PR Has a PR Problem

“What do you do?” someone asks. 

“I’m in public relations,” says me. 

“Oh...so you pitch stories to reporters all day long?”

(Deep sigh) “Uh...no….” 

As several of us do, I first moved into public relations from the newsroom. As a journalist, I met and got to know PR folks quite well, and their lives somehow seemed more “normal”. (Although, let’s be real. After seven years as a morning anchor and waking up at 2:00 a.m., most other jobs seemed “normal”.)  I remember thinking, I pitch stories, newsies cover it, everyone wins. PR = media relations. Media relations = PR. Right?

Wrong. It’s true, media relations is a solid part of the PR pie — and one of the most challenging yet rewarding these days, in my opinion. But it’s only just one slice. Below, the multicolored pie chart shows 15 different disciplines under the PR umbrella as defined by the Public Relations Society of America. The slices are the same size because any PR/marketing person will tell you that sometimes, it’s all in a day’s work.

So why should you care? That depends on who you are.

If you’re a PR professional, it behooves you to educate your clients. I’ve had former clients say, “I mean, newsrooms are going away, right? We’re going to put all our money into paid media.” I thought they knew we did more than pitch newsrooms. He hadn’t noticed our work in brand journalism, content, etc. 

If you’re a company that hires a PR firm or contractor, make sure you understand the depth of their capabilities. The key is having a campaign managed by a reputable team that takes a holistic look at your end goal. Do they know and consider your company's mission? Will you let them be creative and bring their unique view to the campaign?  Do they understand your pain points? If they’re on your crisis team, are they aware of your company operations and code of ethics? 

Any PR person worth their salt will understand the difference between output and outcome. Give them a chance to ask the right questions and take your brand and story to the next level.

Jenna Cooper, APR

Jenna@C3-Collective.com