Do’s and don’ts of corporate PR

Public Relations (PR) as an industry is as dynamic as the weather. It is always on the changing sphere and is not just about rolling out press releases in the media. With the advancement of technology, we have gone way ahead in this business. But there are certain phoenixes like pointers that are going to last no matter how dynamic this profession gets.

Let’s have a look at them ↴

DO’s:-

1. Update and Upgrade:-

Newsrooms are updating, mobile phone and apps are updating and the entire world is upgrading due to the amelioration of technology. A successful PR practitioner always needs to stay updated with the new trends and upgrade himself/herself accordingly.

2. Be Persistent:-

There is a fine line between being persistent and becoming obnoxious. Avoid the latter and try staying the former. PR is all about putting your heart and soul in generating coverage for your client and that requires a mixture of enthusiasm, affability, alertness and a lot of dedication. Being opinionated and having a point of view is excellent but not always. Don’t be domineering and nasty; just do not give up without putting in that extra effort.

3. KISS:-

Not the kiss you’re thinking about! KISS stands for Keep it Simple & Short. Be it a pitch note, a call or a personal interaction, keeping it crisp, concise, precise and to the point to always yield a positive response. Trust me; no one has the time and energy to go through long pitch notes or to listen to elaborate descriptions filled with technical jargon on calls and the like. Just hit the bull’s eye with the right words and half your job is done.

DON’Ts:-

1. Making a promise you can’t keep:-

You know a relationship will go down the drain if you are not capable of keeping the promises you made. The same goes when it comes to the relationship between your clients and you as a PR professional. Do not make commitments you cannot fulfill. Be realistic and roll out only those emails you can follow up with several phone calls, emails and messages.

2. Take rejections to heart:-

It is always advisable to not mix emotions with work; it leads to no good unless the emotions involved are the happy ones. In PR, a NO does not necessarily mean a NO; it is definitely not a YES but a “Not Yet”. Your pitch/client might not interest the journalist at the moment but that should not stop you from trying to spin the idea and serve it in an appealing form. We are here to spin the ideas, aren’t we?

3. Procrastinate:-

NEVER! I say never procrastinate or avoid deadlines. At times, avoiding deadlines can cost you a client or a good relationship with the journalist and you obviously do not want to risk either of those. If you need that extra day to fulfill the request from the client/ journalist, be vocal about it. Expressing the same at the last minute is only going to show yourself as a scatterbrained and careless person.

There you have them all. The good old, technology friendly, everlasting rules to fix in your mind for surviving in this profession of corporate PR.