5 Myths About PR

When you think of Public Relations (PR), what comes to your mind? Is it your favorite actor a television show or cinema? Many people often associate public relations by what they see on these types of platforms. As an experienced firm. filled with many public relations practitioners, we can tell you that you shouldn’t believe everything that you hear in regards to PR. Once you’ve worked in the field, though, it becomes clear that most depictions are inaccurate.

Here are some common Myths:

1. PR pros use “Alternative Facts”

Public Relations is meant to build relationships between an organization and its publics. No relationship can be built upon the principles of lying and deceiving. This myth is one of the most hurtful to the PR profession and it is a myth that every practitioner should aim to prove false. There is no way to hide the truth, whether it be good or bad PR is meant to steer organizations away from public scrutiny. However, in the event that an organization does face potential public scrutiny good PR can prevent more harm than not having any at all.

2. PR is Outdated

Public Relations creates relationships, so if you believe PR is outdated then in comparison it is safe to say that you think meeting new people is outdated. PR has and will always be around simply because there will always be a supply and demand no matter the product. PR is being modernized in more ways than ever with the many technological advances we are making. Although, just because things are being modernized doesn’t mean old PR tricks of trade won’t work. Yeah, you can tweet, snap and Facebook about an event that will get the attention of many people depending on your social media platform. However, nothing can complete to the simplicity of a traditional media packet, press and news releases that most PR professionals still use today.

3. IF you like people, this the job for you

Being a “people person” helps when you are striving to make PR a career but it isn’t the whole job. Being a good PR professional requires you to be a skilled writer, a good worker, and most importantly a strategic thinker. The key to landing a successful campaign for any client is to have a plethora of skills under your belt and not to rely solely on one single character attribute to dictate an entire career choice.

4. We Get Lucky.

Anyone who doesn’t take the time to truly understand what the job of a PR executive actually does will assume that we know nothing about what we are doing. Many people who are on the outside looking into the industry will claim it is all luck of the draw. Truth is, real PR professional strategically plan their every move so if there were to be gains made, it came from careful planning. If you know what you are doing then you can be accurate in assessing your goals. PR is not a game of chance, it takes skill and courage to master.

5. Advertising and PR are the same.

Though they are in the same ballpark, advertising and public relations are in different sections. PR is one element of marketing, which encompasses many different ways of achieving the ultimate objective of promoting your company/product. Marketing is the activity of getting your name out there, getting people to hear about you and want to try your product. Look at it this way: Advertising sends messages to the potential consumers, like a one-way street. On the other hand, public relations is a two-way street, where the PR pros send messages to the consumers and other publics of an organizations while also receiving and dealing with feedback from the people who are receiving their message.

When you think of PR and the usefulness it can be in society, Keep these common myths in mind. Always remember good public relations will never die, So we shall myth bust forever. Help us myths bust by forwarding this blog to everyone you know. The world needs to know the truths behind the myths of PR.

#publicrelations #advertising #identity #factchecking #technology