Search the term "hires a PR firm" on any given day and you'll find a fresh news story about a company hiring a PR firm to handle a crisis. Shocking news! Stop the presses! How dare they revert to PR!
Why is it still newsworthy when PR is called to the rescue or joins a strategic team? "Pet Company Hires PR Firm to Clone Calico Cats" or "PR Counselor Recommends AshleyMadison.com to C-Suite" - now those would be worth writing about. To wit: there is still a jaundiced view of PR. To utilize PR is sometimes akin to admitting you've reached The Last Resort.
Part of the reason for this mentality is the media's view of PR - the same journalists creating a news story out of a non-story are the journalists whose respect for PR is wavering at best. Surely there are outstanding relationships between PR pro and journalist. Enough rotten apples and we become spoiled, in a bad way.
Another reason PR is not yet elevated within an organization is a lack of strong and ongoing advocacy for PR. PR professionals are the go-to storytellers, writers, advisors, counselors, organizers, implementers and strategists -- right?
Some heavy lifting is needed. We might start by dispelling these 5 myths about PR:
PR is nice to have but not need to have. The truth is that the strongest brands and reputations deploy smart public relations tactics that are seamlessly integrated into the core mission and culture.
PR people suck at math and finance. PR execs need to add metrics and measurement to the business conversations and hold PR accountable in front of senior management. We talk about measurement among ourselves - time to apply what you know to the conversations you have with the C-suite and marketing colleagues.
PR should not be seen -- and needs to stay behind the scenes. Of course not. You have the advantage of context and clarity - there's no reason you can't be the spokesperson and certainly no reason why an organization shouldn't be proud to have a smart PR counselor backing its reputation.
PR's main role is media relations. Media relations is a subset of PR and not the end-all, be-all. While strong relationships with journalists are critical for many PR people, the Public in Public Relations includes those hanging out on social media, the employees in your organization and the people on Wall Street and Main Street. Change the conversation from positive media coverage to positive coverage.
What other myths would you add to the mix, and what are your suggestions for busting them?
-- Diane Schwartz
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