The Future of PR from a Students’ Perspective

Big Spoon Co.’s summer PR intern Sarah Newman talks about what she’s learned so far…

This last year has been unconventional. And as a PR student, this meant adaptation not only in the classroom, but witnessing a clear change in the profession before my eyes. Here are a few things I’ve witnessed and predict will happen in a new post-COVID world of PR as I move into my professional career:

Succinct multi-channel messaging is more important than ever. 

Across each platform, businesses and organizations should ensure a sort of baseline message for each. Although they might be communicated differently, it limits ideas getting “lost in translation” along the way. Whether this is to reporters or on the company brand side, establishing a clear and concise message pattern early across all platforms is a key to professional success. 

The future is digital.

This one is pretty obvious. The digitalization of the profession has been imminent for years now, and the pandemic has only sped this process up. As I move forward in my professional career, there will be an emphasis on expanding digital technology, inspiring me to continue to learn about new trends and gadgets in the field.

Adaptation is now a day-to-day task.

The world has changed dramatically seemingly overnight. In the PR world, this means that news is breaking almost hourly. As we’ve seen, the world can change in the blink-of-an eye and the PR world has to be ready to tackle these challenges head-first. For a future professional, this can mean preparing earlier for potential risks and always having backup plans for stories and events. 

So, with all this in mind, what’s next for the next generation of PR students?

Current and future PR students should be comfortable with the uncomfortable and unpredictable. If this year’s taught us anything, it’s that both the physical work and lifestyle, will be completely different. And for a future communications professional, this means entering the workforce willing to learn ideas differently than ever before.