Santanu Bhattacharya talks about what to expect in the PR industry

Shiksha.com has started a series called – Take 5, in which we put forth five questions to industry stalwarts. This series is initiated by us with an aim to help candidates understand what the industry values when they hire people.

PR as a job profile; A Day in the life of a PR professional

Considered to be one of the most popular fields among mass communication graduates, Public Relations (PR) is an ideal choice for students who have good communication skills. However, it is not an easy profession to be in and one has to constantly work on assessing a situation and thereafter adopting techniques so that the goal of the organisation/individual they work for is achieved.

To help in developing a better understanding of the PR industry, Santanu Bhattacharya who currently works with Text100 shares advice on what to expect when one plans to join this profession and what skills should candidates possess in order to carve a niche for themselves in a PR job profile.

With more than 10 years of work experience in the communications and marketing industry, Santanu talks about the skill-set one must possess to excel in the PR industry. He shares that anyone who wants to join the PR industry needs to “listen to clients/stakeholders, broaden the mindset and understand the psyche of the person and then react”.

In this edition of our Take 5 series, Shiksha.com got talking to Santanu Bhattacharya, account director at Text100, who offers guidance to aspirants planning to join the PR industry.

Public Relations is a very important element of the marketing and communication function of organisations today both from brands and corporate reputation management perspective. “PR Industry” is going through a metamorphosis both from the clients’ side as well as the agency side.

Communications today is not restricted to just media, it is being looked at as integrated communications. This is being dictated by client expectations as well as the evolution of the industry – need of the hour.

As PR professionals at any given point we are working on multiple industries. Therefore, a critical aspect for students intending to get into PR is to be well-informed with news on multiple industries so much so that with an hour of research that person should be able to talk the language of the industry and get along with a representative.

Secondly, it is important to listen to clients/stakeholders, broaden the mindset and understand the psyche of the person and then react. Therefore what matters in terms of an individual persona is a mix of controlled aggression and consulting attitude. Build that persona while you are in your communications course, make that a habit while presenting cases to peers and faculty members, learn to take feedback and improve on it. Do not follow others’ style; improvise and build what is inherent to you.

Thirdly, no job is mundane in PR. Do not expect that the moment you enter the industry you will be working on strategic documents applying Communication and Marketing matrix that you have learnt in Kotler. Infact on the contrary a lot of times at the entry stage-time is spent on managing reports or making calls to media and pitching stories, following up on press releases etc. While at large it might look/sound mundane but if you look at the larger picture they have humongous impact on the brands and clients that you would be working on. Therefore follow the process, master them and then explore new territories in your existing roles. Am sure that the +1 you deliver will be well taken and appreciated by everyone within the system and by stakeholders.

And lastly, keep your mind open to develop new relationships and learn new things- digital communication, aspects of integrated communications etc., and you will have a great career ahead in the communications industry.

Firstly, we look at people from communication schools and who have been through a course in communication management, journalism etc. It is easier as these students would have the basic knowledge of all PR tactics and how the media world functions. Otherwise for generic candidates, we look at basic writing skills- ability to think creatively and write on any industry relevant topic – ecommerce growth in India, mobility in India etc. Subsequently, we look at communications skills, body language, analytical skills, clarity of thought and rationality for getting into PR. While a course in communications certainly helps, however, there are number of professionals who are doing very well in PR coming from diversified backgrounds. 

I wouldn’t like to endorse any institute in my response however MICA, IIMC, SIMC, XIC, Amity have produced some of the best known professionals in the Communications and Media industry today. The alumni of these institutes are widespread across media, research, advertising, marketing and PR firms and some of them are at the leadership level. However the next level of institutes that offer one year courses are also worth pursuing to get an entry in the industry and there after it is networking, connections and content quality that takes a professional to the next level. At Text100, we look at professionals from diversified background and this allows us encourage with multi-sector experience.

When I was a student in PR there were a handful of agencies across the country and most businesses didn’t value the role of PR (other than large corporates/MNC’s etc). However the industry today has evolved. Most global players that have set up offices in India are hiring from India, they are bringing their global talent pool to India; India is a high priority market in their global business. This is a boon for the sector and there is huge opportunity for students to explore PR industry as a career. Furthermore PR is no more restricted to large enterprises. The MSME sector, start-ups etc are also on the lookout for PR agencies that can add value and communicate their offerings to their target audience.

However, as a student there was a time when we did not have any defined curriculum nor did anyone have the idea of how it would shape up. This was the digital world and the world of social media. There was no Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube. Orkut and OpenBC had just started and they were more a peer-peer portal. And look at today; news breaks on Twitter, Videos go viral in Facebook, YouTube; communities are engaged and managed on LinkedIn. This has opened a whole new world to communication students and an area where students today should focus their energies alongside the world of traditional media. We at Text100 look at candidates with a mix of knowledge of both traditional and social media; especially how they can be used to enhance clients’ communications.

Salaries vary across agencies basis the profile of the candidate, job location etc. However entry packages start from 2-2.5 lakh upwards and an average raise of 1.2 lakhs- 1.5 lakhs with every year of experience. Job hopping like any other sector helps in getting an increase but it eventually standardizes after a certain year of experience and the role played in the organization. However, at senior levels one is expected to run profitable mandates as well as build connections and scout for new business opportunities.  

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