Things You'll Need:
- Master's degree in public relations
- Bachelor's degree in communications
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Step 1
Study for your bachelor's degree in communications or a related field to help you break into the PR industry. After a few years of work as public relations associates, many people go back to school for their master's degrees. Most, but not all, public relations manager positions require advanced degrees.
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Step 2
Specialize your public relations skills. While PR associates often handle a variety of clients, many PR managers only work in one industry. For example, you could specialize in health care, public relations or digital-reputation management.
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Step 3
Think about starting your own public relations firm. After years of working for another company, many PR managers decide to start their own companies and hire associates to help with the work.
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Step 4
Attend a career-development class to help you figure out the best way to move up in the industry. Many courses are offered by the Public Relations Society of America (see Resources below).
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Step 5
Look for promotion opportunities with your current employer. Many PR firms and PR departments prefer to promote from within the company because they need workers who are already familiar with their goals and structures. In order to become a public relations manager, you'll need around 10 years of experience in the field.
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Step 6
Check online job postings for PR manager positions. Since a certain degree of expertise is required for a manager position, many companies conduct countrywide job searches if they cannot promote from within. Websites like Journalism Jobs often post public relations manager positions (see Resources below).
