As a PR manager specialising in whisky, you could be working as a part of a client account team in an external agency that concentrates on the industry or within an in-house department of a whisky manufacturer and whisky brand owner.

As a PR manager specialising in whisky, you could be working as a part of a client account team in an external agency that concentrates on the industry or within an in-house department of a whisky manufacturer and whisky brand owner.

If you work as PR manager within a small or medium sized whisky company, you may work alone o with a very small team and be totally responsible for all public relations and external communications activity and often asked about your communications expertise to assist with internal communications.

This will probably include devising and undertaking PR that directly support sales drives and marketing activity as well as PR focussed on enhancing and protecting corporate reputation and brand.

In a larger whisky company you may be more specialised – working as a part of a larger PR, marketing or corporate communications team spanning areas like media relations, financial PR, Digital media etc and even acting much like an external PR account manager handling the PR needs of internal departments, brand teams or site locations or regions as ‘internal clients’

The general rule is the smaller the organisation, the wider your remit and the more opportunity you’ll get to use all of your PR knowledge and skills across a wide range of marketing communications, corporate reputation and customer relations challenges.

What might I be doing?

Your primary role will be to assist the company, its brands and it products to be known and admired by stakeholder groups such as end customers, key trade clients including wholesalers, investors and supermarkets etc.

In most firms you’ll handle every tool in the PR box to communicate with these groups from channels such as an informative company website to online and print media and social media campaigns etc.

As PR manager you can expect a varied working day. Often be working hands-on writing news releases, briefing key media contacts or organising events. You may also work with an external agency in which case you’ll spend more time on communications planning and strategy aligned to the company’s plans to ensure you deliver the right service for them.

To carry out your work effectively you’ll need a deep understanding of what your business is out to achieve and how well its progressing – which means you’ll be a great networker staying as close to the challenges in production as to the plans of the MD and board and the latest client opinions and marketplace and consumer trends.

While most PR managers will try to stick to planned activity, the reality of the job is that you can always expect the unexpected. You may have to deal with sudden media concerns about an ingredient within the whisky or a social media flurry that’s linked your whisky to the latest Hollywood Blockbuster.

What will be expected of me?

As PR manager, it will usually be your responsibility to plan campaigns and secure the necessary budget to undertake them from your marketing or sales director, MD or board.

Your PR activity will be expected to contribute to the commercial success of your company so it’s important to use communication measurement and targets that firms have linked to performance and customer sentiment even if indirect.

The growth of digital and social media where impacts and interactions can be measured and analysed, has made online PR ever more important. You’ll need to be an outgoing and confident person with excellent influencing and listening skills and capable of planning and managing your own workload and coping with pressure.

You’ll be able to resolve any negative media issues in a prompt and satisfactory manner in order to protect the long-term interests of your company and brands while maintaining your positive relationships with industry commentators.

What can I expect?

Done well, the role of PR manager can result in great job satisfaction. As a key company contact, you’ll have a high profile within the organisation and externally. If you are working in an agency, you can expect to work long hours but with fewer internal meetings.

Internally, you will have far more control of your day-to-day work, enjoy greater job security and regular hours and contribute to wider business activity and strategy. Either way, you’ll love what you do and grow to love it more as your skills and experience earn the respect of colleagues and clients at every level.

What about the pay?

A PR manager can earn anything from £18,000 to £70,000 depending on experience and size of the business and you may be able to get bonuses based on attracting new clients to help reach agency’s sales targets.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

A PR manager will usually be expected to have a degree in a related subject with several years’ experience during which they will have attended professional development courses. While many people now enter PR via a PR or Media studies degree, a degree in English, Business, or Marketing is often more attractive. A good course will offer industry placements. If yours doesn’t make sure you arrange your own around your studies. PR is highly competitive and good work experience counts.

Being confident, having a nose for news, establishing good relationships with people at all levels, being articulate and having strong writing skills are basis for this role – as is excellent general knowledge and an interest in everything from the business pages to celebrity culture.

What about further training?

You could look at postgraduate professional courses in marketing and communications from organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) or Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Anything else I need to know?

Yes, get started now, create and write a blog or make vlogs on your own YouTube channel. Make sure to keep up to date with the latest mobile communication trends. Read the news every day. Also job names are flexible in PR and as a PR manager you may be expected to take up role of Head of PR role.

You could progress to role of PR director, or Head of PR, marketing manager or brand director. The skills required of a PR manager are extremely transferrable and allow employees to move on to many different senior jobs.

What qualifications do I need to get in?

A PR manager will usually be expected to have a degree in a related subject with several years’ experience during which they will have attended professional development courses. While many people now enter PR via a PR or Media studies degree, a degree in English, Business, or Marketing is often more attractive. A good course will offer industry placements. If yours doesn’t make sure you arrange your own around your studies. PR is highly competitive and good work experience counts.

Being confident, having a nose for news, establishing good relationships with people at all levels, being articulate and having strong writing skills are basis for this role – as is excellent general knowledge and an interest in everything from the business pages to celebrity culture.