Public Relations Specialist

Overview Placement Type: Permanent Salary: $80,000-100,000 Salary Start Date: Jul 27, 2026 Partner with Aquent to join a leading premium platform in the dynamic dating and relationships space, currently undergoing a significant brand transformation. This is a unique opportunity to directly shape public perception and drive narrative change for a brand that impacts millions of people globally. Your work will be the operational engine behind our communication strategy, making a tangible difference in how our story is told and received. About the Hiring Company Join a leading premium platform dedicated to the dynamic dating and relationships space, currently undergoing a significant brand transformation. This company impacts millions of people globally, offering an exciting environment to shape public perception and drive narrative change through innovative communication strategies. About the Role We are seeking a highly motivated and ambitious professional to join our in-house communications team. This pivotal role offers substantial surface area for growth, placing you at the forefront of the brand's evolution. You will not be coordinating from the sidelines; instead, you will be a proactive force, pitching journalists, crafting compelling narratives, managing our member casting book, and stepping into the spotlight as a spokesperson when needed. This is an ideal role for someone ready to accelerate their career, take ownership of key beats, and contribute directly to a high-impact function, making a tangible difference in how our story is told and received globally. Key Responsibilities Draft press releases, media alerts, pitch emails, op-eds, Q&As, fact sheets, executive bios, and briefing books. Pitch journalists, editors, podcast bookers, producers, bloggers, and influencers directly on assigned beats. Build and grow personal media relationships across relevant beats including dating, lifestyle, business, consumer tech, and culture. Respond to inbound media requests with speed and route information across the company. Identify and act on PR opportunities through industry platforms daily, contributing to trend-hijacking efforts by identifying news-cycle insertion opportunities and drafting pitches. Edit and proofread all communications to AP-style standards. Run the day-to-day operations of the member casting book, continuously recruiting diverse members across age, profession, geography, relationship status, and story type. Vet members for media-readiness, briefing them on outlet, journalist, angle, and message tracks before every press interaction. Match members to journalist requests, coordinate availability, and manage all NDAs, consent forms, and post-interview follow-ups. Maintain a tagged, searchable, and current casting book. Participate in interviews and serve as a named or unnamed spokesperson for the brand when needed, substituting for senior leadership or executives when unavailable. Maintain personal media-readiness, keeping talking points current, completing media training, and being comfortable on camera and in audio. Coordinate with senior PR leadership and legal on any spokesperson appearance with reputational sensitivity. Serve as the day-to-day operational liaison with our outside agency partners, running status calls, tracking deliverables, and following up on open items. Quality-control agency-drafted materials, share approved messaging, campaign updates, and brand guidelines, and surface agency performance issues to senior PR leadership with specifics. Help build the pipeline of podcast, interview, and speaking opportunities for our executives. Draft briefing materials, narrative arcs, and message tracks for executive appearances, research relevant awards, and prepare submissions. Coordinate stage and panel opportunities at relevant conferences. Monitor news, newsletters, social media, and competitor PR daily across dating, relationships, lifestyle, business, and tech. Maintain a running calendar of recurring cultural moments and pre-build pitches, tracking competitor PR activity and flagging opportunities to contest share of conversation. Maintain media lists, pitch calendars, journalist contact databases, and CRM tracking. Maintain the PR asset library, including approved imagery, boilerplates, key messaging, executive bios, and media kits. Monitor daily media coverage using industry-standard tools, compile weekly coverage summaries, and contribute to monthly PR reports. Maintain SOPs and process documentation for recurring workflows, and help maintain crisis communication resources and contact lists. Must-Have Qualifications 3 to 5 years of experience in public relations (agency or in-house), journalism, or communications. Bachelor's degree in Public Relations, Communications, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field, or an equivalent professional track record. Demonstrated track record contributing to or personally securing media coverage (regional, trade, or national outlets). Strong writing and editing skills with a portfolio of work you can point to. AI fluency, with experience using AI tools for research, drafting, media list building, and coverage analysis, and the ability to describe your AI workflows. Working knowledge of industry-standard PR and project management tools, plus AP style. Strong organizational and project coordination skills, with a proven ability to deliver on time and manage multiple priorities. Willingness and ability to participate in interviews and serve as a spokesperson on the company's behalf when needed. Comfort working remotely on a small, fast-moving team. Nice-to-Have Qualifications Experience at a top consumer or lifestyle PR agency. Newsroom experience as a reporter or junior editor. Existing relationships with dating, relationships, lifestyle, business, or consumer tech beat reporters. Experience with member, customer, or talent casting for media stories. Experience with influencer coordination or modern earned-and-paid integration. Comfort with reputation management for brands that carry public-perception baggage. Experience working at an entrepreneurial or founder-led company. About Aquent Talent Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands. Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits! Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.