The overarching goal of a public relations team is to provide strategic support for a company and its products and ensure the highest quality of communications to foster a positive public perception of the company. When organizing a PR team, there are many factors to consider.
There is no right or wrong organizational structure for a PR team. PR teams vary depending on the company’s size, business objectives and level of support needed. Some companies employ in-house PR teams, hire external PR agencies or use a combination of the two.
Many times, when a company decides to hire both an internal and an external PR team, one of the areas of confusion revolves around the roles and responsibilities of the teams. In order to strategically leverage public relations and foster a positive relationship between the two teams, the roles and responsibilities should be clearly outlined. It is also ideal if the external team and internal PR specialists and managers have shared expectations about processes and procedures.
Based on our collective experience and observations on both the client and agency side, these are the roles and responsibilities that you should consider for your external team vis-a-vis any in-house PR staff:
Roles & Responsibilities of an Internal PR Team
Roles of an External PR Team
As companies grow, change and reorganize, it is important to re-evaluate the roles and responsibilities of both the internal and external teams. Although selecting the right PR team can be time-consuming, a winning PR team can help cultivate a positive company image and successful business.
AARP CEO William Novelli commented to PRWeek, “Most organizations recognize team building is key to success. Communications pros must be strong and true partners in management team building. This means aligning with the organization’s goals.”
If you have any other thoughts about the roles of internal vs. external PR teams, we’d love to hear them. E-mail us at info@communiquepr.com or post a comment.
Tags: AARP, Communique PR, Erica Iacono, External PR Agencies, In-House PR Teams, Jennifer Gehrt, PR Managers, PR Specialists, PR Teams, PRWeek, Public relations, Sylvia Park, William Novelli Filed under: PR trends, Strategy
4 Comments
WilliamSok |
Muchos Gracias for your article. Great.
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