For the next few posts, we plan to dispel several myths about public relations. It is a bit surprising how misunderstood PR is – especially considering how common and necessary the business is.
Myths and inaccuracies about PR range from simple misunderstandings, like “PR and advertising are the same thing,” to major falsehoods including, “PR is nothing but lies and spin for corrupt corporations.”
Perhaps the best way to tell what public relations is not is to reiterate what public relations is. The Public Relations Society of America defines public relations (and let’s be real, they should know) as, “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” To put that idea another way -- PR is charged with strategically telling the story of your work, your organization or your company in a compelling manner that helps connect what you do to the people who would be most interested, in other words, your market.
PR is all about story, relationships and strategy. When done right, PR is invaluable in taking the work you do and spreading the word to more and more people who will care about it.
The common misunderstandings we will be tackling in future posts are:
- Public relations and advertising are the same thing. (Nope!)
- DIY: There is no benefit in paying professionals. (Spoiler Alert: There totally is benefit).
- PR is nothing but dishonesty, spin and damage control. (Don’t believe everything you see on TV melodramas and certainly not the fake news).
- Bigger firms are always better. (That depends entirely on your needs).
- Once you get noticed, you can stop doing PR. (Have fun being a one hit wonder).
- It’s nothing but press releases. (Then you’re doing it wrong).
- PR is only for bad products and companies. (False again!)
Stay tuned for myth busting on our blog!
