What Are the Functions of Public Relations?

Public relations functions are designed to help build trust and credibility with groups that are important to your organization. They help raise awareness about your organization as well as give it a chance to define, control and distribute its message to those both inside and outside your company. Effective public relations functions can also promote your organization, help communicate during a crisis or defend its reputation from attacks people make on it in the media.

Tip

The primary function of PR is to build a beneficial relationship with the public.

Representing a company or individual to the media is one of the more well-known functions of public relations. Media management includes developing and distributing both written and video news releases, pitching stories to journalists and responding to reporter inquiries. Depending on the organization, spokesperson duties may also be handled by the public relations department. Media representation also includes monitoring and measuring news coverage of the organization or individual.

Protecting a company from a threat to its reputation is another public relations function. While media representation is a part of crisis communication, preparing a crisis communication plan and training leadership and employees on its components is handled by a public relations department. A crisis communication plan developed by a public relations team typically includes determining specific logistics for expected reporters, the designation of an official spokesperson for the crisis, the development of targeted messages for internal and external audiences and training for company leadership on how to handle tough or hostile questions.

Preparing documents, written and electronic, is another function of public relations. Examples of content developed by a public relations department include company newsletters, blogs, speeches and annual reports. Content may also be written for another member of the company, such as a letter to employees from the CEO. Often, a public relations department will work with another department to ensure a project fits with an overall company message. For example, a public relations department may work with advertising and marketing departments on creating a description, report or other content about a new product or service.

Stakeholders are any persons or groups who have an interest in or could be affected by an organization's objectives or actions, such as the company's employees, lenders and government agencies. Representing an organization to stakeholder groups is another function of public relations. For example, you'll want to give employees and prospective employees a positive image of the business, and make it seem relevant, successful and important, so people want to work for you.

Establishing, monitoring or growing an organization's or individual's online presence is another function of public relations. Specific tasks may include creating or updating Facebook pages, tweeting information and keeping an eye on what others are saying in cyberspace about an organization.