Why Hire Public Relations Manager?
Hiring a public relations manager gives your organization a dedicated professional to protect brand reputation, manage media relationships, and handle crisis communications before they escalate. These specialists bring established media connections, strategic communication expertise, and the ability to turn potential PR disasters into opportunities for demonstrating accountability and transparency.
Reputation Protection in a Connected World
Your company’s reputation sits on borrowed time without professional oversight. A single viral complaint can reach millions within hours, and the window for effective response keeps shrinking. PR managers monitor brand mentions across channels, catching potential issues while they’re still manageable.
Consider the contrast between prepared and unprepared companies. When KFC faced a chicken shortage across 870 UK restaurants in 2018, their PR team moved immediately. They ran newspaper ads rearranging their logo letters to spell “FCK” and maintained a restaurant status page throughout the crisis. The response became a case study in turning embarrassment into brand affection.
Compare that to Kellogg’s in February 2024, when CEO Gary Pilnick suggested families eat cereal for dinner to save money during rising food prices. The company stayed silent as hashtags like #BoycottKelloggs trended. By April 2024, they still hadn’t issued a statement. The silence transformed a tone-deaf comment into a reputation crisis.
The math matters here. According to 2024 data from multiple PR industry sources, 79% of executives believe PR drives significant business value. Yet brands without crisis plans lose an average of $10 billion in a single major incident, as seen in the CrowdStrike software update failure that affected Fortune 500 companies globally.
Strategic Media Access
PR managers solve a problem most executives don’t realize they have: journalists won’t take your call, but they’ll take your PR manager’s call.
These professionals cultivate relationships over years. They understand what makes a story newsworthy, which reporters cover your industry, and how to pitch without annoying busy editors. A TestGorilla analysis from April 2024 notes that agencies and experienced managers bring “established relationships with media outlets and journalists” that would take years for companies to build independently.
The access translates to visibility. Earned media coverage generates 1.5 to 2.5 times more consumer engagement than paid advertising, according to 2025 industry research. When your PR manager secures a feature in a relevant trade publication, that article remains searchable indefinitely—unlike ads that disappear when budgets run out.
Small businesses particularly benefit from this dynamic. A single feature in the right outlet can establish credibility that would cost tens of thousands in advertising. One national newspaper print ad runs around $37,800, while an earned media mention costs nothing beyond the PR investment and typically carries more trust with readers.
Crisis Management Before Crisis Happens
The best PR work happens before anyone notices it’s needed. Professional PR managers build crisis response frameworks during calm periods, so you’re not writing your first press statement while the situation spirals.
They maintain updated contact lists for rapid communication, draft holding statements for various scenarios, and train executives on media interaction. When American Airlines faced a midair collision near Washington D.C. in January 2025 that killed 67 people, CEO Robert Isom’s swift, empathetic video statements reflected preparation. The company had clearly rehearsed crisis protocols.
Contrast that with OceanGate’s response to safety warnings before their submersible disaster. The company dismissed expert concerns and mocked critics publicly. When the vessel imploded, their lack of crisis preparation intensified media scrutiny and public backlash. A PR professional focused on safety messaging could have redirected that narrative toward transparency and accountability.
The financial stakes grow each year. Companies that mishandle crises face consequences that compound. Bud Light’s partnership with a transgender influencer in 2023 sparked boycotts because the company lacked a cohesive response strategy. Sales dropped 24%, and they lost their position as America’s top-selling beer. A unified crisis communication plan with internal and external messaging could have managed the conflicting audience sentiments more effectively.
Measurable Business Impact
PR managers contribute to revenue, though tracking the connection requires more sophistication than simple ROI calculations. The 2025 CMO data shows that 30% of executives struggle to measure PR ROI effectively, but the impact shows up in multiple metrics.
Direct measurements include:
- Media coverage volume and sentiment
- Website traffic spikes following press mentions
- Social media engagement rates (brands with high engagement see 3x higher marketing investment returns)
- Lead generation from thought leadership content
- Recruitment success (quality candidates prefer companies with positive reputations)
The indirect value matters more for many companies. When your CEO becomes a quoted industry expert, that positions your entire organization as a market leader. When employees see positive press coverage, internal morale improves—creating a cycle where proud employees become better brand ambassadors.
For B2B companies, PR managers enable sales conversations. A prospect who’s read three articles featuring your company approaches sales calls already half-convinced. The PR work eliminated skepticism before your sales team touched the account.
In-House vs. Agency Considerations
The “hire a PR manager” question splits into hiring an internal employee versus contracting an agency. Each approach solves different problems.
In-house PR managers offer:
- Deep company knowledge and cultural integration
- Immediate availability for urgent situations
- Long-term relationship building with industry press
- Cost efficiency for companies with consistent PR needs
PR agencies provide:
- Multiple specialists (media relations, content, crisis management, social media)
- Established media connections across various outlets
- Fresh external perspectives on company positioning
- Flexible resource scaling during high-activity periods
Salary considerations matter. The median PR manager salary ranges from $79,046 to $138,520 depending on location, experience, and industry, according to 2025 data from multiple sources. Technology sector PR managers in San Francisco average $146,764, while the national median sits around $110,188.
Small businesses often start with fractional or freelance PR support—typically $33-106 per hour—then transition to full-time hires as communication needs grow. Many successful mid-sized companies use a hybrid model: one internal PR manager coordinates strategy while specialized agencies handle overflow work or specific campaigns.
Industry-Specific Needs
Certain sectors face heightened PR requirements that make professional management non-negotiable.
Healthcare and finance operate under strict regulations where a single misstatement can trigger legal consequences. PR managers in these fields navigate complex compliance requirements while maintaining public trust. They know which information requires legal review and how to communicate transparently within regulatory constraints.
Technology companies face rapid news cycles and technical topics that confuse general audiences. PR managers translate complex innovations into compelling narratives that journalists can understand and audiences find relevant. They also manage product launches, acquisition announcements, and the inevitable security incidents.
Consumer brands live and die by public sentiment. Their PR managers monitor social listening data, respond to customer service issues that could become PR problems, and maintain relationships with lifestyle journalists and influencers. A negative review that goes viral can tank sales within days.
Startups benefit particularly from professional PR as they establish market credibility. Early press coverage attracts investors, customers, and talent. A PR manager helps founders articulate their vision clearly and positions the company within industry conversations.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Companies that skip professional PR management don’t save money—they accumulate hidden costs.
Without monitoring, negative content spreads unchecked. Employee complaints, customer reviews, and competitor criticism shapes your reputation by default rather than by design. By the time you notice the problem, it requires exponentially more effort to correct.
Without media relationships, your company becomes invisible to journalists covering your industry. When they write trend pieces or round-up articles, you’re not considered because they don’t know you exist. Your competitors fill that space instead.
Without crisis preparation, your first major incident becomes a learning experience conducted in public. Stakeholders watch you fumble through response, and that fumbling becomes part of the crisis narrative itself.
The data supports investment. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections, PR and fundraising manager positions will grow 5% from 2024 to 2034—faster than average across occupations. This growth reflects increasing recognition that professional communication management creates competitive advantage.
When Timing Matters Most
Certain business moments demand PR expertise:
Product launches require coordinated messaging across multiple channels. PR managers orchestrate media briefings, influencer partnerships, and customer communication to maximize launch impact.
M&A activities trigger stakeholder anxiety. Employees worry about job security, customers question service continuity, and investors analyze strategic fit. PR managers craft messaging that addresses each audience’s specific concerns.
Leadership transitions raise questions about company direction. A PR manager ensures smooth communication during CEO changes, helping new leaders establish credibility while honoring previous leadership.
Regulatory challenges require careful positioning. Whether facing investigations, lawsuits, or policy changes, PR managers balance legal requirements with public perception management.
Rapid growth phases strain company culture and customer service. PR managers help maintain brand consistency as the organization scales, preventing the quality erosion that often accompanies fast expansion.
Building Long-Term Value
The strongest case for hiring a PR manager isn’t crisis prevention or media coverage—it’s the cumulative brand equity built over years.
Professional PR management creates compounding returns. Each press mention builds on previous coverage. Each relationship strengthens the network. Each crisis successfully navigated demonstrates competence. Over time, these accumulated efforts create a reputation that becomes its own moat against competition.
Think of it as insurance with benefits. You’re protecting against downside risk while simultaneously building upside opportunity. The PR manager who prevents a crisis saves far more than their salary. The same manager who secures strategic media coverage generates awareness worth multiples of advertising spend.
Companies with established, positive reputations attract better talent, command premium pricing, weather scandals more effectively, and recover from mistakes faster. Those reputations don’t emerge by accident—they’re built through consistent, professional communication management.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size company needs a PR manager?
Companies benefit from PR management once they have something newsworthy to share, customers whose trust matters to business success, or potential crises that could damage operations. This typically starts around 20-50 employees, though high-profile startups need PR earlier and stable local businesses might wait longer.
How do you measure PR manager effectiveness?
Track media mentions in target publications, sentiment analysis of coverage, website traffic from press referrals, social media engagement growth, and crisis response speed. Beyond metrics, note whether executives feel prepared for media interactions and whether the company’s reputation matches its capabilities.
Can I handle PR myself instead of hiring a manager?
Founders often handle early PR successfully, especially with strong writing skills and industry connections. However, this becomes unsustainable as the company grows. Most executives underestimate the time required for effective PR—typically 20-30 hours weekly for media monitoring, relationship building, and content creation.
What’s the difference between PR and marketing managers?
Marketing managers focus on customer acquisition and revenue generation through paid channels, product positioning, and campaign execution. PR managers focus on reputation, earned media coverage, stakeholder communication, and crisis management. Both roles overlap in brand positioning, but their primary objectives differ.
The question isn’t whether PR management adds value—research and case studies consistently demonstrate it does. The question is whether your company can afford to let reputation develop by accident, handle crises without preparation, and build media relationships from scratch during critical moments. For most organizations past the earliest startup phase, that’s a risk that costs more than the solution.