The Biggest PR Myths, Busted!

Never underestimate the value of good public relations. For eons, PR has been shrouded in myths and confusion, so let’s bust out these misconceptions and lay the great PR debate to rest.

All news is good news

The belief that any media coverage is good for your brand is entirely off-course. You’ll know this if you’ve experienced the unpleasant aftermath of the press. And it doesn’t go away. You might remember the Ratner scandal some 30-years ago, where Gerald Ratner announced to 6,000 colleagues at an Institute of Directors event that his jewellery was “Total crap! We sold a pair of earrings for under a pound, which is cheaper than a shrimp sandwich from M&S, but probably wouldn’t last as long”.

The press thrives on unfortunate shenanigans and journalists have memories that will never forget. Ratner, who inherited the firm from his father, dissolved the multi-billion-pound empire within a matter of seconds as his shareholders and customers walked away. Ratners was forced into reorganisation, which cost the group almost £100 million. Ratner resigned a year later.

Gerald clearly believed the ‘any PR is good PR myth’; both he and his company suffered reprehensibly. Think carefully and with intent before you say anything publicly; a moment of witticism can do you more harm than good. 

PR is Just Like Advertising

Both advertising and PR help build brands, but advertising is “paid for” visibility, while PR is “earned visibility.” Consumers perceive PR coverage to be much more credible than advertisements, hence more effective at building the image of your company or brand.

Public Relations will Bring Fame Overnight

Consistency is key to regular media coverage. Building a firm foundation for your brand, creating awareness and forging a solid and successful relationship with the media is much more important than being a one-hit-wonder, but it takes time. Whilst overnight fame can happen, it's improbable. A one-off press release is highly unlikely to give you the coverage that you need to make your business a success. PR should go hand-in-hand with your regular marketing practices.

It's essential that you have a strategy in place to make the most of your campaign and harness the best results. Depending on your business, our agency will target various media outlets, including daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and even annual publications. You can expect most campaigns to have results and media coverage between three and six months, however, companies who view PR as a long term strategy (12+ months) usually have the best success. 

Schmoozy and Expensive Dinners are all We Do

The days of reaping a front-page new story in return for a boozy dinner or expensive gifts are long gone. Thankfully journalists and their publications have ethics and are more often than not prohibited from accepting any sweeteners. A properly formulated pitch or allowing the journalist to experience your offerings are far more likely to result in unbiased results. Remember that journalists are incredibly busy and under pressure to give accurate and impartial features for their readers. Their professional integrity is vital and cannot be procured without potentially losing their hard-earned reputation. 

PR Can Replace a Sales Team

First off, PR is not sales. Public relations professionals work hard to create brand awareness, respect and credibility and build a seamless reputation. In other words, the PR role is to pave the way for your sales team so that when they meet clients or knock-on doors, there is already a sense of familiarity and trust with your brand. Public relations will ensure that your company is recognized and provide a discussion platform, improving your sales team's results. We are not responsible for sales, although it usually is a positive side effect.

Audience Size is the Most Important Factor

Podcast PR is becoming an increasingly more relevant strategy. Yet, the common misconception is that audience size is the most important factor — it’s not. What really matters is how relevant your message is to the listener. Our travel, leisure and luxury clients have experienced that speaking to an audience of just 300 of their ideal customers translated into more brand awareness than speaking to 10’s of thousands of people who weren’t the perfect fit.

PR = Press Release

Firstly, you have to imagine that journalists can have hundreds of press releases and pitches flooding their inboxes daily. So, it's essential to stand out from the crowd. A press release is part of our PR toolkit but they’re not the be-all-and-end-all, and for them to be effective, they must be used correctly and as part of a well-considered strategy. Press releases are good for sharing events or big news and they have their place, but there’s no replacing strategically pitching journalists and leveraging relationships with the press to earn media coverage.” Interestingly, many press releases are a dressed-up ploy to sell a product or have no value to the journalist or the general public whatsoever. It’s vital to see the bigger picture and inform the reporter how your news can impact their readers. How can we as a PR agency weave in the importance of innovation and how it affects your industry, how the news can positively affect a local community or broader national economy? Start to think like your audience and how you can relay to them important news. Again, it's all about building trust and remaining relevant. Sometimes, less is more.

PR is Easy!

Many business owners might be under the impression that PR is easy, and they can save costs by doing it themselves. Some candidly believe that simply writing a press release or sending a few emails once a month will have journalists knocking on their doors anxious for an exclusive interview. Sadly, this is not the case. PR is not just writing a press release or sending some emails; it's about building relationships with the media, communicating effectively, planning strategically, writing beautifully, and becoming the industry expert with the knowledge we've built throughout our career. 

One Hit Wonder!

False! The impact of a viral video or a viral press release, though noticeable, is only fleeting. Even if you are lucky enough for this to happen, before you know it, the public will have forgotten about your content and moved on to the next big thing. The key is to always remain relevant and interesting, and that is why PR is so important as a long-term strategy.

Public Relations is key to building a successful brand and should be used as an essential skill in your marketing tool kit. Let Roam Generation focus on your public relations efforts whilst you run your travel, leisure, or luxury business. See us as an extension of your valued team.

Let me leave you with this - earned visibility is believed to be three times more valuable than paid visibility. Now that is one ‘myth’ that doesn’t need busting!