This isn’t a rant. It’s an observation.
The worst thing about public relations is that it’s sold short by its very own people. And it’s done every single day.
Too many don’t demonstrate well the value that PR brings to their organizations. (Impressions and AVE don’t count for much if you’re looking to get a seat at “the table.” Don’t take my word for it. Ask Katie Paine.)
Too many practice PR with a template or on autopilot. Press release. Distribute on a newswire. Press release. Distribute on a newswire. Press release…
Too many don’t understand the business of their business – sales cycles, product development, distribution challenges, your consumers’ media consumption, etc.
Too many prefer complaining with each other about the negative misconceptions toward PR instead of doing something to change it – either within their own business or across the industry.
Here’s my point. There’s something each of us could do today to elevate PR’s role and recognition in the eyes of colleagues and/or clients. Take some time to identify ways you can help lead the charge and then do what it takes to get it done.
What do you think are the key things PR pros need to focus on so we stop selling the industry’s value short?
*Image by Paul Keller.
David spends his days focused on marketing communications strategies and execution. He blogs here regularly about integrated communications, PR and social media.
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This ties in with your point on sales cycles, but if PR people made a real effort to understand business financials, it could go a long way into helping us design better communications programs and be able to measure and show value. How many PR people truly understand how a client/company’s operating profit is derived and what the levers are that affect it? How many understand how a sales cycle can impact cash flow?
It frustrates me that most PR education doesn’t include much in the way of business or financial education. I think it would go a long way in helping us help our clients.
@amymengel
Way to go Amy –
It has been frustrating for me as a business owner when I work with people who only have PR backgrounds, people who have often been referred to as “gurus” in the field, yet arrive with of a lack of practical business sense.
Understanding the importance of cash flow, sales cycles and keeping sustainable practices in business should be a part of a PR professionals background.
If a PR person or entity does not understand that, I value the advice I get a lot less.
On the point of education, well, the world moves too fast to expect much from a school in any area of media. Media professionals, including those in PR, have to be people that are proven fast learners with a passion for development, and fresh strategy.
PR to a large extent is an ability to interpret social trends and translate them into a friendly message. Therefore I’d rather have someone that came with that natural ability and a background in commerce, or and entrepreneurial spirit.
Creative is king in PR, and as far as I have witnessed, being creative is an ability that is developed over a lifetime, not a few years in College.
Social Media has toppled old practices in a few years, and the communications platforms we are using now, and will be using in the future combined with the heightened public access to information because of web 2.0, are shaping new constructs for what good PR is daily — Fact is — This comment board is a perfect example of how we evolving right now –
David, I think you’re right about a lot of things here. We need to find new ways to show the value of public relations counsel and programming. I think one of those ways is social media. By stepping up as leaders in strategic social media applications for business – not to spam, not because there’s a cool shiny new tool but for real relationship-building – I think we can demonstrate the power of PR in meaningful ways to an audience that is eager to hear it.
I completely agree with Amy. PR people need to have a clear understanding of their clients’ business, including accounting, finance, sales, etc. Until I did a stint in internal communications at a major corporation and had to sit through earnings calls and convert earnings releases into material for employee communications, I didn’t have a clue.
We also need to look beyond news coverage and use PR in an integrated fashion to communicate to all key stakeholders.
Tie what you do directly to the bottom line (just like Amy said). If you can establish clear upswings during the sale cycle that are directly related to your PR efforts? One would think that you could be golden. Just learn to speak your business’s financial language (which admittedly I am not fantastic at) and you will prove your value.
Another way to showcase PR’s impact is to simply highlight examples of people who are doing it the right way.
I’d like to piggyback on Laura’s comment about using Social Media strategies: We PR people have a “natural” tie with the whole philosophy of Social Media, i.e., building community AND reputation in that community AS WELL AS maintaining the community and our reputation within it. What could be more natural.
First step has to be to understand the “groundswell” and how it is affecting everything we are now doing in business and will be doing in the future. Once we understand, then we can convince management of Social Media Value — and our value, too. The end game is that everyone wins, and what is better PR than that?
The real shortcoming of PR (when it doesn’t work) is the PR pros inability to earn the respect of senior management in order to teach those folks to be more accessible, transparent, and available. We have reached a point where we don’t need a PR pro and the press in between a company official (or content) and the consumer. We have Flip video cameras, the web, Twitter, and YouTube. Future of PR has more to do with eliminating the barriers between information and audience, rather than being the gatekeeper between them.
“Future of PR has more to do with eliminating the barriers between information and audience, rather than being the gatekeeper between them.”
I couldn’t agree more. I think this will be one of the hardest mindsets to change.
Build relationships.
I’m on the fringe of the industry… I’m an influential blogger in my market segment, but my “day jobs” are outside of the industry. I’ve been really surprised at how few of the PR firms in my market have any interest in building a relationship with me. One or two have really connected. A handful have contacted me to ask me to spend my time helping them promote a product or activity as a courtesy (which I am usually happy to do) but without any interest in getting to know me and what I do, and what I could do for them other than their immediate request.
A bunch more have either ignored my efforts to get connected, or, have not engaged at all with me given an opportunity.
From my little vantage, Lara and Shari hit the nail on the head. In the social media space in my industry of interest (outdoors), there are a few PR groups who Get It, but a bunch who still don’t even know there’s an It to Get.
Sara, I’d be happy to “connect” Are you on Twitter? If so, follow me @sharisax and I’ll follow you. I’ve made some GREAT CONNECTIONS there.
Shari, thank you for asking. I tweet in my professional life at @saralingafelter, and in my outdoor industry persona at @theclimbergirl. I look forward to connecting further!
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my move out of the agency world and into the corporate sides is the business behind the business. In corporate PR, I have the opportunity to engage my customers on a daily basis; to truly listen to what they have to say, now what some market research tells me they’re saying. I also get that back-stage pass to the decision making that traditionally occurs way before the PR team is brought into the mix.
Don’t place all the blame on the PR practitioners, a large part of the problem are the corporate gatekeepers who don’t let the agency team into their world. We need to make an effort to learn the inner workings of our clients and to earn their trust so that they may more-readily welcome us behind the curtain.
Thanks for sharing your POV. It’s appreciated.
This observation is aimed at internal PR folks and at agency folks. In my experience, internal folks who hold agencies back usually do so in two ways:
1. Withhold information. This one still baffles me to no end. I have no idea how they expect the agency to deliver the best results with limited information. And if the agency isn’t delivering the best results, the internal contact isn’t going to look as valuable to the rest of the organization.
2. Marketing managers don’t involve their own internal PR colleagues. Which gets back to my point on this post. If the internal PR folks better demonstrated the value they bring to the organization, they’d be brought into the room more often.
Thanks again!
This is such an important discussion and I so appreciate everyone’s perspective.
Having been both a traditional print journalist as well as a PR consultant, it amazes me that so many PR folks are unwilling to 1. make the effort to understand all the nuances of the business they represent 2. really work at delivering the best possible PR for their clients 3. embrace the new communications opportunities taking place as a result of social media.
Certainly, we face some big challenges, as Edward articulated. Yet many of the large corporations are leading the way toward more internal and external transparency.
I’m with you David, we all need to step up and “be the change” as Ghandi said. Part of what I’m doing is to reach out to colleagues and share some of the best practices I’m learning about every day. In addition, with all clients, in our initial meeting, I will fully explain what PR is, how it interfaces with every sector of their business and how I will work with them. It is easier with smaller organizations, but still key to a successful business relationship and the desired outcomes.
David – I couldn’t agree more, as I’m sure you guessed. Live by this credo and all will be well -We are business people first and communicators second.
Great Post, David. I believe that we, as an industry, sell ourselves short sooo many times. We worry so much about the message that we lose sight of what we’re trying to accomplish with that message – bringing value.
All of these surnames (spin doctor, spinmeister, flack, etc.) get in the way of what we truly are – businesspersons. Personally, I’m not that fond of those ‘handles’ b/c I believe it cheapens what we do and pretty much pigenoholes our way out of any real respect.
Do ‘real’ businesspeople who are automatically given respect and a seat at the table work with ’smoke and mirrors’…?…NO…and neither should we. Any PR pro that’s worth his/her weight should know that the idea that we specialize in ’smoke and mirrors’ work is a TOTAL CROCK.
So, I believe, we should stop accepting those nicknames and take the time to do a little PR for the industry.
I couldn’t agree more! But, it doesn’t start at the office…it starts in college. Most PR folks come out of Communications/English/Journalism departments where they don’t learn the essentials of business and the marketers come out of business schools where they don’t learn about communications/Eng/Journalism.
I teach PR and I am in the Communications/English Department. Because of that I need to start with the first two weeks of teaching any PR class with basic business and marketing. PR majors are not told that they are part of marketing and it makes for a huge disconnect.
With social media (the concept, not the tools), all of us (PR, marketing, sales) will start to blend and there’s no time like the present to learn what you don’t know and start applying it (if even possible).
Here’s a hint: No one will teach you! So, teach yourself if you want to become a better PR, marketing, social media or business practioner. Pick up a book today!
This may be true, but professional PR practitioners are typically viewed as true assets and game savers by the media.
The best of the best in our profession know their clients’ products, issues, technology and news just about as well as they do. They also take the time to know their targeted media and journalists and build solid, tructing relationships with them.
In many instances, our people know the story subjectmatter better than those whom they are pitching.
It is all about adding value the the story and being valuable to the journalists and bloggers. I
Lastly, it doesn’t hurt to provide additional sources, statistics and points of view to the table. With today’s shrinking newsrooms, good PR people are even more valuable than in the past.
Don
Don, thanks for taking time to share your thoughts. I agree that really good PR pros are viewed as assets by the media. But this post wasn’t focused on PR’s reputation with journalists or media relations specifically.
Within too many organizations and integrated marketing agencies, PR is often undervalued. Some executives seem to think PR stands for Press Release and that’s about it. During my career I’ve overheard or been involved in conversations about that topic and many times. Usually it involves us complaining about others not getting it. I wrote this post to point out two things:
1. We don’t always help our own cause in turning around that mindset. I understand why some marketing types view PR with a less than stellar lens because I’ve seen the PR people with whom they work in action.
2. We can identify areas that we have control over where we can step up our game to show the value we bring, versus just complaining about it not being appreciated.
Whether we’re talking about the broader value PR brings to the table or just media relations, though, I think we’d all agree that there is always room for improvement. And that, while some are ridiculously talented, many others just do what it takes to skate by while complaining that PR is held in better regards.
Thanks again!
David,
Great post (regardless of what PRDaily says).
There are a few things that the public relations industry should be asking its professionals:
– When someone asks, “What do you do for a living?” can you explain it clearly and concisely?
– Are you frustrated by references that equate public relations to publicity?
– Do you correct those who refer to our craft as spin, our professionals as flacks, and our currency as misrepresentation and disinformation?
More so than ever before, the perception and comprehension of public relations are suffering. But at the same time, public relations is more vital than ever before, given the explosion of consumer engagement through new and social media, the collapse of reputation and trust in major institutions, and the evolving needs and concerns of corporate CEOs.
One of the things that PRSA is working on is an industry advocacy program to foster more accurate and better-informed internal and external perceptions of public relations’ roles, outcomes, and value. The effort will be aimed at changing attitudes and driving industry acceptance and growth.
Of course, we need the industry’s buy-in and support if the effort is going to succeed.
Cheers,
Arthur Yann
Arthur is vice president of public relations for the Public Relations Society of America.
Arthur – Thanks for pointing out the PR Daily post. I commented there to clarify a couple things. Not sure why he would have expected that I could hand out individual prescriptions for what every person who reads the blog should do a better job on tomorrow. My areas of improvement are different than his which are different from yours and so on.
Thanks for weighing in with your perspective and for sharing a little about what’s going on behind the scenes at PRSA. It’s appreciated!
I’ve worked in the field in several countries in the Middle East, Europe and the US. The media culture in each country is completely different, and often times THAT is what motivates a client to spend money on public relations or chose advertising instead.
I agree with what Mr. Yann said about our industry needing to focus a lot more on advocacy, however I also think that western countries should take a close look at how PR in the Middle East and Mediterranean (etc.) countries has evolved, because advocacy and badvocacy is what has driven the industry to grow so fast and spill over international borders with so much ease.
@OmniPax
I love this! We recently had a new business prospect say to us, “I’m having trouble understanding why you want to do all this other stuff, when we really just want news releases distributed.”
We said, “Great! We can recommend a publicist. That’s not what we do.”
If we’re not affecting our client’s business growth (and there IS a way to do it through communication), we’re doing our entire industry a disservice.
David, the trap most PR people fall into is this: they’re showing the CEO clip reports while the CEO is focused on sales reports. So when sales dip, so do PR budgets. Why? Because there are no cash registers at corporate, and as the CEO sees it, PR has nothing to do with sales. (S)he sees it that way because that’s what we’re showing. In one form or another, this dynamic continues to take place in enterprises across the world. If we were doing our jobs correctly, then when times got tough, our budgets would stay the same or increase because CEOs would realize that they need us by their sides more than ever. Instead, we’re left fighting for our lives during lean times. We should be paying close attention to how we change this dynamic in the future.
There are many excellent observations on this post. I agree that Social Media may help give PR another voice, as well as another means of legitimacy. But, that may be a future development with no guarantees.
PR (Communications) whatever we want to title it will remain robust as long as we facilitate a better understanding and appreciation for what we do, our clients and represent them with clarity, conciseness and honesty. If we continue to do that, it will help debunk the prevailing myths and demistify the process. After all, good PR is not rocket science – but it does require a lot of knowledge on a lot of interrelated disciplines which include business, politics,sociology and psychology – beyond media communications.
Joe Troxler
Communications & Media Consultant
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Great comments here.
The confusion between a publicist, someone who acts as mediators for the media, and a professional who helps build ‘public relationships’ still remains. It’s a legacy of mass media, advertising, and many major PR agencies themselves, I believe.
Having worked client side in PR I have always had to argue the case in business terms that the rest of the organisation speaks. However, having worked with many global agency PRs I am not yet convinced of their ability to meet the challenge.
However, I do believe that PR as a discipline is best placed to meet the challenges in social media today IF, and it’s a big ‘if’, PR can get it’s head out of the mass media relations headset and start talking in a way that clients recognise as adding value to business goals. I talk a little about this on my blog post here: http://tinyurl.com/nr5nnf
The next few years will be very interesting indeed!
Steve Seager
Online pr and communications consultant
The Netherlands