Public Relations Specialist [AQ-13510]

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 globally.

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 globally and offers an exciting environment to shape public perception and drive narrative change.

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 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.

Responsibilities

• Writing & Media Relations:
  • 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.
  • Contribute to trend-hijacking efforts by identifying news-cycle insertion opportunities and drafting pitches.
  • Edit and proofread all communications to AP-style standards.
• Member Casting & Storyteller Management:
  • Run the day-to-day operations of the member casting book.
  • Continuously recruit 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 and coordinate availability.
  • Manage all NDAs, consent forms, and post-interview follow-ups.
  • Maintain a tagged, searchable, and current casting book.
• Spokesperson Duties:
  • Be available to participate in interviews and serve as a named or unnamed spokesperson for the brand when needed.
  • Substitute for senior leadership or executives when unavailable, or when the story benefits from a team perspective.
  • 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.
• Agency Coordination:
  • Serve as the day-to-day operational liaison with our outside agency partners.
  • Run agency status calls, track deliverables, and follow up on open items.
  • Quality-control agency-drafted materials.
  • Share approved messaging, campaign updates, and brand guidelines with agency partners.
  • Surface agency performance issues to senior PR leadership with specifics.
• Executive Visibility Support:
  • 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.
• Trend-Mining & Cultural Listening:
  • 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.
  • Track competitor PR activity and flag opportunities to contest share of conversation.
• Operations, Reporting & Asset Management:
  • 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.
  • Help maintain crisis communication resources and contact lists.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• 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 like those 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

• 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.

Benefits

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.