How vertical integration affects hiring and nurturing public relations pros

A strong and diverse skill set is needed for today’s public relations industry

In the field of public relations, simply being “good at PR” no longer cuts it. Public relations pros need to have a number of skills and be able to adapt to many kinds of situations and roles in order to truly succeed in the world of PR. Vertical integration is becoming the standard for public relations, not the exception.

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The focus on vertical integration also affects the process for hiring public relations professionals. No longer can you just say, “Oh, this firm or this person was part of a successful PR campaign” as criteria to hire an individual or firm for your company’s PR needs. You need to look at their other skills as well to evaluate whether they can help get your company’s message out to the world.

When looking for a great PR pro or a team to boost your company’s public relations or help you develop PR skills in your own company, you’ll need to be on the lookout for these attributes to get the best talent possible for effective PR:

• A diverse set of skills
• A diverse background, such as unique lived experiences
• Able to tell stories with visuals and/or a strong narrative
• Effectively use videos to tell stories
• Able to influence thought-leaders and other major players in an industry
• Able to change public perception of PR and develop new strategies
• Great project manager

With how important it is now to have multiple skills in PR, your company needs to be looking for, nurturing, and hiring talent with a diverse skill set and background in order for you to benefit from the strong public relations foundation your company needs. By having PR pros with a wide variety of skills on your team, your PR is ready for anything that happens in your industry, the PR industry, and the world at large.

If you’re looking for a PR firm that has strong vertical integration, contact us. We’re happy to help!

Clients love Jacob’s speed. Jacob is an inbound marketing-certified webmaster. He earned an integrated communications degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville. Jacob joined Axia PR as an intern in August 2015 and earned his way into a critical role at our PR agency.