Successful Public Relations

Course overview

Why choose 'Successful Public Relations' ?

PR has moved from a fringe activity to centre stage, the driver on which growth and reputation depend. In a world in which global communication is instant, PR is critical to the success and – in times of crisis – the survival of organisations and individuals. Professionalism is everything. You don't get a second chance to put it right.

Falconbury's PR course offers you the experience and guidance, tips and techniques of three highly successful professionals. It has been specifically designed to offer a step-by-step guide to the essential knowledge and skills needed to design, plan and implement successful PR campaigns. If you are new to PR, working in the role of a PR assistant or a marketing assistant or executive wanting to develop your understanding of effective PR, then this course is for you.

When you have completed the 6-module programme you will have a proper grasp of the all the key functions that are crucial to success.

Who should enrol?

• PR assistants and executives who wish to become top professionals
• Marketing staff in private, public and not for profit organisations who want to become proficient in PR
• Managers of SMEs or those running their own business who need PR but don't want to employ outside consultants

This distance learning course will:

• Provide a step-by-step guide on how to design, plan and implement a successful PR campaign
• Show you how to get more column inches and airtime – media, timing and pitch
• Teach you the different needs of consumer PR, B2B PR, internal communications and public affairs
• Empower you with the confidence, skills and techniques to successfully manage a crisis
• Enhance your skills and techniques for planning and creating press releases, sales letters and direct mail campaigns

Course modules

MODULE 1 – THE ROLE OF THE PR FUNCTION

• Qualities and skills
• Codes of conduct
• Planning and evaluation
• PR and the marketing mix
• Sponsorship
• Product placement
• Tactics and techniques
• Research
• e-communications
• Design and corporate identity

MODULE 2 – MEDIA RELATIONS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

• Getting to grips with media relations
• What is news?
• Building relationships with journalists
• Press conferences
• Setting up a press office
• Managing PR
• Budgeting
• In-house consultancy
• What do PR consultancies offer?
• Public affairs planning
• Political targets and ways to reach them
• Preparing feature articles

MODULE 3 – SPECIAL PR FUNCTIONS

• Business-to-business
• Consumer
• Corporate
• Financial
• Healthcare
• Internal communications
• IT
• Event management
• International PR
• Agency and inter-agency relations
• Language and cultural differences
• International media
• Contracts
• Getting started

MODULE 4 – UNDERSTANDING PROMOTION AND MARKETING

• Researching and choosing appropriate media
• Evaluating the pros and cons of different media
• Direct mail planning
• Sales letters
• Advertising and choosing the right media
• Making your advertising effective
• Point of sale materials
• Choosing and using a graphic designer

MODULE 5 – PR AND THE SMALL BUSINESS

• PR activity
• Resources and administration
• Developing media contacts
• Crisis PR
• How to choose and use a PR agency
• Personal selling skills

MODULE 6 – PR AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT

• Defining a crisis management strategy
• Command and control
• Leadership and procedures
• Crisis support staff
• Documentation
• Communications
• Fallback arrangements
• Communications cascades
• Organising the media interface
• Reputational damage
• Sources of information
• Media training
• The right messages
• Action teams/plans
• Maintaining the crisis management infrastructure
• The crisis management manual
• Information, training and testing