it cannot have a genuine relationship with them. Make it a priority to meet, pitch to, and stay in contact with real journalists and editors in your target sector. A trusted human contact who returns your calls is an asset no AI tool can replicate, and it becomes your core competitive advantage.
Get fluent in AI tools without depending on them
You need to know how to use AI-assisted monitoring, drafting, and analytics tools well enough to be efficient, but your value must sit above that layer. Understand what these tools do well and where they fail, so you can position yourself as the person who provides the judgement that the tools cannot. Agencies will not hire graduates who do not know these tools, but they will not promote those who only know them.
Train for crisis and reputation management
Crisis communications is the part of PR that remains deeply human: it requires reading emotional temperature in real time, making rapid ethical judgements, and managing relationships under pressure. Seek out internships, placements, or case study experience that exposes you to real reputational crises. This is where senior careers are built and where AI remains genuinely weak.
How to get in - your routes
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