What does PR manager mean?

In short

• What does a PR manager mean?: PR is an abbreviation for public relations, which means building relationships between a company and its environment.
• What are the key tasks of a PR manager?: The PR manager is responsible for creating and maintaining a good image of the company in the eyes of customers, the media and the general public.
• What does a typical PR manager’s week look like?: To understand the position, it is good to see it in the calendar.
• What skills does this position require?: Job advertisements for the position of PR manager (PR manager job) usually describe a long list of requirements.

A PR manager (or PR manager) is the person responsible for the company’s reputation in the eyes of customers, the media, and partners. They plan communication, monitor relationships with journalists, respond to crisis situations, and check whether the actions are having an effect. They are someone between the strategist and the executor: they set the direction and ensure that it is implemented.

The title of the position is used quite loosely. In one company, the PR manager writes texts and sends information to the media. In another, he leads a team, sets the budget and reports the results to the management. This text clarifies the topic: what does a PR manager do, what does he or she do on a daily basis, how does he or she differ from a press spokesperson and an agency, and when is it worth hiring such a person for a company.

What does PR manager mean?

PR stands for public relations, which is the building of a company’s relationships with its surroundings. This environment includes customers, journalists, employees, investors, government agencies, and the local community. A manager is a person who manages relationships and communications that a company directs to all of these groups. A broader explanation of what this field is can be found in the text. what is public relations.

In practice, the PR manager is responsible for three things: what the company says (facts and figures), to whom (media, clients, employees) and how it checks whether it works (measurement). Everything else – writing a communication, organizing a conference, answering a journalist’s question – is a way of fulfilling these three tasks.

What are the key tasks of a PR manager?

The PR manager is responsible for creating and maintaining a positive image of the company in the eyes of customers, the media, and the general public. Below are the most important areas of his work, described in more detail.

Communication planning

The starting point is a plan: who is the target audience, what do we want them to know or do, through which channel will we reach them and when? A good plan is organized into several pages and has deadlines and responsible parties. The PR manager also determines which topics the company wants to address and which it leaves to others.

Media relations

Establishing and maintaining good relationships with journalists is an ongoing part of the job. It involves the PR manager knowing who writes about the company’s industry in which editorials are published, providing them with reliable information and responding quickly to questions. Trust is built over years, and it can be lost in a single miscommunication. The rules of working with editorial departments are described in the text about media relations, and preparing material for a journalist in a guide about Press release.

Managing crisis situations

When a problem arises, the PR manager is often the first person to assess it and propose a response. They establishes the facts, identifies the person to contact in the media, prepares a statement, and ensures that the company speaks with one voice. The scope of this work is described in an article about crisis in the brand's image. The very readiness for a crisis – prepared scenarios and a list of people – makes a big difference, because in a crisis decisions are made in a matter of hours.

Content and presence on social media

The PR manager is responsible for the consistency of what the company publishes: on the website, in social media, in newsletters, and in media materials. He or she does not have to write every text himself, but sets the tone and rules, and checks that the messages do not contradict each other. This is also important because search engines and AI tools that answer questions about the company read all these sources simultaneously.

Events, campaigns and measurement

The PR manager’s duties also include organizing press conferences, informational campaigns, and media meetings. Each of these activities should have a goal that can be measured. Therefore, the final element of the work is measurement. The AMEC standard (an international association specializing in measuring communication) recommends separating four levels: the actions performed, publications, and reach; the response of the audience; and the impact on the company’s results. The outdated indicator called the advertising equivalent, which converts publications into advertising costs, says nothing about effectiveness and is not used by Commplace.

What does a typical PR manager’s week look like?

To understand the position, it is good to see it in a calendar. The example below is simplified and depends on the company, but it shows the proportions between planning work, media contacts, and analysis.

Day	Example activities
Monday	Review of mentions of the company and competitors from the weekend, setting the topics for the week with the management
Tuesday	Writing and accepting press releases, talking to a company expert before an interview
Wednesday	Shipping materials to selected editorial departments, answers to journalists' questions
Thursday	Meeting with the sales and marketing department, agreeing on common messages
Friday	Summary of the week: publications, tons of mentions, conclusions and plans for the next week

What skills does this position require?

Job ads for the PR manager position (PR manager job) usually describe a long list of requirements. The most important ones include:

• Writing and editing. Short, understandable texts without the language of advertising.
• Knowledge of the media. Knowledge of how the editorial department works, what topics are news for it, and how to plan a contact.
• Project management. Monitoring deadlines, budgets, and the people who collaborate on the campaign.
• Calmness and assessment of the situation. Distinguishing the problem that can be solved through conversation from one that requires an official communiqué.
• Understanding of data. Reading media monitoring reports and extracting conclusions from them.
• Cooperation with the management. The ability to tell the boss that the idea is risky and to suggest a better one.

Qualifications requirements can vary. Some people come from journalism, some from marketing, and some from departments that previously handled communication. In practice, what matters is the portfolio, which consists of specific examples of completed projects, and the ability to work with people.

PR manager, press spokesperson, PR specialist and agency – what are the differences?

The related positions are easy to confuse. The table below sorts the differences.

Role	The main task	Typical scope of liability
PR manager	Planning and conducting company communication	Strategy, team, budget, measurement
Press spokesperson	The company's official statement regarding the media	Statements, answers to journalists' questions, communications
PR Specialist	Performing tasks planned by the manager	Texts, shipments, monitoring, event organization
PR agency	External team with various specialties	Services within a fixed range, sometimes complete communication support

In small companies, one person often combines several of these roles. In large organizations, there are separate positions, and the PR manager coordinates the work of specialists, spokespeople, and external agencies.

What are the benefits of working with a PR manager?

A professional PR manager helps build brand credibility, which translates into trust from customers and partners. Below are the benefits that can be observed and verified.

• Consistent message. The customer reads the same thing about the company on the website, in the media, and from the salesperson.
• Faster reaction. When a difficult question is posed by a journalist, we know who is answering and on what basis.
• Better preparation for a crisis. The scenarios and the list of people are ready before anything happens.
• Visibility in industry media. The company has someone who systematically provides the newsrooms with materials and experts.
• Less work for the management. The president does not have to write the statements himself or look for journalists.
• Data instead of assumptions. The management sees which actions resulted in inquiries, and which only resulted in publications.

Such effects do not appear overnight and they should not be promised in advance. The increase in interest in the company must be checked against the base period, for example three months before the start of work, and not against a single good week.

When does a company need a PR manager, and when is an agency enough?

The answer depends on the scale of the communication and the budget. Ask yourself a few questions:

• How many times a month does the company have something to communicate to the media and customers?
• Does communication require a daily presence in the company, for example quick decisions with the management?
• Do you need several skills at once: writing, media relations, social media, analysis?
• Can you provide such a person with a place in the team, tools, and development?

If the answers indicate constant, intensive communication and close cooperation with the management, it is worth considering hiring your own PR manager. If the needs are variable or require many specializations, an agency is more advantageous. A mixed arrangement is often also more effective: the internal PR manager sets the strategy and ensures consistency, while the agency implements the selected tasks. A review of the tools they use then provides a text about PR tools, and a review of methods – about instruments of public relations.

The earnings of a PR manager – what do they depend on?

The question of salaries (the PR manager's salary) comes up often. We'll provide the factors here because the specific amounts change quickly and depend on the market. Salary usually increases with experience, the size of the team the person manages, the industry (regulated sectors pay differently than retail), and the city. The current ranges are best checked in several job ads from the last few weeks and in salary reports published by recruitment companies. Don't rely on a single post from the internet.

The first 90 days of a PR manager in a new company

A new person in this position usually starts with a diagnosis, not with actions. The plan below shows a reasonable order and is a good basis for setting expectations already at the recruitment stage.

Period	Task	The result to be shown to the management
Days 1–30	Talks with management, sales and support; review of what the media and the internet are saying about the company; list of existing materials	Opening report: strengths, gaps, risks
Days 31–60	Determining target groups, key messages and media lists; developing a communication plan	Quarterly plan with deadlines and responsible parties
Days 61–90	First actions in accordance with the plan, emergency instructions, determination of indicators	The first publications and a report comparing the state before and after

This arrangement avoids the most common mistake: starting with sending out messages before anyone has determined what the company wants to say and to whom.

How to choose a good PR manager?

The interview for this position should test specific skills rather than general statements. Practical tasks and questions about past situations are useful.

• Ask for a sample of the work. A brief press release about the imagined event shows style, precision, and familiarity with the patterns.
• Ask about a difficult situation. How did the candidate react when a journalist asked about an uncomfortable fact? What did he learn?
• Check how they measure the results. If it mainly talks about the number of publications and does not mention the audience or the company's results, it is a warning sign.
• Ask about your interactions with the media. A good candidate is able to describe with whom they have collaborated and why these relationships are lasting. A list of contacts by itself is not enough.
• Check the honesty. A person who promises guaranteed results or „getting the publication” does not understand how the media market works.

The most common mistakes companies make when hiring a PR manager

• No goals. The position is being created because „it’s a matter of public relations,” but no one has determined what is to be changed.
• Not enough authority. The PR manager has no access to the board and learns about important decisions from newspapers.
• Too many responsibilities. In addition to communications, he is responsible for social media, graphics, the website, and event management; there is no time left for planning.
• Evaluation based on the number of publications. The number of texts does not indicate whether something important has changed for the company.
• Expecting immediate results. Trust among media and customers takes months to build.

How does a career in PR develop?

Typowa ścieżka zaczyna się od stanowiska asystenta lub juniora, który wspiera zespół przy tekstach, monitoringu i wysyłkach. Po kilku latach praktyki osoba przechodzi na stanowisko specjalisty, potem seniora lub PR managera. Dalszy rozwój to kierowanie większym zespołem, odpowiedzialność za komunikację całej firmy albo przejście do roli doradcy w agencji. Część osób wybiera specjalizację: komunikację kryzysową, relacje inwestorskie, komunikację wewnętrzną lub employer branding, czyli budowanie wizerunku firmy jako pracodawcy.

For companies, this has one practical significance: a good PR manager must be developed. Training, contact with other people in the industry, and simple practice in difficult situations change the quality of their decisions more than another list of responsibilities.

Summary

The role of a PR manager is important for any company that wants to consciously manage its image and communication. Such a person plans messages, maintains relationships with the media, responds to crises, and checks whether the actions are having an effect. It is important that someone clearly defines its goals and how to measure results.

How does Commplace help?

Commplace operates as a communications agency for companies: from planning, through media relations and copywriting, to measurement. You can engage us instead of your own PR manager or alongside him as an external support team. Details can be found on the website public relations. When a company needs to prepare for difficult situations, see crisis management.

The results of the activities – publications, mentions, traffic on the website, inquiries – are collected in a dashboard Commwork®AI. Thanks to this, the PR manager and management see the same data, and the decision on the next steps is made by a human being.

Sources: work of the Commplace blog editorial team.