PR101

I've received hundreds of phone calls over the years from people who claim they want p.r. but they are not quite sure what it is. I thought it might be helpful to explain what public relations actually is and what it can and can't do for you and/or your business, product or service.

First, Public Relations by definition is the business of inducting the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm or institution.

This may be confusing, all because of the misconception of what agents, publicists, managers and product advertising agencies do for the 'image' of people in Hollywood. So defining what P.R. is and isn't here, may be helpful.

P.R. is NOT the same as Advertising. Advertising is paid media - like that glossy ad in a magazine or a full-page in the newspaper or a big banner on a website.

P.R. is NOT the same as Marketing. But there are marketing elements to p.r. and it should be on the same page as marketing. Marketing is about markets - who you are marketing your product or service to.

P.R. is NOT Promotions. Promotions (like street teams, etc.) do perform tasks similar to publicizing something, like a concert or event or coupon deal, but it is NOT p.r.

P.R. is NOT Sales. Sure, p.r. can help bring awareness to boost your sales, but it is NOT sales. Don't expect p.r. to be your savior to your sales figures. It is not for this purpose, it is only to bring awareness to who you are and what you do or what you're selling or what ever it is you are promoting but it cannot 'make' someone buy whatever it is you are selling.

Not all P.R. is good. Contrary to popular theory that any p.r. is good p.r. - this is not the case.

Simply put, if you had a choice of people talking about you in a good way vs. a bad way - chances are you'd prefer they were saying something good about you. The idea that people talking about you at all is NOT necessarily a boost for whatever you are trying to do.

NEWSFLASH: Not just 'anybody' can get on "Oprah." I love people who are passionate about whatever it is they are doing, but the truth is, that Oprah may not. Sorry, these are the cold, hard facts. The waiting list to get on her show is very, very long. And unless you are an A-lister, a hot topic, currently all over the news, your chances are pretty slim. If no one knows who you are, your chances are even slimmer than that. And more importantly, if you have nothing that is of interest to her show, you won't be on, no matter how wonderful you are, or your friends and family think you are. She either has to be seeking you out (or whatever your specialty is), or you have to be super spectacular and on-point with where she is going in theme to something she wishes to address.

TV & Radio shows are about ratings and revenue. P.R. guests need to match up with whatever a producer of those shows is wanting to cover on-air. Publicists can be wonderful pitchers, but if the producer doesn't open up a hand to catch the pitch, it won't be caught.

P.R. can be wonderful for any product, service or business in terms of bringing awareness that you exist. It can help soften an image or escalate visibility and connect a person, business, product or service with an audience, following or clientele base. It can help media understand who you are and what you are doing and bring forth a connection you didn't have before to take you to the next level.

Just remember p.r. stands for public relations, and if you're ready to reach out to your public, it can be a great way to have them reach back.

© Media Monster Communications, Inc.

www.braingasm.com

www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com