The independent PR practitioner

Independent PR practitioners work on their own and are specialized in different fields; they are professionals who propose their services to organizations or consultancies.

The independent PR practitioner is usually hired to accomplish certain tasks that are not always predetermined. Occasionally, independent professionals work temporarily for an organization that provides a post for a few week or months, when the company's staff are on holiday, are sick or have special projects to carry out. In this case, the organization will create first its own network of independent specialists as it knows them, it appreciates their work and they are already familiarized with the company's activity.

Independent PR practitioners are sometimes PR counselors . Some independent practitioners are almost exclusively counselors. A PR counselor is solicited to offer advice and he works for a consultancy fee that he establishes, fee that includes the number of hours and additional expenses. The counselor undertakes research on a situation, he takes interviews to the ones involved, he outlines recommendations and he makes an official presentation of them. The program is afterwards implemented by other in-house or consultancy PR practitioners. Counselors can work independently or can be associates of an organization as experts. Some independent PR practitioners have various PR attributions, but most of them are just counselors.

Some counselors are very sensitive in what concerns their role, as people have the tendency to see them as persons who make arrangements. Another erroneous conception labels the counselors as experts that are not yet hired by any company. The general confusion is understandable as they are consultants specialized in certain fields, and this specialization has been earned by working in an agency or corporation. Their value is related to their experience, to the persons they know and they appeal to, to their abilities for research, analysis, communication and persuasion.

Some counselors have the reputation of having helped different institutions to prepare and to use communication during crises. Others are known for their know-how in helping the institutions to establish and maintain good governmental relationships (at all levels, especially at a federal level). Other practitioners' services are used for solving internal problems, especially in the case of employees' relationships. Counselors and experts often have teams formed of younger persons with certain talents and specializations.

In a sense all public relations practitioners are “consultants”, just as those whom they advise are “clients”, regardless of whether an individual works in an in-house public relations department or for a consultancy firm. In both cases the approach taken to the delivery of professional services is similar. (Newsom 2003:33)

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