Time and time again, we meet with our clients to review a Public Relations Strategy, and they are disappointed or questioning the steps because they want to control the media message beyond what is actually doable! The point of good PR is to work with the media and present the idea in a way that is newsworthy or of interest to that particular on-air person, news director or the mission of the media outlet.
And we are pretty good at that! But the news media gets turned off quickly when the PR message is presented as “just because,” i.e. a sale, a ribbon cutting, the second or third part of a story already covered. We work diligently to build those relationships and find the newsworthiness within each task, or we make the determination that it is a marketing message and better suited to advertising outlets such as ads, online posts, blogs or other.
I learned a long time ago, it is not the News Media’s job to sing a company’s song. It is their job to present news stories, or great community stories to update and educate their audiences.
PR vs Advertising Blog
So I would challenge any organization that wants to include Public Relations or Publicity into their strategy, to honestly assess the end result of the message that is to be put out to the big, wide world. Is it news? If you were watching at home, or reading a newspaper, or checking news sources online, would YOU consider this topic newsworthy? If you can honestly answer YES to this, then most likely you will have no problem working with the news media to get some coverage.
The other key point is to remember that the media will also review all the info sent, and then craft their angle on it, and that will be the story. Rarely do we get to edit or reconfirm information. That’s where the personal relationships come in, and why working with a PR firm sometimes makes the process easier and more successful. If the firm has had success at getting coverage on a variety of events, topics and stories, then they should be able to do the same for you. AFTER you all sit down and determine if it’s newsworthy.
The second key point is that most media are usually happy to cover your newsworthy story… ONE TIME. They are not typically inclined to do a Save the Date, the event is here and a post-event recap for you, unless it’s all just too good to be true. So be prepared to work with each media and identify which story they would like to cover, and make sure all angles are covered, and know that one good story is worth it’s weight in PR gold. If you get coverage, IMMEDIATELY post it on your social media with a link, write a blog about it, email it to any stakeholders and expand it’s value! You will be surprised at the results of managing all aspects of the PR, including this step.
And if you determine your story just isn’t all that newsworthy (except to you)… then buy an ad. That way you can control the message, the call to action and support all of the other tactics like the PR! What, you can sing your own song? Yep… PR coverage is not paid for, but it’s not free.
No one effort will cover the world. Using a variety of methods that are in sync and managed well will produce the desired results, every time. So yes, there is a difference, and the news media will thank you for understanding that.