Online Class: Public Relations 101

no certificate
with CEU Certificate*
-
12Lessons
-
16Exams &
Assignments -
894Students
have taken this course -
3Hours
average time -
0.3CEUs
Course Description
A solid and well thought out public relations plan can bring awareness to a company's products and services. But can also provide a wealth of exposure that is necessary to keep a business alive. Not only can public relations be your number one fan, it can provide low cost or no cost advertising that is easy on a budget.
The role that public relations will play for your particular business, or organization will depend on your goals and what you intend to accomplish. In a marketing plan there are four major components a. public relations b. marketing, c. advertising and d. selling. These are four distinct areas that are interrelated but play unique roles. While we will briefly touch on the relationships of each and how they affect one another, this course will primarily focus on the Public Relations actions your business can take that can contribute to business success.
Course Motivation
Every business no matter what industry, no matter how big or small needs a certain degree of good public relations. Public relations is not just an image, it is also a solid, cohesive plan that brings together, good business, and good business relationships. It means connecting with people, the people that will use your products and services. Public relations and marketing are so often confused or used interchangeably because they intertwine so often. Most large-scale businesses budget thousands of public relations (PR) dollars in their marketing plan, some hire outside public relations agencies. However, in most cases small and medium businesses and organizations can handle their own public relations needs and benefit their business. Public relations is presenting an image to the public, and making that image work for you in terms of sales, and growing your business. Public relations = free advertising.
Paying for advertising is always an option, and a viable one in most cases. But when public relations is virtually free, it is the ideal option for smaller to medium sized businesses and organizations such as non-profits, and schools, etc. Virtually free refers to getting the media to pick up your stories, event notices and other company information as well as business networking opportunities. If you own a financial or brokerage firm, and you want to advertise your newest rate and top-notch customer service, you would ideally put together a basic press release that has a catchy headline and send it over to local media contacts that include newspaper, radio and local public television stations. After about two weeks you see a blurb in the newspapers about your new rates and customer service savvy, you have more foot traffic than ever and people are calling in who heard about your company on the radio. This is the power of public relations. The message is clear and concise. It is like the grapevine of true information that is there to benefit consumers. Think about the all of the advertisements, and marketing promotions from local retailers that were based around Americans receiving their stimulus checks recently. Every retailer jumped on the bandwagon of telling consumers they could spend their stimulus check with them. The message was clear; the goal was to get Americans to go shopping again.
One clear example of how public relations comes into play is through promotions. We have all been exposed to some type of sweepstakes at some point in time, or a contest. "Write an essay and win a free trip to Hollywood," or Enter for a Chance to Win $1,000,000!" This is not just advertising and marketing at work, but public relations had a big role in these campaigns by getting the word out about the contests and sweepstakes in the first place. Upon entering the contest or sweepstakes you find out more information about the company behind the promotion, and those companies or organizations are hoping that consumers will learn more about them and possibly use their services.
Relationships with local media, which we will also focus on in this course, is truly a key to the placement of public relations for your organization. If you are having an event that is open to the public and you want the local paper to run a story, sending in a press release is fantastic provided you know who to send it to, and how they prefer to be approached. Each media source will be different and will not accept submissions in the same way. This is because some reporters can afford to be choosy, and some will be looking to fill their pages with event information just like yours.
Non-profits and profits alike are always vying for customers, and/or donors. Publicity can really be more powerful than advertising because it is a true reflection of what your organization has to offer, why it matters to the general public and how you will benefit the customer or public.
- Completely Online
- Self-Paced
- Printable Lessons
- Full HD Video
- 6 Months to Complete
- 24/7 Availability
- Start Anytime
- PC & Mac Compatible
- Android & iOS Friendly
- Accredited CEUs

Course Lessons
Lesson 1: Public Relations and What it Means to a Business
Lesson 1 Video
Lesson discussions: Which Do You Prefer?; Reasons for Taking this Course
Complete Assignment: An Introduction
Assessment: Lesson 1 Exam
Lesson 2: Tools for Public Relations
Lesson 2 Video
Assessment: Lesson 2 Exam
Lesson 3: Is Public Relations Necessary?
Lesson 3 Video
Complete: Lesson 3 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 3 Exam
Lesson 4: Your Message, Your Story, and What You are Trying to Accomplish Using the Internet
Lesson 4 Video
Lesson discussions: Blogging Anyone?
Complete: Lesson 4 Assignment
Assessment: Lesson 4 Exam
Lesson 5: Putting Together a PR Plan
Lesson 5 Video
Assessment: Lesson 5 Exam
Lesson 6: Sample Press Releases, and the Importance of a Media List and Media Relationships
Lesson 6 Video
Assessment: Lesson 6 Exam
Lesson 7: Reaching Your Audience
Lesson 7 Video
Assessment: Lesson 7 Exam
Lesson 8: Events that Draw Press and Media Attention
Lesson 8 Video
Assessment: Lesson 8 Exam
Lesson 9: Avoiding Bad Customer Service Can Mean Avoiding Bad Press
Lesson 9 Video
Lesson discussions: Personal Power Plays
Assessment: Lesson 9 Exam
Lesson 10: The Role that Marketing Plays in Your Business
Lesson 10 Video
Assessment: Lesson 10 Exam
Lesson 11: Putting it all Together
Lesson 11 Video
Assessment: Lesson 11 Exam
Lesson 12: All Lessons Key Terms Review
Lesson 12 Video
Lesson discussions: Final Course Poll - Your Opinion; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments
Assessment: Lesson 12 Exam
Assessment: The Final Exam
Learning Outcomes
- Define public relations and what it means to business.
- Describe the tools for public relations.
- Summarize your message, your story and what you are trying to accomplish using the Internet.
- Put together a PR plan.
- Put together a press release.
- Describe ways to reach your audience.
- Define events that draw press and media attention.
- Describe methods for avoiding bad customer service that can lead to bad press.
- Summarize the role that marketing plays in your business.
- Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Additional Course Information

- Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
- Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
- Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
- View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
- Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media

Choose Your Subscription Plan
No Certificate / No CEUs
This course only
Includes certificate | X |
Includes CEUs | X |
Self-paced |
![]() |
Instructor support |
![]() |
Time to complete | 6 months |
No. of courses | 1 course |
Certificate & CEUs
This course only
Includes certificate |
![]() |
Includes CEUs |
![]() |
Self-paced |
![]() |
Instructor support |
![]() |
Time to complete | 6 months |
No. of courses | 1 course |
Certificates & CEUs
Includes all 600+ courses
Includes certificate |
![]() |
Includes CEUs |
![]() |
Self-paced |
![]() |
Instructor support |
![]() |
Time to complete | 12 Months |
No. of courses | 600+ |
Certificates & CEUs
Includes all 600+ courses
Includes certificate |
![]() |
Includes CEUs |
![]() |
Self-paced |
![]() |
Instructor support |
![]() |
Time to complete | 24 Months |
No. of courses | 600+ |
Student Testimonials
- "This was a great course, and I now have a better understanding of what makes any business successful." -- Eileen B.
- "Great course. I enjoyed it." -- Jessica N.
- "Very nice class and excellent professor." -- Michelle B.
- "Evry aspect of the course was helpful" -- Christopher N.
- "I think that the whole course was vital and extremely helpful. I found it to be well written as well as informative." -- Arthur B.
- "Everything was great. I really appreciated the fact that each course offered a video to watch." -- Holland E.
Related Courses
-
29 hours 2.9 CEUs Human Resources Productivity Course Bundle $120.00
-
10 hours 1.0 CEUs Memory and Concentration Techniques $95.00
-
36 hours 3.6 CEUs Ultimate Secretary Training Bundle $150.00
-
8 hours 0.8 CEUs General Secretary 101 $95.00
-
6 hours 0.6 CEUs Goal Setting for Business $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Kaizen 101 - An Introduction $95.00
-
8 hours 0.8 CEUs Motivational and Public Speaking 101 $95.00
-
6 hours 0.6 CEUs Leadership and Supervision 101 $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Workplace Safety $95.00
-
9 hours 0.9 CEUs Microsoft Project 2021 $95.00
-
8 hours 0.8 CEUs Administrative Assistant 101 $95.00
-
12 hours 1.2 CEUs Writing Effective Persuasion $95.00
-
8 hours 0.8 CEUs Strategic Planning $95.00
-
12 hours 1.2 CEUs Advertising, Marketing and Sales Writing $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Team Building 101 $95.00
-
4 hours 0.4 CEUs Purchasing and Vendor Management 101 $95.00
-
6 hours 0.6 CEUs Delegation Skills $95.00
-
3 hours 0.3 CEUs Business Credit 101 $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Goal Setting 101 $95.00
-
6 hours 0.6 CEUs General Receptionist $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Creative Thinking $95.00
-
9 hours 0.9 CEUs Business Management $110.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Developing Great Social Skills $95.00
-
4 hours 0.4 CEUs Slack $95.00
-
7 hours 0.7 CEUs Management Consultant 101 $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Operations Management 101 $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Lawful Employee Termination $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Project Management 101 $95.00
-
3 hours 0.3 CEUs How to Improve Your Concentration $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Emotional Intelligence $95.00
-
9 hours 0.9 CEUs Resume Writing 101 $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs Habits of Millionaires $95.00
-
5 hours 0.5 CEUs SalesForce 101 $95.00
-
7 hours 0.7 CEUs Understanding Learning Styles $95.00
-
7 hours 0.7 CEUs Lean Management $95.00
-
7 hours 0.7 CEUs Memory Improvement $95.00