What PR pros must do to survive (hint: business school)
Every practitioner needs to take business school classes and realize there’s more to PR than media relations, argues this agency owner.
I explained that when people say they need a PR firm, they really mean they want someone to get them stories, which is an ego-driven metric, and only one tactic of a larger marketing and communications program.
Even though we were ending the meeting when she asked, we ended up talking for another 45 minutes about this new world we live in and what public relations really does for an organization. And that is much more than getting someone on the front page of The New York Times.
What is PR anyway?
The PR industry has, for a very long time, used media relations as the example when describing what we do because it’s tangible. Just like you can hold or view an ad, you can hold or view a story a reporter has written or produced.
While media relations is fantastic for brand awareness and credibility, it doesn’t drive business results unless it’s integrated with other tactics.
Using media relations as “the thing” our industry does is a huge disservice.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.
