Why do you need PR?

Why does your business need PR?

Just to deal with stereotypes for a minute. As much as Samantha Jones in Sex & The City portrays a glamorous and sexy view of the industry, I promise it isn’t all guest lists and Hermes handbags. 

“I don’t believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party. I just believe in parties” Samantha Jones, PR in Sex & The City 

And speaking of handbags; it also isn’t fair to take Edina Monsoon’s character from Absolutely Fabulous as the gold standard of PR with her Harvey Nicks & bottle of bolly habit. 

“Everybody’s there, everybody! Big names, you know. Chanel, Dior, Lagerfeld, Givenchy, Gaultier, darling. Names, names, names. Every rich bitch from New York is in there.” Edina Monsoon, PR in Absolutely Fabulous

 What value does PR add to your business?

For all the outward appearance of PR, a lot of work goes into it, so here’s why PR is necessary for your business:

1 – It is strategic

Contrary to popular belief, public relations is strategic. We use tried and tested methods, work with your business, add layers to existing campaigns and suggest new ways to reach your audience. It is kind of like opening a new eye, PR is guaranteed to introduce things you never thought of before.

I always start with your business aims and objectives, look at your USPs, your founder, your story and your why. From that I craft a strategy that cuts through the noise to make real impact on your sales figures.

2 – It is creative

There’s a lot of brain storming in PR, and this is where the magic happens. Public Relations experts are fantastic at creative, engaging campaigns that are disruptive enough to secure headlines.

Campaign ideas can spring from news jacking, from global movements, from seasonal events, from world events like the Olympics or International Women’s Day, these serve as a starting point to create a relevant campaign to harness the power. It all starts with research, pricing, planning, launch and follow up.

3 – It is long term

Public Relations should only really be undertaken if you have sufficient time to dedicate to it. If you engage a professional freelancer or agency to do your PR, then you need minimum of 3 to 6 months working with them to start to see the results. In a world of instant, digital results, this can be hard to believe.

However, the research and planning (which is crucial) must be undertaken at the beginning and there is no shortcut to any place worth going. On the flip side it means that the results are long term. Once you have built your relationship with journalists, it is almost like having shares that just keep cashing in every now and again.

 “If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.” – Bill Gates