public relations

What Public Relations Should Boil Down To

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This is a crazy, roller-coaster of a profession. Though I’ve only just begun my career in the last year, I’ve delved into corporate communications, agency work, freelance, the world of publicity, and now nonprofit PR.

The job of public relations is definitely fascinating, and continues to grow as more and more people are choosing it for their career path. College students all over the world are seeing the benefits of choosing this profession, though some are honestly in it just to jump on the social media bandwagon, but let’s be real. PR is about so much more than just social media.

What is Public Relations? This is a question I hear often, though I’m confident most people who ask me already know. We are in the business of creating and maintaining good relationships with the publics of whatever organization we are working for. It’s advocacy but with a clear focus.

Yes, people confuse it with advertising and marketing all of the time, though the three are actually more integrated than you might realize. Still, there is one thing that definitely separates the profession from so many others, including it’s “cousins” of advertising and marketing. It’s the one thing that PR should always boil down to.

Love.

PR is about showing love and reacting to how it is reciprocated. We craft relationships and images out of love for our constituents: the government, investors, our own employees, and of course, the consumers of our brand.

“But Jon,” my internal conscious says as I write this, “PR really boils down to making your company look good no matter what. It’s about saving a company money and creating good press, not love!”

This is my internal reaction to the idea that PR should boil down to love. Being in the business for a short while, I’ve seen the bad side of how PR is used just as much as I’ve seen the good. That said, I’ve seen the success of PR versus the failure of PR and that leads me to the conclusion that PR needs to boil down to love.

I believe this not based on how the profession has been judged and seen by others in the past. I believe this not based on what I want out of the profession.

I believe that PR is about love based on everything I have experienced up to this point in my career. 

Yes, we write press releases, measure ROI, pester journalists and do whatever we can to increase the bottom-line for our organization. That’s the reality of our lives in PR. Everything we do, whether we do it in love or not, has to be sustainable.

All of these things, however, are just goals. They’re what’s necessary to achieve the vision of whatever organization we are a part of.

To truly find success in PR, the message has to be sent in love. It has to respond to the needs of whomever is affected. Sure, a PR professional can’t please everyone. What may be good for consumers is not necessarily good for stockholders. Not every consumer is going to like a new policy change or maybe something as simple as a new logo.

It’s the PR pro’s job to maintain balance between these opinions and concerns, constantly using two-way communication, that yes, social media has allowed us to foster better than ever before.

Is there dishonesty in the profession? Absolutely, but that’s because there are dishonest people. The good PR pros know that shortcuts and coverups are the most impractical options for how to deal with crises. This is why you will often see companies owning up to their mistakes and making them right. You know that a good PR team is behind those decisions.

PR goes by a set of rules very similar to how we operate as people. You have to show love. To your customers, to your employees, and to your partners. When an organization operates by this creed, they will find success in PR.

Like what you read? Connect with me further via twitter @JonNegroni. I’ll follow back if you seem like a real person.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me) 

Persuasion is Overrated

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The other day I was hit with a nonsensical stereotype. “You’re in public relations right? That means you can talk your way out of anything.”

As I put down the barbed-wire fence we were crossing over during an attempt at high-risk mischief, I was instantly offended. Why do I have to be some kind of master of manipulation in order to be considered public relations-bred?

I got into the field of public relations because I love writing, the media, and real-time problem solving. The idea that having supernatural persuasion powers being key to my profession just doesn’t relate to me. Yes, many people in my field happen to be very persuasive, enigmatic people, and their skills definitely come in handy. I, on the other hand, am extremely hesitant to use mind games in my work.

A little context: in public relations, you are essentially the aggregator of an organization in some cases. It’s on you to persuade others (like your organizations customers, a government’s constituency, an employer’s employees, you get it) into accepting an image, concept, what have you.

What I contend is persuasion as a tool of deception. Trying to convince someone that something is good, when it isn’t, is exactly what people in our profession have got to stay away from. I know plenty of people who are great at getting other people to do what they want them to do for no good, real reason. That’s what’s overrated.

Instead, treat other people with decency. Give them a set of option and provide a logical reason why they should love something as much as you do. Proving is the best type of persuasion, hands-down.

Like what you read? Connect with me further via twitter @JonNegroni. I’ll follow back if you seem like a real person.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me) 

Let’s Talk About Social Media for a Second

It’s the weekend (almost) so I thought it would be appropriate to talk about something a little more light in regards to business, PR and everything else you expect from this site.

Let’s talk about social media for a second. I’ve been a obsessed consumer of the medium since an old friend introduced me to Myspace and how the addicting (and rewarding) nature of social life can actually translate beautifully online.

I’ve since made a career surrounding the medium in terms of being a communications technician that solely uses social media as a public relations and advertising tool. It’s been a pretty great ride, but here is what still fascinates me:

We have all of these countless social media sites and startups. It seems like new and amazing ideas are constantly showing up on our screens, and I’ve never once felt ahead of the game. This became obvious to me for the first time about a year ago, when a few friends and I were talking about social media sites we loved.

I was amazed at how many social sites were brought up that I had never heard before. Me. The self-proclaimed social media guru. Joking aside, I was initially disappointed at myself for not being more embedded in this so-called tech culture.

Luckily, I kept at it and disregarded how others could potentially view my Klout (intentional pun). I learned to love social media for its benefits the world and consumers, not just myself. This positioning of the social media ideal now makes me hunger for more knowledge with the medium.

Oh, I have so much more to learn fundamentally, and I will probably never run out of exciting new tools to play with. The difference is that now when someone brings up a social media site I’ve never heard of, I hunger to learn more about it and discover it for myself. The best part is sharing these evolving ideas and concepts with others and starting great conversations about, well I shouldn’t have to say it again.

Speaking of the evolution of social media, I want to write an article soon about my thoughts on the latest book I’ve been reading, The Dragonfly Effect, by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith. This book addresses the big scheme of things if you will in how social media can make a real difference in the world and actually affect social change. It provides tools and insights, mainly through stories, of how we can use social media to actually make the world better. What could be considered a loftier goal in this profession?

JN