SO WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS…REALLY?
This is a question I get asked a lot.
Public relations is not advertising. Advertising is when you pay to put out a message or ad directly to your consumers. Many times this is referred to as “paid media” or “paid placement.” With advertising, companies maintain full control of their message.
Public relations, on the other hand, is about leveraging third party sources – reporters, bloggers, social media influencers and influencers within your industry – to tell your story. This is often referred to as “earned media” or “earned placement.” When working with reporters, bloggers and others, companies have less control over the content and their message. For example, you can’t (or shouldn’t be able to) tell a reporter what to write about your company.
SO WHY IS PR IMPORTANT?
While limited control over your message can be scary, if the results are positive, it can be great for your company’s brand awreness and credibility.
PR helps you, first and foremost, build name recognition and brand awareness. A great article in your local newspaper, industry publication or on a major business website can make a lasting impression and drive traffic to your business.
Recently, we had a client appear in USA Today and Time on the same day, which generated the highest web traffic in company history. This past week, the same company appeared in Lifehacker, which increased their keyword mentions on Twitter by more than 960% that day.
These types of placements (with the exception of social posts) also provide a great vehicle for educating your audience, because articles, blogs, radio and TV interviews typically lend themselves to a longer format. This becomes important when you are trying to clearly differentiate your product or company from a close competitor, or when you are launching a new product that needs some explanation.
Earned media placement is also great for building credibility because it can provide third party validation. Many companies share their media coverage on the front page of their website, in their e-newsletters and with their investors and supporters. For earlier stage companies looking to raise capital, securing media articles helps with profile building and coverage can provide a strong foundation for entrepreneurs entering meetings with potential investors.
Postive media attention can also help companies looking to attract talent. Many newspapers and business magazines regularly highlight local companies with great culture or give out awards to businesses leading the way.
All of these things have the potential to drive leads and, when married with sound business strategy, provide potential to help you grow your business.
In addition to media outreach and securing placements in media outlets, many PR firms also help their clients with self-generated content, such as blogs, guest blogs and social media engagement. This is where the line between advertising and PR can become blurred, but it’s important to remember that with PR, you are not paying for placement. The goal of PR is to engage with your audience in an authentic, meaningful way.
Mosher Mullen Strategies helps our clients with award submissions, speaking opportunities and event coordination as well.
Have questions about public relations? Give us a call – 248-670-2262
