There are many myths out there about PR, often compounded by images such as those portrayed in Absolutely Fabulous, the great sitcom. I love Ab Fab, it's hilarious and brilliantly done but it's not PR in the real world. I thought I would try to dispel some of the myths surrounding PR, if anybody has any comments I would love to hear them!
1.PR is free advertising
PR is not free advertising, with advertising you pay for the space and your ad appears. With PR you are working to find an interesting angle and get your story published if it's newsworthy but it's not free in the sense that there is time involved , either your own or that of a PR professional and you will have associated costs etc such as photography.
2. No such thing as bad publicity
I dont agree with this one, I think that there is such a thing as bad publicity and that generally, businesses should avoid it where possible and have a strategy in place to deal with potential crises.
3. PR is too expensive for small businesses
It depends on what you want to do, PR can actually be very cost effective for businesses operating on a tight marketing budget. A simply executed photocall can be very effective for example with the right picture, story and timing.
4. She is 'good with people' so she's 'in PR'
It's a given that anybody in business, let alone PR needs to be good with people. It's not just about that, there are other skills involved.
5. PR is about sipping champagne and attending functions
This is so not the case, particularly in the current climate. It's the Ab Fab image, sipping the 'bolly'. PR is most certainly not about this and in my experience, PR people are normally too busy at these functions and don't have time to drink!
6. PR is about sending out press releases
Yes, PR involves sending out press releases but it's not just about that. It's about understanding the communications process, what needs to be communicated and why and what is the best way of doing this. It may or may not be using a press release.
The challenge with PR is that it is intangible and misunderstood by many so it often gets confused with other areas of business which may be similar. PR is about reputation and managing that reputation, it's about getting the right message across about your business and what you do as simply and effectively as possible.
All organisations, large or small can benefit from having a sustained PR campaign which can help create a competitive advantage, build business and protect a business in a crisis.
