If the media is not under the brand's control, public relations (PR) is an effective means of contributing to the public's conversation.
It's a cliché that says:
"Advertising is what you pay
for; publicity is what you pray for."
Public relations aren’t an easy
field to define. In 2012 it was reported that the Public
Relations Society of America ( PRSA) received a couple
of thousand entries before
finally settling on a single definition.
If public relations can be
described as an instrument for establishing that relationship the public
relations pros will be professionals who build bridge-builders
What's a public relation
professional?
A professional in public
relations is responsible for developing and executing a PR plan aiding a
company or person build a positive image through a variety of unpaid or earned
formats and channels such as press as well as social media and even in-person
meetings. They also assist clients to defend their reputations in
times of crisis that could undermine their credibility.
To understand this, it is
important to first think about the two aspects of PR, namely the positive
storytelling aspect and the negative damage-control aspect.
Positive Public
Relations
If a company is proactive in
their image, they'll invest in positive public relations, where PR
professionals assist in presenting the company's image, reputation, concept,
product or achievements in an optimistic way.
In a way you could imagine
journalists as storytelling experts. Contrary to
advertisers, who tell stories using paid media PR professionals share their
stories using earned
or unpaid or earned media.
These avenues, whether earned or
not, are unpaid and are:
1. Press and news
2. Media outreach
3. Social media
4. Speaking engagements
Be aware that PR professionals
aren't just trying to connect with the customer who is paying ... the goal is
to reach all of us.