The difference between Public Affairs and Public Relations

Public affairs, public relations, marketing, mass communications, media relations, social media, etc., are very closely related. In an ever growing list of responsibilities, the line between them are starting to blur more and more. It is important for all members of the team to be onboard with whatever direction leadership wants to take. Everyone needs to know their role and where they fit in, but they need to be ready to help in other areas.

Two areas that have subtle difference are public affairs and public relations. To most people, they are one in the same. And in reality, they are becoming close to that. Lets look at the definitions of the two.

According to publicaffairsnetworking.com, public affairs work combines government relations, media communications, issue management, corporate and social responsibility, information dissemination and strategic communications advice. Practitioners aim to influence public policy, build and maintain a strong reputation and find common ground with stakeholders.

According to prsa.org, public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

Again, the difference is very subtle, but it is there nonetheless.

Public relations, as defined by me, is the effort to build relationships and opinions about your brand. You are in charge of swaying the internal and external opinion of that brand. This requires more of an active stance. As a PR specialist, you are looking to get the most bang for your buck while CREATING a draw to your brand.

In public affairs, you will be filling that role as a civil servant. As a civil servant, your job is to INFORM the public. Many in the government get wrapped up in analytics. They want to sell the government organizations they are working for. However, if you think about it, what are you selling. The government is funded by the government. There's nothing really to sell. And if you're not selling anything, how can you use analytics to see your impact.

In my decade of experience working in public affairs, I have seen many get worked up about the wrong things. Their priorities seem to be out of whack. They see what is happening in the PR arena, and want to bring it into the PA arena. It doesn't always work that way.

You can do PA like PR, but why do it that way if you don't have to.PR doesn't always work in PA. So, know your role, know your priorities, and know your boss' priorities. Take the time to analyze what you are doing and put together some good expectation management points. Don't worry, you can do it.