What Is Public Relations?

For a field that focuses on providing a great image for clients in any profession, it seems a little bit puzzling that public relations can sometimes be difficult to define. Maybe it has to do with public relations professionals and be responsible for so many different things. Whatever the case is, it is important to know not only why it is beneficial, but what goes into providing quality service. So, what is public relations?

Understanding the role of public relations

Whenever somebody is working in public relations, they are trying to convince others to buy into a certain belief. This can be a little bit tricky at times, but everything is strategic. Public perception can make a big difference when it comes to businesses, and individuals also rely on PR as well. For example, politicians are very reliant on having the right type of public relations to count on. If they are not viewed the right way, they have virtually no shot of winning an election in their area.

In order to be really good at public relations, a person needs to be a great storyteller. Focusing on the good instead of the bad. Focusing on what a person should know about a company or individual, not what might be out there and damaging.

There are a lot of different ways to get a message out these days, especially with the rise of the Internet. There can be a formal press release published, speeches given, promotion on social media and a grassroots program to get the word out there. With so many different options, there really are a lot of different ways to get a point across and dictate the narrative.

Are public relations and advertising the same thing?

A lot of people seem to think that advertising and public relations are very similar. Although they do share a few similarities, it is important to know that they are pretty different.

The biggest difference is that advertising is going to be paid, while public relations is something that an individual or company needs to work towards. All the money in the world can be spent on advertising, but public reception is not going to fully change things. It is all about building trust with public relations, not just getting as much exposure as possible.

PR is much more reliant on language as well, while ads try to grab attention. It usually makes things a little bit more boring, but in the end public relations can really help out those people in need. As long as the right effort is put into things, there’s no need to spend a lot of money.

Understanding the importance of traditional media

It is very easy 2019 to be caught up in how effective social media can be. This is especially true for people who work in public relations. The truth of the matter is, traditional media is still out there and very powerful. Covering up something that happens on social media can be done rather easily, while traditional media is definitely going to be a lot more challenging.

Social media is all about what is happening right now. What is controversy or or makes news in the morning might not even make news by the end of the day.

With traditional media, that simply is not the case. Not only that, but bad PR can linger for a long time with traditional media as well. It is always important to stay on top of traditional media as much as possible, because that is still what is going to dictate perception overall. Social media is more focused on the loud minority, which can sometimes shift perception in the wrong way.

If you are looking for PR services, we recommend Real News Public Relations in Dallas.