Communications Consultant
First things, first and in case you didn't know...
A Communications Consultant is a professional who specialises in providing strategic advice and tactical execution for individuals, businesses, or organisations in the field of communication. Their primary goal is to enhance the effectiveness of a business/brand’s overall perception, either internally or externally (you usually do one or the other) via all (appropriate) media outlets available to them.
Communications Consultants may work on various aspects of communication, including crafting key messages, developing communication strategies, managing press relations, creating content for different channels, and addressing crisis communication. As Gen says in the chat, no two days are ever the same!
They work closely with clients to understand their goals, target audience, and unique challenges, tailoring their advice and recommendations accordingly. Communications Consultants play a crucial role in helping clients convey their messaging clearly to the right audience, which means building a positive public image while navigating the complexities of a constantly, rapidly changing media landscape.
Key skills/talents
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Confidence and a strong sense of self-belief! If Gen makes anything clear in the chat, it’s this.
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Good strategic planning skills - what’s the problem, what’s the solution etc?
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Good media relations skills - knowing who to speak to about what and then getting them to pick up the phone to you, or reply to an email, is key.
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Ability to stay calm in a crisis, so that you can have solid Crisis Communication skills.
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Highly creative with content ideas and story-telling.
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Great copywriting skills - media are lazy and like to be spoon-fed on stories.
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Confident public speaking and presentation skills., for pitching new work to existing clients, or indeed new work to new clients.
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Good understanding of brand management and strategic brand planning - understanding what a brand is about/what it stands for and what it needs etc.
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Good skills with multi-stakeholder engagement, which means the ability to engage with people at all levels.
Qualifications required
There is no set entry route to become a public relations officer, but it may be useful to do a relevant subject like a Foundation Certificate/degree in Marketing, in order to get wider subject knowledge and in case you want to diversify (from PR) later in your career.
Alternatively, and if PR really is definitely your chosen route, then lots of Universities over foundation (and top-up) courses specifically in media and PR.
You can also study higher-level qualifications, if you're already working in a marketing or communications department…
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Nesma is an accredited study centre providing flexible learning opportunities in marketing, digital marketing and communication skills. They carry accredited courses here.
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The Institute of Business and Technology run Level 3 and Level 4 Diplomas in PR
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Cambridge Marketing College has PR & Communications courses, including CIPR qualifications
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The PR Academy also offer online courses in Public Affairs.
A great way to get started is as an apprentice or intern. The Power of Communications website gives a lot of great information on getting started in PR, as does Get My First Job.
Rules and regs
To work in media and PR (and in order to NOT look highly unprofessional suggesting inappropriate ideas to clients and the media), you need to understand how OfCom works and what its rules and regs are, as a starter for ten. However, any course you undertake (which we would recommend), will teach you about fundamental dos and don'ts legally-speaking.
In addition, we’d suggest you familiar yourselves with…
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Advertising standards (which apply to PR also).
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The CIPR outlines the following code of conduct and rules of ethics.
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NDAs will be a regular for you, so make sure you know what you’re signing.
And keeping it old school, this is a recommended book to buy and have as a reference as you’re finding your feet in the industry.
Insurance and liability-wise, as a Communication Consultant, you need to be very careful when representing your client and communicating their message in any form to the public; because you could be liable to pay compensation for the financial loss a client might suffer, and any legal costs associated with defending a legal action made against them. Therefore, a regular on TWW, Professional Indemnity Insurance is key. If you’re employed, and/or applying for a job, check that your employer has satisfactory insurance (they usually will), however, you could always get your own, just to cover bases (lawsuits are VERY common in the world of PR).
Hensure have some details of theirs here.
Remuneration framework
Salaries vary for this role (when do they not on TWW?!), but on average, a starting salary is between £18k and £25k.
Middle roles tend to earn between £40k and £65k a year.
Higher-level roles earn well above £100k (going up to £500k +), as the responsibility and accountability of your work increases.
Some salary links to check out, are:
How to get started
As we've said, you don’t need to have any qualifications, and Gen didn’t - she still doesn’t - but what she did/does have is tenacity and confidence in her ability to work well with people, make an impression on people + work hard (put in the hours) and therefore, work her way up.
So perhaps first of all, think about what route feels comfortable for you. Some people will feel more confident with qualifications behind them, and if so, course suggestions are listed above. But if you’d like to have a stab at learning on the job, then you will need to put your big girl pants on (or big boy pants) and start applying for jobs, either in house, or in agencies, or both. It will mean lots of rejections, but at the same time lots of learnings as you go, so don’t take it personally and stay focussed on your end goal.
'When' you land a job, you will absolutely, 100%, have to start at the bottom, so you’ll be looking for apprenticeships or assistant roles; perhaps even office-assistant roles, and/or admin roles, in order to get your foot in the door with an agency, or in-house PR departments.
And even with qualifications, you’ll still start relatively near the bottom, so please bear that in mind and manage your own expectations well.
And of course, try to find/choose a ‘sector’ specialism. Gen has primarily worked in women's fashion, but PR roles exist in every sector, be it consumer brands of all types and genres, or indeed B2B (business to business) sectors. If you have a particular interest in a topic or genre, then utilise that as a starting point... If you’re passionate about something innately, that will come across in your work - and in a job interview.
The CIPR will generally be your go-to, so whatever your level of interest, spend a good few hours on their site getting to grips with the world of PR. They also have a list of accredited courses and where you can study, in person, online etc.
And, of course, Social… It's the bread and butter of PR today, so if you’re not already, become ACTIVE on social, particularly in the field/sector you want to go into. Follow the main, appropriate media pages and indeed main influencer pages in that field, so that you can talk with confidence to any prospective employer about their market and the media involved.
Associations or official bodies to register with
As we’ve already said, the CIPR is your go to, so if you can, join them as quickly as possible. It will help any job application to state that you have CIPR membership.
(It is very common for an employer to pay for a corporate membership, once you have a job)
The PCPR also offer membership, so again, if you can, it’s probably worth a join.
Job site links
PR jobs are advertised widely and regularly, but some suggested job sites for you to look at (and to get an idea of salaries), are:
Linked In will also be a MUST for you, so get your profile right and ready and be active on there for potential employers.
Progression pathway
There are lots of progression routes in PR, not least within the scope of your own role (and as Gen did a few times), by working your way into more senior roles within the same agency/organisation. And if progression is key to you, then as Gen says, GRAFT! You won’t get anywhere in this industry without a strong, solid work ethic. 9-5 it is NOT.
In addition and as Gen also did, you could change industry/sector in order to diversity. In truth it’s actually quite rare in the world of PR (most people tend to stay in the same sector, i.e. fashion), however, if you do it successfully then it will 100% add strings to your bow that most others won't have. It will show flexibility and a highly adaptable, transferable skill-set which has never been more important in today’s ever-changing and ever-merging world.
Another route of progression, is again something Gen did, which was to switch between agency roles and in-house roles. With an agency you are working on multiple client accounts, however, in-house you are (usually) only working on one brand. Again, to do this successfully will show/demonstrate innate flexibility and adaptability, which will stand you apart; but it will also, most likely, keep you interested in the field and with a fresh approach. We’d always recommend a bit of a switch-up between the two, purely so that you get experience with both points of view and can execute high quality work for both points of view.