How did Public Relations garner such a dynamic reputation? Maybe it’s how Hollywood has glamorized the industry as fast-talking, straight-shooting business tycoons. Or it could be its commonly misunderstood place among marketing and advertising. We’ve heard it all but want to set the record straight. At Fort Lauderdale and Aspen-based public relations and marketing agency Durée & Company, our 22 years in the industry have allowed us to dispel many myths surrounding the industry and further prove the undisputed value in what we do. Here are four of the most common misconceptions shrouding public relations.
- PR is all glitz and glamour.
If that were true, a lot less work would get done. While PR practitioners have been glamorized on television or appear to have fascinating lives on social media, the reality of public relations work is that it is detail-oriented and completed at a desk, like most other professions. More than 99% of the job is what people don’t see. Public relations professionals are deeply rooted in research and strategic planning. A day at the office involves a lot of writing, brainstorming pitches, sending emails, and making follow-up phone calls.
- PR professionals specialize in one only thing.
Public Relations practitioners are the swiss army knife of professions. No one person specializes in one specific task. PR professionals can tackle several elements all at once. The job may require event planning, social media content creation, media monitoring, press release writing and distribution, crisis management, website consulting, etc. As with anything else, it takes a village at times to make it all work together.
An experienced PR agency will employ team members with vast backgrounds and experience levels to provide their insight and expertise to clients. While someone from the team may excel at event planning, another team member may be a pro at crisis communications. The real skill is utilizing the team’s strengths to maximize value to the client.
- Getting news coverage is easy and instantaneous.
Landing media coverage isn’t as simple as it appears. Did you know that there are six public relations professionals to every journalist? When actively pitching a press release, chances are, they are being bombarded with pitches from many other PR professionals all day long.
Getting the attention of a journalist requires effective follow up in most cases. Pitches can get buried or just weren’t timely when received. Continuous follow-ups with journalists can help to build credibility as well as familiarity. While the client or management may be getting anxious waiting to see a story landed in their daily newspaper, public relations professionals know it can take days or weeks at times for a story to run in print, online, or broadcast.
- The Spin Cycle
Spinning isn’t the goal of public relations. The widely understood definition of spin provides a biased interpretation of a story to persuade public opinion. However, public relations are rooted in sharing accurate and truthful information.
Transparency and ethics are at the forefront of successful public relations. Truthful, two-way communication is key to developing a solid and lasting reputation in the industry. This is where trust is developed between the journalist and the publicist and can lead to a mutually beneficial relationship.
The truth about public relations is that trusted experts in the field will provide sound guidance and expertise to assist in whatever publicity efforts are required—experience matters. Contact us today about building a public relations strategy that not only resonates but lasts. Call us at our Fort Lauderdale office at 954.723.9350 or Aspen office at 970.452.2195, or email us at info@dureeandcompany.com.
About Durée & Company, Inc.
Durée & Company, Inc. is an award-winning, full-service public relations, marketing and special events firm founded in 1999. The firm has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Aspen, Colorado. Durée & Company serves the corporate, agency and nonprofit arenas for local, national and international clients. Services include public relations, social media, marketing, digital marketing, content development, advertising, special events, branding, radio promotions, affiliate marketing and more. Durée & Company clients include well-known names in yachting, business, real estate, hospitality, travel, health and wellness, cannabis and psychedelics, art and culture, fashion, nonprofit organizations, cryptocurrency and technology, legal and professional services. Durée & Company is a member of PR Boutiques International™ (PRBI), an international network of boutique PR firms. To learn more, call 954-723-9350; go to dureeandcompany.com; cannabismarketingpr.com; or psychedelicpr.com. Join the social conversation and follow Durée & Company on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn at @DureeCoPR.
