A large part of what the public relations profession has done in the past - and continues to do today - is the generation of media publicity - editorial coverage in newspapers and magazines and on radio, television and the internet.
Good old column inches and airtime! Probably not as important or as effective as, say, five to 10 years ago, but certainly a critical part of the PR mix for many companies and organisations.
Despite what so-called 'spin doctors' like to think, PR people (and by extension, the brands they represent) generally have little control over what the media says. Not now, not ever.
(Personally I don't think spin doctors are part of the PR profession - for more of my thoughts on the subject: 'Government Spin Story Leaves PR Warrior With a Heavy Heart').
Sure, you might write a press release that's been tightly written and fully approved by the powers-that-be, but there is absolutely no guarantee it will be covered verbatim (in fact, chances are it will be sliced and diced, rehashed and re-edited to look nothing like the original document - unless of course you're dealing with under-resourced trade publications, regional newspapers or niche magazines).
In other words, you have no control over the outcome of what is actually published.
Yes, yes, yes - I understand measures can be taken to ensure a better chance of getting your story across in print or on-air i.e. have a relevant, interesting and newsworthy story in the first place, have it researched and well-developed, ensure the quotes have media (and therefore reader/listener) appeal, make sure liaison is with the right (read: relevant) journalist. Existing relationships can also be a factor (hold that thought for later in this post).
Catchcry of Social Media
Anyway, along comes social media and all it represents - openness, transparency, conversational tone, two-way interaction, oh, and errr...lack of control!
The catchcry of social media is that companies have no 'control'. And to a large degree that's right. The power lies firmly in hands of the public thanks to blogs, podcasts, online video, Facebook, Twitter etc. Companies now no longer have control of their brands thanks to the explosion of social media channels blah, blah, blah.
However, by saying this, it's implied brands had control before.
Well, they didn't. Not when it came to PR and the media anyway (which is what this post is about).
Lack of control? Ha! Try dealing with headline-hungry journalists, 'creative' sub-editors and ratings-obsessed TV producers who, with some judicious editing, can make someone like Nelson Mandela come across looking like an axe murderer!
So, my argument is - if you want to have a professional handling your social web communications - one who is used to earning coverage and word-of-mouth (as opposed to simply buying it)...someone who is comfortable with the concept of 'no control', then you could do worse than engaging someone with a solid PR background.
PR professionals are used to creating stories and concepts and ideas to get people talking about brands, companies and organisations (even if a lot of this has traditionally been directed at journalists, editors and producers).
PR professionals are used to having little or no control once the media kit is distributed, the press conference has been held, the photo shoot staged or TV interview conducted. Sure, you might have a good relationship with a particular journalist which (may) help somewhat, but there are also armies of editors and sub-editors involved, in the case of the print media for example where the end result might be far from what was originally anticipated.
Lack of control? Get used to it. It's always been the case.
SIDEBAR: The Journo, the PR Guy & the Dumbo CEO
I was chatting to an experienced PR practitioner the other day who told the (war) story of the CEO who dropped a major clanger in an exclusive interview with a newspaper journalist. The CEO's outburst made for a juicy (negative) headline and would have been a disaster had it made the newspaper.
Luckily for the dumbo CEO, the PR guy - ever the cool head - was on hand to sort out the situation. He had a chat with the journalist who, in turn, decided not to use the quote.
Now, the media and others would like to believe that somehow the PR guy threatened, or had something on the journalist, in order to have the quote omitted from the story. In other words, he had some sort of 'control' of the situation. WRONG!
PR Guy had an existing relationship with the journalist. They had a bond of respect and trust built up over time. He didn't use 'control' to spin the situation, the relationship just proved to be more important than a one-off bullshit headline.
Fans and Advocates
Mmmm. Sounds quite a parallel to the notion of building your online community through social media channels (as well as offline mediums) - building relationships - turning the people who matter into fans and advocates for your brand.
Then, if the crap does hit the fan, maybe - just maybe - they'll like you enough not to tweet about your stupid CEO or your dumb-ass promotion or whatever. And hey, if they really love you, they might - just might - stick up for you. Now, that's a key measure of success in the online world (and offline too)!
So the message is - stop worrying about control - or more pertinently the 'lack' of it - and focus on proactively building mutually beneficial relationships with the people who matter most to your business.
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