High School

While in high school, take classes in English, creative writing, journalism, speech, public relations, and foreign languages to develop your communication skills—which are key for success in the online reputation management industry. Learn as much as you can about the Internet, and take computer science, database management, and social media classes. Other useful courses include social studies, government, psychology, mathematics, and statistics.

Postsecondary Education

Online reputation managers have a variety of educational backgrounds, although many have bachelor’s degrees in public relations. Others have degrees in marketing, journalism, English, communications, social media, and business. A master’s degree may be required for top managerial positions.

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) offers a list of colleges and universities that offer degrees in public relations at http://collegeguide.prsa.org.

Other Education or Training

The PRSA offers webinars and in-person courses on topics such as reputation management, customer relations, corporate social responsibility, and ethics. The Digital Analytics Association offers marketing-related webinars and educational sessions at its annual conference. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification

Many colleges and universities offer undergraduate and graduate certificates in public relations, marketing, creative writing, and related areas. The Public Relations Society of America offers the Principles of Public Relations certificate program, which is available at more than 50 universities across the U.S. Visit https://www.praccreditation.org/apply/certificate for a list of schools.

Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers an undergraduate certificate in brand and reputation management. To earn the certificate, students must complete the following classes: Public Relations Principles and Theory, Advertising & Integrated Marketing Communications, Brand and Reputation Management, Brand & Reputation Management Project, as well as one course from the following group of classes: Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems, New Product Development, Services Marketing, and Consumer Behavior. Visit http://catalog.drexel.edu/undergraduate/collegeofbusiness/brandandreputationmanagement.

Certification or Licensing

The Universal Accreditation Board, a consortium of nine leading public relations organizations (including the Public Relations Society of America) offers the accredited in public relations credential to applicants who pass an examination. Visit https://www.praccreditation.org/apply/apr to learn more. 

Several years of experience as a public relations specialist or in entry-level reputation management positions is required to work as an online reputation manager. 

Online reputation managers need superior communication skills, especially the ability to write clear, concise, interesting, and error-free content. A detailed-oriented personality, creativity, strong problem-solving ability, and excellent organizational and time-management skills are also important. Finally, a strong understanding of search engine optimization techniques and web analytics software and expertise in the social Web—including blogs, microblogs, social networks, photo/video-sharing sites, forums, and rating/review sites—are a necessity for success in the field.