UK

United Kingdom · PR and communications · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Junior Journalist Liaison

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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Free to start: a plan built for this role, and a Future Fluency module to try first. No card.

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One email: what AI is changing in this job, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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  • Experience bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toJournalist Liaison Specialist (L2)
  • UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as PR Assistant · Media Relations Coordinator · Communications Support Officer · Junior Press Officer

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

NCTJ Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism NCTJ Training · Level 3 · covers 2 of 10 standards
Qualifi Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT and Data Science Qualifi Ltd · Level 3 · covers 1 of 10 standards
AIM Qualifications Level 3 Diploma in Media Creation, Production and Craft Support AIM Qualifications · Level 3 · covers 1 of 10 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Legal and ethical considerations for journalists NCTJ Level 3 Certificate in Foundation Journalism
Data and Descriptive Statistics in Data Science Qualifi Level 3 Extended Diploma in IT and Data Science
Journalistic Interviewing Skills OCNLR Level 2 Extended Certificate in Skills for Professions in the Creative and Digital Industries
Journalistic Interviewing Skills OCNLR Level 2 Award in Skills for Professions in the Creative and Digital Industries
Write Copy for Multiple Platforms AIM Qualifications Level 3 Diploma in Media Creation, Production and Craft Support

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Junior Journalist Liaison

5 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Legal and ethical considerations for journalists NCTJ Training · covers 2 of 10 standards Level 3
  2. Data and Descriptive Statistics in Data Science Qualifi Ltd · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 3
  3. Journalistic Interviewing Skills OCN London · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 2
  4. Journalistic Interviewing Skills OCN London · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 2
  5. Write Copy for Multiple Platforms AIM Qualifications · covers 1 of 10 standards Level 3
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Junior Journalist Liaison?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • Prompt Engineering for PR
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Junior Journalist Liaison plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

Start my Junior Journalist Liaison plan, free Ready to pay? Subscribe for £70 a month

3What this role really is

A junior journalist liaison supports press outreach, helping build relationships with journalists and get stories heard.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Cision / Muck Rack / Prowly (Media Database) Basic

Pulling pre-defined media lists, logging basic activities, and updating contact details under supervision.

Brandwatch / Talkwalker / Meltwater (Media Monitoring) Basic

Setting up basic keyword alerts, compiling daily coverage reports from existing dashboards, and flagging relevant articles.

PR Newswire / Business Wire (Press Release Distribution) Basic

Formatting and uploading approved press releases into the platform, and pulling basic distribution reports.

Asana / Monday.com / Slack (Collaboration & Project Mgmt) Intermediate

Updating task statuses, attaching clips, communicating progress on assigned projects, and using team communication channels effectively.

Google Analytics / Tableau / Google Data Studio (Business Analytics) Basic

Finding referral traffic from specific media placements and populating data into pre-made report templates.

Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) Intermediate

Drafting and formatting documents, managing simple spreadsheets, and creating basic presentation slides.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Media List Creation Builds lists based on specific criteria provided by manager; requires full review and approval before use. Independently builds segmented lists for campaigns; manager reviews strategy and key contacts. Defines criteria for list building; approves final lists for major campaigns; coaches junior staff.
Press Release Content Formats and proofreads approved content; flags any potential issues for manager review. Drafts initial sections of press releases (e.g., boilerplate, quotes); manager provides final approval. Owns drafting and editing entire press releases; secures internal approvals; makes final content recommendations.
Media Outreach / Pitching No direct pitching responsibility; supports with research and preparing materials for senior team. Executes pitches for specific campaigns to Tier 2/3 media; manager reviews pitch strategy and key messages. Leads pitching strategy for major announcements; directly pitches Tier 1 media; makes real-time adjustments to outreach.
Crisis Communications Response Escalates any inbound media inquiries immediately to manager; no independent response. Assists with monitoring and compiling initial reports; drafts holding statements for manager review. Manages initial response protocols; drafts and secures approval for holding statements; advises leadership on next steps.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Media List Accuracy
How accurate your media lists are, checking for correct contact details and relevant beats.
Target · 95% accuracy on contact details; 85% relevance to target topics.

You build a list of 50 journalists for a FinTech announcement. We'd expect no more than 2-3 incorrect email addresses and at least 40 of them genuinely cover FinTech.

Coverage Report Timeliness
Delivering daily media monitoring reports on time for the team's morning catch-up.
Target · 99% of daily reports delivered by 9:00 AM.

You'll need to send the daily news roundup by 9 AM, even if you started at 8 AM. Missing it means the team is behind on what's being said about us.

Press Release Formatting Compliance
Ensuring all press releases are formatted correctly and adhere to our brand guidelines before distribution.
Target · Zero formatting errors on final approved releases.

You're given a draft press release. We expect you to check the boilerplate, contact info, and headline style, making sure it's perfect before it goes to the wire.

Research Task Completion Rate
Completing assigned research tasks (e.g., competitor coverage, industry trends) within agreed deadlines.
Target · 90% of research tasks completed on time.

If you're asked to find 10 examples of competitor coverage by Friday, we'd expect you to deliver that by the deadline, or flag any issues well in advance.

Team Collaboration & Support
How effectively you support the wider PR team, anticipating needs and offering help.
  • Your manager and peers will tell us you're proactive, asking 'How can I help?' rather than waiting to be told. You'll spot when someone's swamped and offer to take a task off their plate. We'll see you sharing useful articles or contacts you've found without being asked.
Learning & Development Initiative
Your willingness to learn new tools, processes, and understand the media landscape.
  • You'll be asking thoughtful questions, not just 'how to do it', but 'why are we doing it this way?' You'll spend some of your own time reading up on PR trends or specific journalists. You'll actively seek feedback and use it to improve, rather than just nodding along.
Attention to Detail
The thoroughness and accuracy of your work, catching small errors before they become big problems.
  • Your manager won't have to correct minor typos or formatting issues in your work. You'll be the one who flags a broken link in a draft press release or notices a journalist's name is spelled incorrectly on a list. It's about that extra check before you hit send or mark something as done.
Adaptability to Changing Priorities
Your ability to adjust when plans shift, which they often do in PR.
  • When an 'urgent' request comes in and messes up your carefully planned day, you'll be able to pivot without getting flustered. You'll quickly re-prioritise your tasks with guidance, rather than getting stuck on the original plan. You understand that sometimes, things just change.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Learning & Growth

You're eager to understand how PR actually works, not just the theory. You'll ask 'why' a lot, soak up feedback, and actively look for ways to improve your skills.

You'll spend an hour after work reading up on a new media outlet or watching a webinar on pitch writing, just because you want to get better.

Making an Impact (even small ones)

You'll get a real kick out of seeing a story you helped research get picked up, or knowing your accurate media list led to a successful pitch. You like contributing to a bigger goal.

When a colleague lands a big piece of coverage, you'll feel proud knowing your meticulous research on that journalist helped make it happen.

Being Part of a Team

You enjoy working with others, supporting your colleagues, and celebrating team wins. You're happy to pitch in wherever needed to help everyone succeed.

You'll offer to help a colleague with a tedious data entry task, even if it's not strictly 'your job', because you see the team as a whole.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Just Checking In' Treadmill: You'll be following up on pitches for the senior team, often getting no reply. It can feel like shouting into the void.
  • The Unrealistic Stakeholder (Internal): Sometimes, a product manager will genuinely believe their minor feature update is front-page news. You'll see the senior team gently manage these expectations, but it can be frustrating.
  • The Ghosting Journalist: You'll put hours into researching a journalist, only for them to show initial interest and then vanish. It's just part of the job, but it stings.
  • The Last-Minute 'Urgent' Request: Expect your carefully planned day to be completely derailed by a sudden, 'must-do-now' request from leadership. It happens, often.
  • The Measurement Battle: You'll hear the senior team constantly having to explain the value of PR to colleagues who only care about direct clicks and conversions. It's a constant fight to prove impact.
What this role does not give you
  • Direct media pitching responsibility (not yet, anyway).
  • High-level strategic decision-making.
  • Immediate, highly visible public recognition for your individual efforts.
  • A predictable, unchanging daily routine.

8Who you work with

You'll be directly contributing to the team's ability to effectively reach journalists and secure media coverage. Your accurate research and meticulous support mean the senior team can focus on building those crucial relationships and landing big stories. Get it right, and you're helping us get our message out there. Get it wrong, and we could miss opportunities or even damage relationships with important media contacts.

Inside the business
  • Journalist Liaison Specialists (L2)
  • Senior Journalist Liaison Manager (L3)
  • Marketing Content Team
  • Product Marketing Team
Outside the business
  • Media contacts (Tier 2/3 journalists)
  • Press release wire services (e.g., PR Newswire)
  • Media monitoring platforms (e.g., Brandwatch)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • A genuine interest in current affairs and the media industry. You're probably already reading the news regularly.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. We mean proper grammar and spelling.
  • Basic experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or Google Workspace.
  • The ability to work effectively in a team, supporting colleagues and contributing positively.
  • A proactive attitude – you don't wait to be told what to do, you look for ways to help.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Media Monitoring & Analytics

Moving beyond basic alerts to really understand what the media is saying, not just counting mentions. This means getting into sentiment, message pull-through, and competitive share of voice. It's how we prove PR's value.

Boolean Search Mastery · Sentiment Analysis Nuances · Message Pull-Through Tracking · Share of Voice (SOV) Calculation · Custom Dashboard Creation

  • This month: Work with your manager to refine one of our existing monitoring alerts. Try to make it more precise.
  • Month 2: Take an online course or tutorial on Boolean logic for search engines. Apply it to our monitoring tools.
  • Month 3: Start manually tagging coverage for key messages and sentiment. Compare your findings to the AI's output.
  • Month 4: Try to build a simple custom report in Google Data Studio that visualises our top 3 competitors' media mentions.

Quick win: Ask your manager for access to the advanced settings in our media monitoring tool. Just explore what's possible, even if you don't change anything yet.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Join industry associations like the CIPR or PRCA. They offer great networking events and resources.
  • Subscribe to key industry newsletters (e.g., PRWeek, The Drum) to stay on top of trends.
  • Attend free webinars or online courses on media relations, digital PR, or specific tools like Cision.
  • Read books on media relations or journalism – understanding the other side helps a lot.
  • Seek out mentorship opportunities, even informal ones, from more senior people in the team.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Prompt Engineering for PR

AI tools like ChatGPT and similar LLMs are already drafting press releases, pitches, and summaries. If you can write a good prompt, you'll be able to get much better output, saving loads of time. Competitors are already using this, so we need to be too.

  • Clear Instruction Design
  • Context Provision
  • Iterative Prompting
  • Output Validation
  • Ethical AI Use in PR

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Media Relations Fundamentals
  • Narrative Development & Message Framing
  • Coverage Analysis & Measurement (AMEC Framework)
  • Stakeholder Mapping & Tiering

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    University Graduate (PR/Comms Degree)

    0-1 year post-graduation

    Skills to master

    • Translating academic theory into practical application, understanding real-world media dynamics, mastering our internal tools and processes.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Completed a relevant internship during your degree.
    • Can articulate a basic understanding of media relations principles.
    • Demonstrates strong written communication skills from coursework or projects.
  2. 2

    Apprenticeship / Vocational Training

    1-2 years post-qualification

    Skills to master

    • Deepening practical skills, building confidence in independent task execution, expanding your network of media contacts.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully completed a recognised communications apprenticeship.
    • Has a portfolio of work demonstrating practical PR tasks (e.g., media lists, press release drafts).
    • Can show initiative in previous work placements.
  3. 3

    Internal Transfer (e.g., Marketing Assistant)

    1-2 years in a related internal role

    Skills to master

    • Understanding the specific nuances of media relations vs. general marketing, adapting to a different pace and stakeholder set, learning new tools.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Expressed a clear interest in PR and media relations.
    • Has a good understanding of the company's products/services and internal messaging.
    • Demonstrates strong organisational and communication skills in their current role.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to media relations management, or into a director of communications role shaping wider strategy.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Junior Journalist Liaison is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

The record names a next step, but the catalogue has no page for it yet:

  • Journalist Liaison Specialist (L2)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Legal and ethical considerations for journalists, worked against Junior Journalist Liaison.

Legal and ethical considerations for journalists Level 3

Applied to your work in Junior Journalist Liaison

The objective of this unit is to provide learners with a comprehensive understanding of the legal and ethical considerations relevant to journalistic practice. Learners will gain knowledge of libel, slander, copyright, privacy laws, and contempt of court, enabling them to navigate potential legal issues and adhere to ethical standards in their work.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

Start my Junior Journalist Liaison plan, free
See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Junior Journalist Liaison
  • Media Relations Fundamentals
  • Narrative Development & Message Framing
  • Coverage Analysis & Measurement (AMEC Framework)
  • Stakeholder Mapping & Tiering
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Junior Journalist Liaison is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Journalist Liaison Specialist (L2)

    2-3 years in the Junior role

    You'll move from supporting to independently owning specific campaigns and relationships with Tier 2/3 media. You'll be doing more direct pitching and taking on more responsibility.

    • Direct Media Pitching Crafting and sending pitches to journalists, managing follow-ups.
    • Spokesperson Briefing (Basic) Preparing internal experts for interviews with guidance.
    • Relationship Building Proactively identifying and nurturing relationships with key journalists.
    • Basic Crisis Comms Support Assisting with initial monitoring and information gathering during a crisis.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, the manual grunt work in PR can be a bit of a slog. But what if you could ditch some of that tedious stuff and focus on the more interesting parts of the job? That's where AI comes in. We're not talking about robots taking over, but smart tools that supercharge your daily tasks.

Here at Zavmo, we're all about working smarter, not harder. We're building out an AI Productivity Hub specifically for our Public Relations team. As a Junior Journalist Liaison, you'll get to use some fantastic AI tools right from the start. Think of them as your personal assistants, helping you get through the repetitive stuff much faster, so you can learn more and contribute in bigger ways.

Automated List Building & Personalisation

Imagine AI scanning thousands of articles to find the exact journalists covering your topic, then even drafting a personalised opening line for your pitch based on their recent work. That's hours saved on manual research and crafting.

Accelerated Coverage Analysis

Instead of manually sifting through hundreds of articles each morning, AI can instantly tell you the sentiment of coverage (positive, negative, neutral), highlight key messages that landed, and spot emerging themes. You'll get an executive summary in minutes, not hours.

Pre-Pitch Intelligence Briefings

Before a big pitch, you can use an AI assistant to generate a quick, one-page briefing on a target journalist. It'll summarise their last few articles, highlight their preferred topics, and even suggest the best angle for your story. No more digging through archives yourself.

First-Draft & Follow-Up Generation

Got a few bullet points for a press release or a media alert? AI can whip up a solid first draft in seconds. It can also generate polite, context-aware variations for those 'just checking in' follow-up emails, making sure you don't sound like a broken record.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Junior Journalist Liaison?

Common routes in include University Graduate (PR/Comms Degree) (0-1 year post-graduation), Apprenticeship / Vocational Training (1-2 years post-qualification) and Internal Transfer (e.g., Marketing Assistant) (1-2 years in a related internal role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Junior Journalist Liaison progress to?

This role can lead on to Journalist Liaison Specialist (2-3 years in the Junior role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Junior Journalist Liaison?

Increasingly, Prompt Engineering for PR. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

Or try another one

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 2

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in PR and communications

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The skills built here transfer well. Understanding media, crafting narratives and managing relationships matter in many settings. This can lead into in-house PR for other industries such as consumer tech, finance or healthcare. It can also lead to work at a PR agency, or a move into corporate communications, internal communications or investor relations.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Junior Journalist Liaison plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.