There are more than 5 PR myths and misconceptions making the rounds all over the internet today. The information age has and will continue to imprint trends in our minds that will in the next few years become ‘truths’.
First off, what is PR?
Public Relations is the strategic and sustained communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. This sustained communication is curated to elicit emotions and sentiments to convince you to take action. The most favorable action is endearing yourself to the specific brand or company.
1. PR is Advertising
This is a common misconception based on the fact that both practices use the Media to propagate their information. However. advertising is paid media; this is done on a budget whereas PR is earned media that relies heavily on strategy as opposed to tactics. This means that PR practitioners come up with pitches aimed at convincing reporters, editors, to write a positive story about your client, brand, or organization.
However, PR and advertising play a unique role for different brands.
2. PR Can Do Anything
PR sounds like an easy enough thing to do. In any case, it is all about image right? The myth attached to this is that if you look good and speak confidently, then you are the best in PR and can achieve anything. This is a horrible approach that has destroyed many agencies and caused irreparable damage to the reputation of their clients.
PR will not make a sale. What a PR can do is safeguard an organization’s reputation and image by keeping the public informed about company policies and managing a crisis in the long run by gathering earned media.
3. There is No Bad Publicity
True or false?
False, once there is bad publicity attached to a brand it can affect sales and later on, ruin your company’s reputation. This myth is attached to the value placed on word-of-mouth connections. Just because people are talking about you, doesn’t mean that your brand association and loyalty are growing. Negative sentiments hurt your brand and anyone associated with you. That is the main reason why there are fallouts with companies whose Bad PR was not controlled through crisis management.
The whole point of PR is to maintain a good image by telling the truth and giving facts. That’s why many organizations bring PR on board in order to manage negative criticism that could damage the company’s image.
4. PR Pros Manage what Journalist Write
Public Relations involves writing and sending press releases to media houses to give accurate information for publishing. Sometimes the releases are so good that the media houses pick them as is and publish them. This does not mean that PRO’s manage what journalists write, they just guide them along with necessary information for a more balanced article.
5. No Writing Is Involved
This stems from the numerous programs that only show the press conference side of PR. In these programs, we only interact with PR as a verbal form of communication forgetting the numerous hours of research and writing that go into it. As a matter of fact, PR is more about writing than anything else. PR officers take part in writing press releases, newsletters, blog articles, proposals, speeches, media reports, and special featured stories.
A bonus PR myth is that anyone can do it, and do it well. Truth is, you should not just let anyone handle your PR. Your image, your brand position, and most importantly your crisis management lies in their hands. So, do yourself a favour and involve us through hello@blackdotlimited.com and we will attend to you within 24 hours.