What is public relations?
I get asked this question a million times – what is it that I do for a living? The lines between marketing and public relations continue to become more and more blurred but my best explanation is that I try and get my clients editorial content that is not paid. To me, that’s the simplest way in differentiating marketing and public relations. If you had to pay to promote your service/product/brand, it’s not public relations.
Now, there are caveats. For example, if you offer a tangible product that people must use, you have to provide a sample of that before someone can write an article or story about it. With that comes the risk of a negative review, which is why you better be confident in what you are promoting.
In my job and previous roles in PRSA, I have the pleasure of mentoring young professionals. It still amazes me, even to this day, that when I ask the question – why are you in PR? They look at me and say, “because I like people.”
This business is not about liking people or them liking you. It is about knowing your client, your company or your brand well enough to convince a journalist to report about it without having to pay for an ad. To some people, that may seem like a piece of cake. But when journalists and media are bombarded day after day with story ideas and pitches, it’s not about whether they like you – it’s about whether your pitch or email captures their attention long enough to create a spark.
There are many journalists that I have pitched that I have never met face-to-face. However, because of the quality of content that’s within my email or the few words I utter in a phone call have, in the past, become good articles or segments, there’s no need to know who I am as a person. What they know is that I will give them a quality story that has value to their readership or viewership that’s not an ad. It’s the whole idea of – what’s in it for me?
I love what I do and the brands I have the privilege of representing. But sometimes you have to stop and think – is this newsworthy? Do people care or am I trying to push an ad through a news release?
As a PR practitioner, my reputation of providing my media contacts with solid stories and ideas is one of my most important objectives, which is why I work with clients to find that hook. Trust the people who advise you on what’s newsworthy or not – believe me, in the end, they truly are protecting your reputation.
