Public Relations - Basic Interview Questions

What do you mean by Public Relations?

Answer 1 - Public Relations are a higher level of communication strategy where in we take our client's brand ahead by being activists and consultants. We understand the client’s product and industry where he wants or decides to grow and this is achieved through various tools. The most important of the tools, being media which includes the following: Print, broadcast, online and now digital. 

Answer 2 - Public Relations is a non paid form of communication that will create and enhance the reputation of a company to the world especially stakeholders, investors, dealers, suppliers, customers etc.

What is the purpose of a Public Relations person?

Answer 1 - A Public Relations person is a consultant who would guide you in planning and strategizing your communication in for your audience, competitors, clients and public at large.

In other words a Public Relations person would understand your business as well as your market and with his expertise help you plan and execute this very plan to build and establish your brand as a credible one in the eyes of the media and the general public (customer) on a whole.

For example: When a layman or for that matter a customer of a particular product or brand comes across an advertisement in the newspaper knows that its paid for and hence might not find it very credible but on the other hand when he reads an article placed by means of Public Relations he will believe in it more and hence find it more credible.

Answer 2 - The purposes of a Public Relations person are as follows:

- To enhance the reputation of a company
- Also known as “Reputation Protectors” and “Image Creators”
- Turnaround the company into crisis to a normal situation
- To create product awareness
- To enhance brand awareness and brand recall
- Creating impressive press releases about the product re-launch, events, exhibition, new product introduction etc.

What are the qualities expected in a PR person?

A Public Relations person is expected to have qualities such as:

Answer 1: 

- Excellent communication skills,
- Excellent tactical and strategy skills,
- Should be good at counseling and convincing,
- He or she should be a quick learner and must possess the ability to anticipate things.

Answer 2: The following are the qualities expected out of a PR person:

- Willing to work long hours
- Ability to find new networks/contacts
- Good communication skills both written and oral
- Adept in time management
- Ability to multi-task
- Masters in media or advertising qualification
- Operational planning etc.

How is PR different from advertising?

Answer 1 - If you are trying to promote your company or a brand, you may have questions about whether to use advertising or public relations. These two industries are very different even though they're commonly confused as being one and the same.

So when a client goes to an advertising agency, he's expecting the agency to put together a campaign to make people aware of his product or service. The work includes some creative effort along with a strategy for exposing it to as many people as possible - and he's willing to purchase media space to place the ads. When a client goes to a PR firm, he is also looking to communicate with the public. However, as opposed to an advertising representative, a PR agent has to convince a journalist to feature the client - without paying the journalist. And in the cases where a journalist has already decided to feature the client, the PR agent's job is to ensure that the client is portrayed in as positive a light as possible.

Publicity is great when you get it, because the public is more likely to believe a newspaper article or news story than an advertisement - but the catch is that publicity offers no guarantees.

Answer 2 - 

Advertising Promotion

- It is a one way communication process
- The message coverage is payable to mass media
- Agency controls the timing
- Purpose of advertising is to create an awareness about product/services in order to make a sale
- Advertising content is creative in nature

Public Relations

- It is a two way communication process
- The message coverage in mass media is not payable
- Media controls the timing
- Purpose of public relation is to create and enhance the reputation of any company
- It provides the real content

What are the role, nature and responsibilities of a PR person?

Answer 1 - 

The PR professional has to:

- Understand the requirement of his company or client
- Write press releases
- Organize news conferences
- Produce company newsletters.
- Deal with PR agencies
- Deal with media
- Deal with management

The nature of his jobs needs him to:

- Think logically during a crisis
- Analyze and update himself with the trends in the industry
- Be aware about the clients competitors and its presence and activities in the market
- Have excellent media relations
- Be a good Public Speaker
- Represent his company at conferences
-Arrange press launches
- Act as the client’s spokesperson
- Provide training to the client to be his/her own spokesperson
- Do Online PR
- Manage Events
- Evaluation the effect of a PR activity
- Establish corporate identity
- Do strategic planning

Answer 2 - 

The roles and responsibilities of a PR person are as follows:

- To define the objectives and targets of PR department
- Media management
- Establishing the good image of the organization in a periodic manner
- Conduct market intelligence and pulse the public opinion about the company to Senior Management
- Writing, editing and distributing news releases to mass media
- Training & development
- Liaison with professional bodies, government authorities and trade associations
- Generating sponsorship for PR events
- Organizing press conferences etc.

What are the various activities done for PR?

A public relations (PR) officer often works in-house and can be found in both the private and public sectors. Some PR officers may be based in consultancies.

Answer 1:

The role is very varied and will depend on the organization and sector. Tasks typically involve:

- Planning, developing and implementing PR strategies
- Liaising with colleagues and key spokespeople
- Liaising with and answering enquiries from media, individuals and other organizations, often via telephone and email
- Researching, writing and distributing press releases to targeted media
- Collating and analyzing media coverage
- Writing and editing in-house magazines, case studies, speeches, articles and annual reports
- Preparing and supervising the production of publicity brochures, handouts, direct mail leaflets, promotional videos, photographs, films and multimedia programmers;
- Devising and coordinating photo opportunities
- Organizing events including press conferences, exhibitions, open days and press tours
- Maintaining and updating information on the organization’s website
- Sourcing and managing speaking and sponsorship opportunities
- Commissioning market research
- Fostering community relations through events such as open days and through involvement in community initiatives
- Managing the PR aspect of a potential crisis situation

Answer 2:

The various activities done for PR include:

- Newsletters
- Press conferences
- Media relations
- Sponsorships
- Philanthropic activities
- Corporate social responsibility initiative
- Special events etc.

What is interactive PR? What are the various elements comprising interactive PR?

An interactive public relation is a process which uses the internet as a medium to communicate messages to the public. The various elements comprising of interactive PR are as follows:

- Search engines
- Social media marketing
- Web 2.0 technologies
- Developing blogs
- Online press releases
- Podcasting
- Webinars

The main objective of interactive public relations is to use the power of web media to the maximum potential beyond the limit of traditional media. And it helps to have a direct dialogue with customers and potential target audience.

Advantages and disadvantages of in-house PR department

Advantages of an in-house PR department 

The main advantage of setting up an internal PR department is that the team will focus only on the company products and its markets. They will act as an effective spokes persons for building the reputation of the company.

Disadvantages of appointing a PR consultancy

There is a great possibility that the outsourcing of PR results in distraction from the PR agency focusing on other clients and also not able to synchronous with the company’s internal culture.

What is the basis for selecting a PR consultant?

The following are the factors considered for selecting a PR consultant:

- Be a subject matter expert and specialist in the PR domain 
- Able to demonstrate the excellent writing skills 
- Knowledge of different writing styles 
- Having expertise in media management and measurement 
- Consultancy fees etc.

What are the reasons for exhibiting at trade shows?

The following are the reasons for exhibiting at trade shows:

- Generating new sale leads
- Creating product/service awareness to target audience
- Actual sales can be made at the counter
- A platform to introduce new products and services
- A place to prospect potential customers
- Live product/service demonstrations
- Enhancing corporate image
- Improving the brand visibility