A Primer on Public Relations

by admin ~ November 25, 2007

Having been in the business for nearly a decade, I always forget that there is some element of mystery to what publicists do - and I’m always caught by surprise over the holidays when even my closest family members have no idea what public relations is, how it’s done and ultimately how it can help someone’s business.  In New Orleans for the holidays, I had the following conversation at least five times.  So, here’s a short primer for anyone who might need one:

 What is PR?

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, public relations is “the art or science of establishing a favorable relationship with the public,” and “the methods and activities employed to establish a favorable relationship with the public.”  This, in a broad stroke, is a true definition.  But in 2007, public relations encompasses so many disciplines it’s not really all that surprising that many people are confused by what we do. 

Public relations can mean media and analyst relations (traditional “publicity” that entails writing press releases, pitching reporters/analysts on news items regarding our clients), brand strategy (an analysis and big picture campaign for the present/future state of the brand or company health), corporate communications (which can include internal communications, reputation management, overall campaign direction and more), speaker services (securing speaking engagements and the publicity surrounding public speaking), crisis communications, issues management, launch positioning, public education campaigns, grassroots outreach (through “stunts” and other community, ground-based initiatives), viral marketing, media training of executives/spokespeople, and events (pre and post-event publicity, event concept generation and planning, event coordination, on-site press management).

But what do you actually do?

In the broadest sense, we connect with journalists - and other community organizations or outlets -  to tell our clients’ stories in a compelling way.  All clients have different goals, but the most common goal is:  to achieve a greater awareness of the company or individual through appearance in news stories and broadcast segments.

We research ad naseum to find the reporters specific to each client/story and tailor pitches and releases to these specific journalists.  Our goal is that these media professionals will include our clients in their stories or use them as sources in stories they are already writing.  We act as information agents - providing any/all information possible in regards to our clients that journalists need to know for their coverage and often provide the story idea for them.  We spend a lot of time on the phone and writing (emails, pitches, press releases) to develop these relationships - parties and schmoozing are not even the tip of the iceberg.

 So, you need to have close relationships with lots of reporters to get the job done?

It can help, but it’s really more important to research thoroughly the journalists/outlets you are targeting before picking up the phone.  With the 24-hour newscycle and more print, broadcast and online outlets than ever before, it’s impossible to have a personal relationship with every journalist.  I’ve had more success over the years researching a specific reporter completely and then reaching out to him/her with a tailored story idea that I think will interest them.  Providing news or sources that are completely appropriate and compelling is the only way to keep your emails out of the “junk folder.”

But wouldn’t it be better for me to hire a local publicist who truly knows the market?

Not necessarily.  New Orleans is a smaller market compared to the big five, so publicists there may have personal relationships with journalists by proxy of being physically closer, but really - a public relations professional in New York or Chicago could achieve the same results as someone based in New Orleans.  I’ve had much success over the years pitching my national clients in markets all over the country.  For example, a top executive for ForSaleByOwner.com (a client of mine since 2002) planned a business trip for New Orleans last year.  While he was there, we arranged interviews for him on the NBC and ABC affiliates, New Orleans City Business and the Times Picayune to discuss real estate issues following Katrina and how the buyer/seller market would be affected. 

As I mentioned before, it’s all about the way you approach journalists and the research you put in to finding out what they cover - and delivering a compelling story specific to their needs/coverage.  Finding the story and the right target is the art of this business, and it has less to do with where you’re based and more to do with how you practice the profession.

What’s the most important thing going on in PR today?

The digital space is obviously very important, and it’s changing everything.  From blogs and video to simply having a 24 hour news cycle, the way that this business is done has changed drastically since I began my career in 1999. 

Isn’t a “publicist” really only needed for celebrities?

No way.  Businesses can use public relations and probably get much more out of it than your everyday celebrity.  Keeping organizations and their executives in the news is one of the most cost-effective ways to grow a business — more so than advertising or marketing.  It’s a way to gain third-party credibility through the unbiased media sources that exist.

So, what about me (an opthamologist)?  What would you do for me?

Well, I would need to analyze your business practices to determine the specific areas where you specialize.  A few examples of what we might do include: If the specialty is glaucoma, I would approach national and local press with an introduction to you and the things you could discuss regarding the disease and how it might be prevented.  We would provide “service oriented” pitches that target specific consumers  that provide actionable tips for consumers to avoid/identify/treat glaucoma.   And anytime a health report or survey is released regarding glaucoma, we would reach out to health journalists offering you as a source to discuss them. 

So, there you have a primer on public relations and how it works. 

** On a side note, New Orleans is slowly getting better.  I have been there close to a dozen times since Katrina and every time I go back, there are more people, more restaurants and new shops opening up, and more repairs obvious in the worst-hit areas.  It’s going to be a long road back - or I should say that they are going to have to forge a new road altogether because nothing will ever be the same.  Even so, the media seems to follow me and my family.  Shopping the day after Thanksgiving in Canal Place, we were approached by a Times Picayune reporter and ended up in her holiday shopping story.