The Misconceptions of the PR

If you’re a Public Relations professional that has ever worked for a private business or organization, you’ve most likely run into the problem of co-workers having no idea what public relations really is. It can come from an executive or an entry-level employee and it mostly like contained the phrase: “Can’t the PR department just do that?”

The art of public relations has been around since the beginning of time – the ancient Greeks and Romans were masterfully skilled at it. But the industry has been given a glamorous (please forgive me) spin in the past 10-to-20 years with TV shows and movies showing public relations professionals sipping martinis with music stars in limos. On his website, Jackson Wightman put together a list of 21 things PR is not and I agree with almost all his points.

My favorite not-to-dos on his list are No. 5 and 6: (Never) Ever guaranteed to generate coverage and (PR is never) Ever 100% controllable.

Just having a story or brand to pitch isn’t enough anymore, even for the best practitioners. It has to be interesting to people who have no attachment to the product. Often, CEO’s/Presidents/Executives think that everyone loves their product and story and have no reason not to and if journalists don’t pick it up, then it’s the PR departments fault. Well, it actually can just be the brand is boring in it’s current state and/or form.

As for No. 6, unless something unethical is going on between the public relations team and the media, chances are a bad story won’t just go away. A good PR professional can share the company’s standpoint and try to show the journalist their side of the equation. But once a journalist decides to run with a story, chances are it will be published. Only in rare instances can a PR pro make a deal to sweep one story under the carpet because they can offer up a bigger story in return in the not-to-distant future.

I would also add a No. 22 to the list: Easy.

Public Relations is not something that anyone can just start doing. I went to college specifically for a degree in public relations. In the last 10-to-15 years, more and more universities are offering specific degrees in public relations as opposed to a blanket degree in mass media and journalism for those who want to go into the industry. A marketing degree might help, but you would still be missing a lot. A degree in finance or pre-law? No thank you. Just because you watched the Sex and the City series or the movie Thank You For Smoking doesn’t make you an expert in public relations.

Public Relations is a lot of things. A lot of good things. But for some reason, as an industry, public relations professionals haven't pitched what their work really is effectively to the outside world. Misconceptions will only continue until we do.

LINK: Perfect PR Pitches

As a guest writer for Ragen's PR Daily, New York Times tech columnist David Pogue shared his thoughts on what constitutes a good story pitch from PR professionals. (Click here to view)


The only way for PR professionals to know how effective they are at pitching is not necessarily to see how often their pitches get picked up by the media, rather to directly ask the journalists they are pitching. Sometimes a PR professional can throw the perfect pitch, but the journalist just doesn't have the time, space or ability to commit to the story. 


But as Pogue illustrates from a journalist's point of view, there is a need for pitches to be unique and have newsworthy elements. Just because you think your pitch relates to something that will interest the general public, doesn't mean it will interest the media. PR professionals have to assume that the journalists they are pitching have been previously contacted about something very similar to what they are trying to sell.

And Pogue is absolutely correct that pitches and press release not only have to be clear and concise, but also unique and interesting.

Reminder: Bring Your Camera

Whenever a PR or Social Media professional is out in the field on an assignment, there are many things one has to make sure they pack: media kits, extra press releases/advisories, business cards, etc... But don't forget your digital camera because you never know when you want to/need to snap a few photographs.

Digital photos are great for websites, Twitter, Facebook pages, to send to a news desk or to keep for the archives. And truth be told, most of our knowledge of taking a good quality photo ends with shoot-and-point (at least for the majority of us). So stopping short of taking a digital photography class, here's a link that gives a few tips on taking photos.

Tips: 5 Digital Camera Mistakes to Avoid

Twitter: Following @FakeAPStylebook

It's followed by over 150,000 people and listed well over 10,000 times on Twitter. It's funny, but even more so if you've studied the Associated Press' Stylebook. Meet @FakeAPStylebook.

As advertised in its name, @FakeAPStylebook is not a real account from the Associated Press. But the comedy is real and if you've ever been stuck flipping through the pages of the real AP Stylebook, you'll find the humor in these Tweets.

Some examples:

I'll put this disclaimer in... as with a lot of humor, @FakeAPStylebook can be vulgar, so beware if you decide to take a look. Enjoy.

LINK: New Site Aims to Connect Reporters and Publicists

In an article published by the New York Times, journalist profiles a new social networking website called NewsBasis. The website aims to pair public relations professionals and journalists based on what is being pitched on the PR side and/or what resources journalists need for their stories.

As the article points out, there are some similarities to other websites/products that are already on the market, but there are some areas where NewsBasis stands out.

This is definitely something that can change the PR industry.

Link: Selling Social Media to the Boss

If you're like me and have immersed yourself in the social media revolution, you might not realize that some people are not buying into it. If you're in the public relations/marketing industry, that might be a problem if you believe social media can become a big advantage for your product.

SocialMediaExaminer.com takes a look at this potential problem and offers eight suggestions for overcoming this hurdle.

Aside from the suggestions, the biggest takeaway from this blog article is that it's easy to forget that not everyone has bought into social media and the positive effects it can have. It's OK for people not to necessarily jump into the social media universe, but as PR or marketing professionals who are, it's our responsibility to convince them.

LINK: Difference Between Social Media & Social Networking

Earlier this week on Forbes.com, Adrienne Graham (CEO & Founder of Empower Me! Corporation) blogged about how she defines the differences in what Social Media is and how that is different from what Social Networking is.

There is a difference between the two and I think she does a pretty good job at laying out what both are. Some times the two are grouped into the same category (and I have probably been guilty of that at some point, probably in a rush to explain something else) and knowing the differences are extremely important for any public relations professional.