Public Relations professionals help a business or individual cultivate a positive reputation with the public through various unpaid or earned communications, including traditional media, social media, and in-person engagements. They also help clients defend their reputation during a crisis that threatens their credibility.
Public relations programs enhance the internal and external understanding of a company’s strategies, objectives and achievements. They build a positive public image and reputation.
Every business has a story to tell which will interest the media. The role of the PR professional is to see an organisation through the eyes of the media and to provide the media with facts they can use at the right time. Anything from a speech to a new product can be newsworthy if it’s expertly handled. However, if a story has absolutely no news value, it won’t be released to the media.
Public relations practitioners are pivotal to the communication process between an organisation and its publics (clients, potential clients, staff, media etc). They must ensure any form of communication is clear, honest and unambiguous so the messages are easily understood. PR is vital to building your business, as it will help you to establish credibility, enhance your reputation and assist in growing sales.
PR Vs. Advertising
Public relations is different from advertising. Public relations agencies don’t buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and they don’t focus on attractive paid promotions. They rather promote the brand by using editorial content appearing on magazines, newspapers, news channels, websites, blogs, and TV programs.
Importance Of Public Relations
With over 63% of the value of most companies dependent on their public image, public relations has become a very important topic today for numerous reasons.