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In a small farming village between two mountains, a man claimed to be a rainmaker. This man walked through the village, splashing water on people’s faces and shouting, “Look! It’s raining! My powers have brought rain!”
At first, villagers celebrated the Rainmaker because they desperately hoped the rain would nourish their fields. But as the weeks went by, the reservoirs remained empty and crops continued to wither. A wise woman saw this and challenged the man’s rainmaking skills by telling him to create a rainstorm that saved the crops.
In response, the man ran through the village and splashed more water on people’s faces. But the villagers now saw what was happening and turned to the wise woman to speak to the rainmaker on their behalf. The woman stood in the middle of the city, questioned the rainmaker’s superficial claims and said, “Don’t throw water in my face and tell me it’s raining.”
The villagers were disillusioned and felt foolish for trusting the Rainmaker. But the wise woman showed them how to collect water and find drought-resistant plants. The villagers worked very hard and learned to trust the wise woman because even though her solutions were more difficult, their crops thrived every year thanks to her methods.
This story is a relevant parable for public relations because it illustrates the differences between quick answers and superficial results to long-term solutions and authenticity. I share it because there are a lot of misconceptions about PR. Some misconceptions have to do with the media’s portrayal of PR professionals, and some of them are a misunderstanding of what PR is – and what it isn’t.
Before hiring a PR firm, whether you have big ambitions or a crisis, it is important to better understand where PR can and cannot help you.
Related: 5 Common Misconceptions About Public Relations
Myth #1: Public relations is a shield against bad behavior
Destructive behavior is different from an unexpected crisis.
We can predict poor behavioral outcomes. Most PR people have been able to predict them for a long time. Whether it’s making unethical business decisions, making false advertising claims, or harassing your customers like the Rainmaker did, there is no escaping responsibility. This is especially true if you’re trying to pressure a journalist. The internet has long held a grudge, and journalists like the wise woman above will eventually see through it.
Public relations is not about “spin” or misleading journalists or the public. PR is about transparency and authenticity. It is freedom of the press – the First Amendment to the US Constitution – that gives PR its power. PR pros can’t just storm a newsroom or pay an editor to delete negative stories. If journalists removed every negative (but accurate) news article from their newspaper or website because readers bombarded the person or company’s PR agent, there would be no free press – and media coverage would be worthless.
Public relations can help you uncover inappropriate behavior, but it cannot correct the decisions you make. Typically, inappropriate behavior requires an apology. But believe it or not, apologizing is just the first step in a long journey. And that path may or may not include subsequent press coverage. It is these next steps that are extremely situational.
Related: How to Build Your Personal Brand and Improve Your Google Presence through the Power of Public Relations
Myth #2: PR and advertising are the same thing
Digital PR is relevant in today’s fast-moving media world. The number of content opportunities, particularly for thought leaders, has undoubtedly increased. But that doesn’t mean that public relations is a sales channel.
The biggest and most important difference is that with both owned media and paid media you have control over the content. The content or direction of the story in PR is not up to you. PR professionals use their knowledge and connections to guide coverage, but the editor decides the outcome. Here too, the strength of PR lies in its independence – that’s why it is valuable. It brings a trusted third-party perspective; Public relations is at the top of the awareness funnel.
Relying on PR to drive sales and chase them is a failure. There are a few reasons for this. With earned coverage, there is no guarantee that a link will appear in the article. Sometimes a link is included and sometimes it isn’t, but that’s an editorial decision that’s out of your PR team’s hands.
I’m noticing a significant increase in direct traffic with earned media. It’s hard to determine where direct traffic comes from, but we usually see a similar relationship. Does this traffic convert? It depends on many factors – the website, the conversion, the cohort and the visitor’s familiarity with the website. That’s not to say there’s no value in tracking this, but there are too many factors at play to attribute all website traffic and conversions to PR.
There are opportunities where PR and sales can overlap, such as consumer products affiliate programs, but ethical PR professionals will make the differences clear. Does PR contribute to sales and business development? You can bet on it. Showcasing your media coverage adds credibility to your business development and sales channels. It is not uncommon for excerpts from media coverage to be used in advertising.
Related Topics: Advertising is not free advertising. Don’t ruin your efforts to get press by going into sales mode.
Myth #3: PR is all about media coverage
You could be forgiven if you only think of PR when you think of media coverage. It is certainly the most visible and sought-after result for PR. The reality is that PR encompasses a wide range of activities and strategies aimed at building and maintaining a positive reputation.
PR could affect every single area of your company, from product development to human relations to marketing. Involving PR from the beginning of any stakeholder-impacted initiative will give you an advantage. Not only is building positive reputations authentically considered from the beginning of the show, but PR professionals often have deep insights into consumer perceptions and media opportunities that can impact almost any show.
Another application of ongoing PR is creating a PR crisis plan. Most companies have risks that they don’t even consider. What happens if your team is on site when someone is seriously injured or worse? What happens if your product causes harm to someone due to quality or manufacturing defects? Once an identifiable crisis occurs, the first three hours afterward will set the tone for how your company emerges from the crisis. Having a PR team that knows your brand, understands your team, and has the access and planning to act quickly is a key advantage.
Even if these myths have changed your perception of PR, it is a huge asset for any business, especially ambitious ones. When planning a PR effort, keep these myths in mind. Not only will they help you find a PR plan that’s right for you, but they’ll also help you identify the best PR agencies that will speak openly with you about PR opportunities and differences.