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Public Relations is the Persuasion Business

A Publicist or Public Relations Specialist is your communicator and storyteller.  They are persuasion experts. As a PR expert, I’m asked a lot of questions on a daily basis. If you have a license to use The Media Insider, you can login and ASK CYNDY (me!) a question about public relations or a specific PR situation anytime!

What do you do

First, the role of the publicist or Public Relations Specialist is to be the spokesperson and advocate for the brand, product, company, or firm, and ultimately help to keep an image that is favorable. We are the contact and relationship holder for the public as the title suggests. Keeping a favorable image does not, however, entail being dishonest or deceitful about the firm or company being represented. This position requires honesty, commitment, and integrity.

Below are a few tasks that a public relations specialist may have to carry out include:

  • the writing of press releases, web content, and interview scripts
  • being interviewed yourself by the media or other companies
  • relaying the benefits of public relations to the rest of the company and its key stakeholders

Without this sort of advocate for public relations, PR may not be viewed as an equally important company mix as advertising is when in reality it is of equal or more importance than advertising and can cost dramatically less. We also keep the rest of the company involved and up-to-date with the company’s news, as well as what can be said if they are asked about a new product or rumor.

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The publicist or public relations specialist will also need to make constant correspondence with the media, including journalists, reporters, writers of blogs or websites, and people who manage podcasts or videos. This requires great communication and a very personable individual. It also requires patience, the ability to learn and listen, as well as common sense and conscientiousness.

And there’s more:

  1. Research. National research. Because I need to measure consumer awareness. Using this data, I can design a plan for my client.
  2. Writing. All kinds of documents: fact sheets, news releases, media pitches, position papers, PowerPoint presentations, blog posts, web copy and more.
  3. Plan special events. This gives me a vehicle for media coverage.
  4. Manage crisis situations. To move the client past the crisis as painlessly as possible.
  5. Talk to the media. This is why my relationships I have spent years cultivating with the media are so important. Critical, even.
  6. Tell the truth. No matter what the temptation. I never chance undermining my credibility with my team, the client or employers.
  7. Find advocates. I reach out and form alliances to be of help to the client. 
  8. Educate and continue to learn. I need to be one of the smartest people on the team. I am current on what’s going on in the world, as well as the subject I am representing.
  9. Use all the new media tools available. Everyone and thing at my disposal.

What can PR do for me?

  1. PR builds your identity.
  2. PR compels people to buy, invest, and do business with you.
  3. PR generates name recognition.
  4. PR gets your message across.
  5. PR helps attract new clients. People do business with who they know, like and trust.
  6. PR increases your credibility. When people read about you, hear about you, or see you speaking, you are automatically considered an expert.
  7. PR Increases your visibility.
  8. PR is very cost-effective compared to other marketing tactics. Just price advertising.
  9. PR levels the playing field. Small businesses are made to appear larger than they are, and this allows them to compete in any arena.
  10. PR removes price objections. If people believe you’re the best and only choice, they will pay your price.

Let’s talk social media. It changed the game. Social media is what PR needed to give back the charge, the thrill of the game. It‘s just another notch on the PR tool belt. Blending traditional and emerging technologies is just the ticket to boost the effects of PR. 

I’ve heard people say “public relations is dead” or “no one needs a publicist anymore”.  I beg to differ and not just because I am one.

PRSA.org says and I agree with them, that ‘Our future lies in our ability to shift “PR” from a business of publicity to a regimen of true “public” relations.

#PR TIP:

Using The Media Insider database, you can develop a low cost PR campaign and handle in house. PR is a powerful tool and a successful campaign lends credibility. To do PR in house, you need to be able to learn to write a press release, find the right contacts in the media to send it too (using our database). Don’t forget the link to your media or press kit on your website. If you don’t have a media kit, check out the how too on e-releases.com.

By the way, take a tour of The Media Insider anytime!  You will see how you can search and create custom media lists to download.