How to Pursue a Career as a Public Relations Specialist in 2026
Reading Time: ~8 Mins | Written By: Claire Ye
Are you someone who can spin a story from the most mundane details? Do you naturally find the magic in everyday moments and know how to shine a spotlight on what makes a person, product, or idea stand out? If so, a career in public relations (PR) might be your calling.
But before diving in, it’s important to understand what PR actually is and what it isn’t.
What is Public Relations?
Public relations is more than just press releases and media interviews. At its core, PR is the strategic management of a brand’s reputation and communication with the public. PR professionals shape narratives, manage perceptions, and build relationships between an organization and its audiences; whether that’s the media, consumers, investors, or the general public.
Think of PR as the bridge between a brand and its community. While marketers may drive sales, PR practitioners build trust, and that trust is the foundation of long-term success.
Types of Public Relations
PR is a broad discipline with several specialized areas. Each plays a unique role in shaping the way an organization is perceived. Understanding the distinctions can help you find your niche:
Thought Leadership / Op-Ed: Writing opinion pieces or securing speaking opportunities that position leaders as experts in their field.
Influencer Relations: Collaborating with influencers who align with your brand’s values and voice to amplify messages.
Crisis Communications: Responding swiftly and strategically during reputational threats such as product recalls, scandals, or public backlash.
Community Engagement: Building relationships at the grassroots level: connecting with local communities, organizing events, or supporting causes to foster goodwill.
Depending on your workplace, you may wear several of these hats. In smaller organizations, a single PR specialist might oversee all communications, while in larger firms, specialists may focus on one area and report to a communications director.
How to Get Started
1. Education
Most PR roles require at least a bachelor’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field. Some universities offer dedicated PR streams or electives, which can provide helpful theoretical foundations.
However, PR is not something you truly master in a lecture hall. It’s a craft honed in real-world situations; on deadline, under pressure, and often in high-stakes environments.
2. Gain Real World Experience
One of the best ways to break into PR is through internships. Agencies and in-house teams alike look for candidates with experience, not just knowledge. Internships provide hands-on training, help you build a portfolio, and allow you to learn directly from seasoned professionals.
Pro tip: Start networking and applying for internships before you graduate. The earlier you gain experience, the better positioned you'll be when applying for full-time roles.
3. Networking
Building a career in PR is as much about who you know as what you know and there are plenty of ways to make connections. Using professional platforms like LinkedIn or X/Twitter to connect with PR professionals is a great way to start. Don’t be afraid to ask for a 20-minute virtual coffee chat, most people are happy to share their stories and advice, especially if you approach them with genuine curiosity.
Attending events, workshops and conferences is another effective way to build meaningful industry connections. Think about it, not only are you deepening your knowledge, but you’re surrounded by professionals who share your career goals, passions, and interests. Whether it’s a panel discussion, a networking mixer or a breakout session, these gatherings offer invaluable opportunities to learn from experts, exchange ideas, and open doors to potential collaborations or job opportunities.
Just showing up and being curious can lead to conversations that shape your career path.
Future Proof Your Career
With AI tools becoming more prominent in the Digital Marketing world, the chatter in workplaces is often centred around the worry of being ‘replaced’ by AI. As powerful tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini continue to develop and evolve, it’s important to remember that AI has been around for years, especially in the PR world. Tools that are staples in every Public Relations specialist’s toolkit, like Grammarly and Cision were already utilizing AI, with Grammarly incorporating AI since 2009.
In the grand scheme of things, there is no way to stay away from AI. Those who refuse to adopt will be left behind, but that doesn’t mean you should use it without thought or intention. It’s important to learn and understand these tools so that you can responsibly harness their potential and leverage that power to the benefit of your clients; and it’ll give you an extra edge to jumpstart your career.
PR professionals are always seeking innovative solutions that allow them to connect with their audiences efficiently. If you take the tried and tested strategies that have guided the industry thus far and combine them with the technology available now, there’s no telling where it’ll take you.
Tools to Incorporate
ChatGPT or Google Gemini - These tools are well known, but they can assist you by automating tasks, aiding in the creative process and supporting data-driven decision-making. From written content to charts and graphs to mood boards and image generation, the world is your oyster with these AI platforms.
Prowly or Meltwater - These can be a PR professional's best friend and may already be in your toolkit, but did you know that they’ve been incorporating AI for years? From media monitoring to database collection, they can be considered an all-in-one PR management platform to help automate and streamline your workflow.
Grammarly - Grammarly offers users the opportunity to have error-free communications. It ensures that all communications are flawless, polished and above all else, on-brand; all of which is critical for content distribution for brands.
Here are some pros to using AI in your PR strategy and some risks that you have to be aware of.
Pros
Speed + Efficiency
One of the biggest advantages AI offers PR practitioners is how quickly and efficiently it can produce high-quality content. Once you’ve nailed the writing prompts, generative AI can help you produce the structure for quality press releases, blog posts, social media updates and newsletters. These can be produced within seconds and will help make writing these items yourself at a fraction of the time and with fewer human resources.
Data Analysis
Have you ever needed to analyze a ton of data and felt overwhelmed? From audience targeting and tailoring content to trend analysis, AI tools can analyze content and data, provide critical insights and information. This can help with the overall strategizing process and ongoing adjustments to campaigns.
Idea Generation
Creative juices running dry? With AI, you can generate creative ideas in a short amount of time. This can help with campaign creation or even interview questions and discussion topics.
Cons
Loss of Human Touch
While AI is outstanding at handling routine tasks efficiently or even drafting out-of-the-box ideas, it lacks the ability to create genuine and empathetic connections. This may lead to content created by AI lacking sincerity and authenticity, leading to audiences being detached. And we all know that Public Relations is built on creating strong relationships with audiences.
So while you may have saved time, you might just have lost a bigger battle.
The solution here is not to overly rely on the AI-generated content. Ensure that you’re either using AI to generate outlines rather than writing an entire piece, or that there are significant human edits to any content written by AI.
Bias Concerns
There have been concerns that there are biases programmed into the coding of AI platforms, meaning that companies can program their AIs to say whatever they want. This may lead to content that is biased. To avoid these concerns, always proofread the content you are creating and ensure that it aligns with your brand’s guidelines in terms of tone and perspective. You can always get a second set of eyes on the content as well to help offer a different perspective.
While there are a many different types of AI Bias, here are some of the most prevalent:
Algorithm Bias - Misinformation can result if the problem or question is not fully correct or specific as it does not help guide the search for a solution
Cognitive Bias - At the end of the day, AI technology requires human input and humans aren’t, or more so can’t be, perfect. Personal bias can creep into coding without programmers even realizing it.
Confirmation Bias - Similar to cognitive bias, confirmation bias appears when AI relies too much on pre-existing beliefs or trends in data. This bias leads the AI incapable of identifying new patterns or trends.
Risk of Misinformation
Despite what many think, AI models aren’t always perfect. These platforms have been known to generate content that sounds convincing or confident but is factually incorrect; this is also known as AI “hallucinations.” If you publish AI-generated facts without verifying them yourself, you are at risk of sharing misinformation or, depending on biases written into the code of platforms, disinformation. Ensure that you’re diligent when it comes to fact-checking any AI-generated facts and ask the tool to provide links to sources for all claims it is making.
While there are pros and cons to incorporating AI into your practice, the best thing you can do is to learn how the tools run and effectively prompt the tools. Consider mastering the CRISP Framework, it will help you write prompts that are clear, specific and professional so you don’t waste time with vague, generic results.
C - Context: Set the scene (background, objective, constraints and audience)
R - Role: Tell AI who to be
I -Instruction: Spell out the task, purpose, key requirements and what success looks like
S - Specifications: Define the format, length, tone and structure you need
P- Performance: How you’ll measure “good” (metrics, standards or quality checks)
Those who thrive in public relations are usually proactive, creative, and adaptable. If you’re curious about PR, don’t wait. Start reaching out to professionals, explore internships, and build your skills today!
Every brand, organization, and public figure needs someone to help tell their story. Maybe that someone could be you.
