What Makes a Great PR Professional Today?
There is still a misconception that public relations is primarily about taking company news and securing media coverage. Media relations remains an important part of PR, but the role of a great PR professional – particularly in B2B technology – is far broader.
Today, the strongest PR professionals operate as strategic communications advisers. They help organisations understand how they should describe themselves, which messages will resonate with different stakeholders, and how individual stories connect back to the wider corporate narrative and business objectives.
More than execution
For an agency to provide real value, it needs to become embedded in the client’s communications function rather than simply act as an execution resource. That can mean developing corporate messaging frameworks, running discovery workshops, analysing market intelligence and identifying where a company can credibly differentiate itself from competitors.
In B2B technology, this requires people who can absorb complex technical information and translate it into a story that demonstrates a business outcome. It is not about making technology less sophisticated. It is about understanding why it matters, who it matters to and how best to communicate that value.
The skills behind a great PR professional
That makes PR a demanding profession. The best practitioners need to be able to manage multiple priorities while still thinking ahead. They need strong people skills because relationships with clients, journalists, analysts and other stakeholders are built on trust, responsiveness and a genuinely human connection.
They also need both creativity and strategic thinking. Creativity applies not only to the story itself, but to the way it is delivered. Audiences now consume information through articles, social posts, video, podcasts, event content and short-form clips. A good PR professional considers how each audience is most likely to engage with a message rather than assuming one format will work for everyone.
Alongside creativity sits measurement. Clients increasingly want to understand the impact communications is having on their wider objectives, not simply count coverage hits. PR therefore needs people who can analyse results, interpret what the data is telling them and use those insights to improve future activity.
From outputs to business outcomes
This is one of the biggest changes I have seen during my career and 20-years of leading TechComms. Clients increasingly want consultative input, integration and evidence of business impact. Media relations, analyst relations, messaging, content, social and digital marketing cannot always operate as separate silos. The strongest communications programmes connect these disciplines around a common business objective.
That evolution is also changing how PR teams use technology. AI tools can support brainstorming, research, planning, analysis and summarisation, while platforms can automate tasks that once took hours. But the technology is there to enhance the PR professional, not replace them. Someone still needs to ask the right questions, challenge the output, understand the market and apply judgement and experience.
The human advantage
Ultimately, great PR remains a people business. When we recruit, work ethic, curiosity, tenacity and a willingness to learn matter enormously. So does the ability to collaborate. One person may be naturally stronger creatively, another analytically, and another at building relationships. Great teams recognise those strengths and use them collectively.
The role of the PR professional has evolved considerably, and it will continue to evolve. The people who thrive will be those who keep learning, embrace useful technology and new ways of communicating, and never lose sight of the strategic and human judgement that sits at the heart of effective public relations.