Kate McCoy, Director at Cloud Nine PR & Marketing on what you should know about PR

5 Things Everyone Should Know about Public Relations

Very few people can explain what people in public relations really do. Ironically, it seems that the PR industry does a terrible job of PR!

So to help explain our role to the general public, the occasional stranger and the odd grandparent, we’ve come up with 5 Things Everyone Should Know about Public Relations

• PR is not advertising. The role of advertising is to ‘tell and sell’, the role of PR is to ‘show and glow’. This generates a fabulous reputation – a magnet for new customers.
• PR is all about persuasion. We can’t order the media to cover your stories or give you a spot on the couch of This Morning. Yet as PR people we achieve this result via persuasion and influence.
• PR people are storytellers. We find the positive messages and translate these messages into engaging stories for all media channels – traditional and social.
• PR is also used to protect. When the news is bad, we formulate the best response and mitigate the damage.
• PR is not a sprint – it’s more a marathon with the best results coming to those who stick with it. Of course there are times when you need a ‘quick fix’ – typically in moments of triumph or crisis – but the core strength of PR is when it is an integral part of your overall business strategy.

For more information, advice and tips on PR and marketing visit: www.cloudnineprandmarketing.co.uk