Top Websites for PR Students

As a PR student, it is important to read around the subject in order to compliment your studies, find out the latest issues, and get to know the day-to-day workings of an exciting but complicated industry. There are lots of sites out there dedicated to PR, not to mention waves of blogs and forums, so finding the best ones to read can be a hard task.

To help you out, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the top PR-related sites out there. Some are more news focused, some are written specifically for PR students, while others are written more tongue-in-cheek. Either way, there’s something out there for everyone. If you’ve got any of your own sites that you’d recommend for PR students, leave a comment and we’ll add them in.

Happy reading!

1. PR Week – www.prweek.co.uk

The PR industry bible, PR Week is essential reading for those wanting to know the ins and outs, the who’s who and all of the latest developments in the PR industry. A brand new website also features community blogs, with contributions from high profile executives from a range of sectors. Also worth checking out is PR Week’s Best Companies To Work For, which lists agencies that were chosen from a field of 114 as outstanding places to work, by independent judges from the PRCA and the CIPR along with PRWeek – www.bestplacestowork.prweek.com

2. Profile Extra – www.profile-extra.co.uk

Profile magazine is the award-winning member magazine of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), the UK and Europe’s leading public relations professional body. Profile magazine provides its readers with an informative package of pictures, news and features. The printed magazine is published six times a year, while the online version – Profile Extra – is updated on a weekly basis. Many of the stories in the online version are taken from the printed copy, but not all, and they also provide new stories, never previously published, from industry figures.

3. Behind the Spin – www.behindthespin.com

Behind the Spin is a magazine for public relations students and young practitioners. It is supported by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and based at UK universities with CIPR-approved public relations degree courses. Behind the Spin publishes articles online throughout the year, with articles about public relations or of interest to PR students and young practitioners. Though based in UK universities and supported by the CIPR, they take a global perspective on PR.

4. PR Moment – www.prmoment.com

PR Moment is a new online magazine for the PR sector, whose editorial looks behind the scenes of the PR industry, highlighting best practice and giving readers an insight into recent PR campaigns. Their editorial features regular reviews of the media from a PR perspective and digs behind the scenes of high profile PR campaigns. The site also contains interviews the leading lights of PR, so you can find out what it’s like to work in the sector, and talk to leading journalists about their media requirements.

5. Brand Republic – www.brandrepublic.com

Brand Republic is is a site that covers the whole of the communications industries, including advertising, marketing, media and PR sectors. Brand Republic also produces exclusive content from its own award-winning editorial team, as well as a series of exclusive content, research and information partners. A roster of expert and opinionated industry blogs on the site are written by individuals who work in the worlds of advertising, media, marketing and PR, which means readers can hear from and interact with opinion-formers in different parts of the industry.

6. The World’s Leading – www.theworldsleading.net

The World’s Leading is written by people working in the PR industry, for people working in the PR industry – with a bit of a differfence. A site that deals in gossip and rumour and in ridiculing the pompous self-importance that too often permeates PR industry, it is a fun insider’s view into the inner workings of PR.

7. PR Fail – www.prfail.tumblr.com

Set up by Jonathan Hopkins, PR Fail uses Twitter and del.icio.us to automatically collect examples of bad PR things from across the world. The aim is to help PR people be better and give journalists and bloggers a way of sharing their bad experiences. As well as just collecting examples of bad PR in one handy place for case studies and things. Studetns should spend a few mintues on the site and discover what not to do! PR Win does the same thing, but for good PR things.

8. Gorkana PR – www.gorkana.com

Gorkana’s news pages feature up-to-the-minute breaking news from across all sectors of the PR industry. From people moves and senior appointments to pitches and account wins, Gorkana PR covers news from all agencies and in-house departments, no matter what size. They also like to get under the skin of the PR industry and their features section takes a look at what makes PRs tick, considers what companies are doing to promote their brands, and reviews industry trends.

What about you? What websites would you recommend PR students visit? If you’re studying PR, what sites do you visit on a regular basis?