Interview questions
PR Interview Questions (and How to Answer Them)
PR interviews test whether you can write clearly and fast, find the story in a company's news, pitch journalists who get many pitches a day, handle a crisis calmly and show what coverage achieved. Expect questions about your writing and media relationships, a pitch or press release exercise, and a crisis scenario.
Key takeaways
- PR interviews test writing, story judgment, media relations, crisis response and how candidates measure coverage.
- Many PR hiring processes include a writing exercise, such as a press release, a pitch email or a short statement.
- A strong pitch answer names a specific journalist or outlet, explains why the story fits them and keeps the email short.
- Crisis questions reward a calm order of steps: get the facts, align with leadership and legal, respond quickly and honestly, then follow up.
- PR agency interviews focus more on client service and juggling accounts, while in-house PR interviews focus more on knowing one company deeply.
What does a PR interview look like?
A PR interview usually includes a recruiter screen, a conversation with the PR or communications lead, and a writing exercise. The exercise is often a press release from a short brief, a pitch email to a named journalist, or a holding statement for a crisis scenario. Agency interviews may also include meeting an account team.
Before the interview, read the company’s last few announcements and their recent coverage. Note which outlets cover them and what angle those stories took. If you’re early in your career, our guide on how to become a PR specialist explains what entry-level roles involve.
Writing and pitching questions
How would you pitch our latest announcement?
What they’re checking: story judgment. How to answer: find the angle that matters to readers, not to the company, choose two or three outlets and the right reporter at each, and say what you’d offer: data, a customer, an executive interview or an exclusive.
Hi [journalist], I saw your piece on [their recent story]. [Company] is [news in one sentence], and the part your readers might care about is [angle: a trend, a number from our own data, a customer story]. I can offer [exclusive, interview with our CEO, the data before it's public]. Would that be useful for something you're working on?
Use it as a starting shape and write it the way you’d actually talk to that reporter. Journalists can spot a template in one line, and so can hiring managers.
Show us a piece of writing you’re proud of.
What they’re checking: your writing and your process. How to answer: a release, pitch or byline, why you wrote it the way you did, what changed in edits and what coverage or result it led to.
How do you write a press release?
What they’re checking: fundamentals. How to answer: a headline that states the news, a first paragraph with who, what, when, where and why, a quote that adds a view rather than repeating facts, supporting details, and a short company description. Mention keeping it to a page where possible.
Media relations questions
How do you build relationships with journalists?
What they’re checking: respect for the press. How to answer: read their work, pitch only what fits their beat, keep emails short, be useful even when you have nothing to sell (a source, a fact check), meet deadlines and never mislead.
What would you do if a journalist got a fact wrong?
What they’re checking: judgment. How to answer: contact them politely with the correct information and a source, ask for a correction if it matters, and don’t demand changes to opinions or angles you dislike.
Crisis questions
A customer’s complaint is going viral. What do you do?
What they’re checking: calm under pressure. How to answer: get the facts, alert leadership and legal, agree who speaks, respond quickly with what you know and what you’re doing, update when there’s news, and fix the underlying problem.
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Facts | Find out what happened and who’s affected | Avoid correcting yourself later |
| Align | Bring in leadership, legal, support | One voice, no surprises |
| Respond | Short, honest statement with next steps | Silence gets filled by others |
| Update | Share progress as it happens | Rebuilds trust |
| Review | What caused it, what changes | Stops a repeat |
When would you say “no comment”?
What they’re checking: judgment. How to answer: rarely in those words. Explain what you can say instead, such as confirming you’re aware and when you’ll share more, and the cases where legal limits apply.
Results questions
How do you measure PR results?
What they’re checking: business thinking. How to answer: coverage in outlets the audience reads, message pull-through (did the story say what mattered), share of voice against competitors, and effects you can tie to the work, such as traffic, sign-ups or inbound requests after a story. Say clearly that ad value equivalency is a weak measure.
Questions for PR students and interns
PR internship interviews focus on writing, curiosity and reliability rather than contacts. Expect “Which outlets do you read?”, “Write a pitch for our product” and “Tell me about a deadline you met.” Bring a writing sample from class or a campus job and know the company’s latest news. Our marketing internship interview questions cover the rest of an intern interview.
Questions to ask in a PR interview
- Which outlets matter most to the business, and why?
- How does PR work with marketing and leadership here?
- What does a good quarter look like for this team?
- How are crises handled, and who signs off on statements?
- For agencies: how many clients would I work on, and how is time split?
More ideas in questions to ask the hiring manager.
How to prepare for a PR interview
Read their last three announcements and the coverage they got, then draft one pitch you’d send next. Practice a crisis answer out loud, because it’s the question that makes most people rush. If you’re also writing a PR cover letter, use it to show your writing. Draft the pitch tonight, even in rough form.
FAQ
What skills do PR interviewers look for?
Clear and fast writing, news judgment, media relationships, calm in a crisis and the ability to explain what coverage achieved. Agencies also look for client service and organization.
Do PR interviews include a writing test?
Most do. Expect a press release, a pitch email or a short statement written in a set time. Ask how long you have and keep it tight.
What’s the difference between a PR agency interview and an in-house PR interview?
Agency interviews focus more on juggling several clients, pitching volume and client service. In-house interviews focus more on knowing one company deeply and working with its leaders and legal team.
How much do PR specialists make?
Our PR specialist salary page shows US pay from BLS data, including the median, the range and pay by state.