I’m Kaylee Hultgren, Content Director for PRNEWS. Welcome to another edition of Single Shot.

Though PR practitioners manage clients’ reputations for a living, they often find themselves tending to their own.

“If there’s one thing that ticks off PR pros, it’s being told that all we do is “spin” information,” wrote PRNEWS columnist Dustin Siggins of Proven Media Solutions this week. “The statement implies that we’re all bad actors, getting paid solely to whitewash a scoundrel’s image or twist facts to save clients from a reputational disaster.”

But PR “spin,” in its proper, ethical context, is designed to help organizations tell their stories well and target audiences effectively. And demonstrating to clients and prospects that you know the good spin from the bad, and have the ability to craft the former, can boost your own reputations—while nurturing theirs.

Read Siggins’ full piece here, and its key takeaways are below. As always, we welcome feedback on our newsletters. Feel free to contact me at khultgren@accessintel.com.

PR “spin”—in its proper and ethical context—is simply helping people tell their story better to reach target audiences more effectively, writes PRNEWS columnist Dustin Siggins. Here are the three steps to show anyone (and clients in particular) that spin is just fine—as long as it’s ethical.

Define PR. Start by explaining what PR is: crafting and disseminating narratives to the press that will reach and influence stakeholders. Then explain that most PR pros want to help companies make a difference through communicating effectively—and that it’s not all about landing interviews in reputable pubs.

Define “Spin.” Explain that spin is part of PR, but it’s not always bad. It just depends on how it’s used. Provide examples of ethical and unethical spin, and show that you, the PR practitioner, can recognize the difference between them.

Explain Why Bad Spin Gets Poor Results. Using real world examples, such as the former Starbucks CEO’s effort to blame the company’s poor quarterly performance on consumers, how bad spin almost always comes back to bite you.

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