MSU PR Major, Evan Ward, Finds His Voice in Creating Music
Student by day and performing musician at night, Ward is harnessing his PR coursework to reach audiences and tell stories
By: Isabella Moreno
From late nights on the town performing, to early-rising for his PR Storytelling class the next morning, Evan Ward is currently a public relations student by day and performing musician by night.
After transferring from Aquinas College as a swimmer, Ward came to Michigan State University to explore options for a professional career that fit alongside his passion. He desired to pursue music and continue his education simultaneously. Public relations presented itself through an Entertainment PR class, showing Ward he could connect his passion for music to career opportunities.
After deciding to pursue a PR degree, Ward found that freelancing performances in East Lansing, Michigan and back home in Highland, Michigan were the best way for him to start doing what he loves. As a traveling freelancer, Ward had to utilize tools acquired throughout his ADPR classes. He strategically applies audience engagement tactics to his social media and promotion efforts, harnessing social media as a platform for communication with his audience.
By actively participating with his audience at shows, Ward made a connection that led him all the way to Nashville. After getting in touch with Label 22, he was able to get his original music recorded with access to all the rights, lyrics and copyrights done pro-bono.
“I do a lot of freelance work, and the relationship aspect has gotten me a lot further,” Ward said. “I was just playing a show one day, two people came up to me, a couple, and their daughter goes to Belmont in Nashville, and that led me to getting to record my first three singles in Nashville.”
As PR pros know, networking and building relationships are key aspects of success in this field. Ward has applied this mindset to his career to get him further than the average freelance musician by maintaining a consistent performing schedule. With a principle of building relationships in mind, he uses this as the foundation for his networking.
“Building relationships is the most important thing you can do,” said Ward. “If there’s nothing else you can take away from this degree, it’s building relationships.”
Ward also leverages basic PR writing skills acquired in early courses by putting strategic thought into his social media presence and captions. The beginning to crafting a public message is done by considering message framing and focusing on the key takeaways. Ward mentioned that PR has taught him the importance of evaluating the range of audiences on different platforms, to target posts in different ways. Posting on TikTok is more focused towards Gen Z audiences compared to posting on Facebook which targets an older demographic.
Ward is on his way to being his own publicist after graduating in the spring 2026. He is currently in the running for the next season of “The Voice” and uses self-advocacy techniques to build connections with the judges at auditions. He strives to continue this path to success, integrating PR to the fullest extent while developing relationships within the music industry.