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Three-and-a-half pernicious myths about public relations

“Get me some ink!”

Now that’s a cringe-inducing public relations stereotype straight out of Hollywood. Yet many business people still harbor inaccurate expectations about what PR can and cannot do for their companies. If you think of marketing as an umbrella, then PR is one of the spokes that keep the device working. Remove or weaken that PR support, and the entire marketing structure does not function as intended and the rain comes pouring in.

With the preceding in mind, here are a few PR myths that are best consigned to the same dusty backroom shelves that hold the old celluloid favorites.

Myth 1: Public relations isn’t a core business function

Bite your tongue! PR is a much a core business function as accounting or manufacturing. Find and retain solid PR professionals and solicit their advice and perspectives in the same strategic manner that you would your attorney or accountant. Keep your PR advisors in the dark about major company problems or challenges at your peril. Just as most attorneys prefer to settle out of court, PR pros know the best possible PR is resolving problems before they become public. One of the industry’s emerging trends is the PR pro as a business consultant offering critical skills above and beyond communications.

Myth 2: Public relations is a quick fix

PR is no instant cure-all for company woes. Instant media exposure tends to be the kind of attention that businesses don’t want. Think British Petroleum and the gulf oil spill or the Enron collapse. Positive coverage takes strategic thinking and constant, painstaking effort over time. There are exceptions to this rule, but they are not routine. What looks like a breakthrough from the outside is usually the result of long-term planning and weeks or even months of hard work.

Myth 3: PR and marketing don’t mix

See the second paragraph above. PR is a critical specialty within the entire marketing universe. Recognizing the synergy, many PR firms provide more than just earned media services. They integrate this expertise with other strategic marketing capabilities, such as advertising and promotions, in order to ensure that all of these activities complement each other and not work at cross purposes. If a company’s earned media (PR) is saying one thing, but its paid media and other branding are talking something else, potential customers will be confused and turned off.

Myth 3.5: Keep this story exclusive

This is a half-myth. In this age of social media overexposure and nonstop news cycles, it’s almost impossible to keep anything secret for long. It is possible, however, to place a story solely in one media outlet without it leaking prematurely to another — under certain strict conditions. Make sure that juicy news is so prized by the outlet that it will honor any embargo you need to impose on when the story breaks. The outlet must also be willing to present the story more like you want it in exchange for exclusivity. Use the exclusivity card sparingly and only in those cases where the story will get far better exposure in the chosen medium than it would attract if you gave it widespread distribution. And then be prepared for complaints from competitors. It’s all part of the PR professional’s real job vs. the myths and stereotypes.

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