#FunFactFriday – Common Myths in Public Relations
“What do you do for a living?”
“I work in PR!”
“Oh, so you’re a spin doctor?”
Nine times out of 10 when I’m asked about my job, this is the response I get but it couldn’t be further from the truth. We recently answered the question of what PR is in a blog post from Andrea Meyer that boils it down to fundamentally “storytelling and timing.”
Successful public relations efforts rely on well thought-out plans and strategies, relationships, consistent voice and excellent communication. In our industry, honesty and transparency are highly revered. Telling the truth in a story is what helps readers relate to a story, whether it is good or bad.
While public relations may still be misunderstood by some, today’s #FunFactFriday is all about disproving the myths of our industry. Here’s what we have to say about these common public relation myths:
- PR is all about media coverage
While getting stories secured in publications is certainly an important part of our job, it is not all we do. As an agency, our goal is to ensure our clients meet their business objectives. We help them achieve this by ensuring their communication efforts are aligned with the key messages and mission of the organization. So yes, it includes media relations but also digital communications, content marketing and crisis management and more.
- PR is a new industry
According to ancient cave drawings and Egyptian hieroglyphs, communications has been around for thousands of years. The museum of Public Relations cites Moses, Confucius and Greek philosophers as being influential figures in storytelling. That’s why we have record of their stories today. The first modern PR agency was established in 1906 with a mission to inform the public, rather than mislead it. More than 100 years later, its foundational principles remain relevant in PR.
- PR is about spinning the truth
As much as I love the rock band Spin Doctors, I roll my eyes when I hear the term used to describe our industry. Creating a relationship between our clients and their consumer must be rooted in trust. And the truth is, that most successful businesses are utilizing PR efforts whether in-house, with an agency or all on their own.
In a nutshell, we are writers, storytellers, communicators, thinkers and strategizers. So the next time somebody asks me if I am a Spin Doctor, I may just start singing.
