As we enter another interesting year, we all prepare for a fresh start – setting new goals and also making personal and professional new year resolutions. While new year resolutions are easy to make, they are notoriously easy to break too. Following them will have a positive effect on your career, while breaking them might harm your reputation in due course.
Here’s what PR professionals can promise NOT to do in 2019:
- Stop “Over selling” your clients’ story with distorted and half-baked information. Start thinking like a journalist (but don’t start telling a journalist what to write) and see if the information sent make for an interesting and relevant story.
- Stop asking your junior colleagues to update the media database and making random follow-ups on press release and stories. Invest time with colleagues, encouraging them to read and know more about journalists needs’ on interesting data and most importantly credible and relevant information.
- Avoid sending a one-size-fits-all Press Release to the media and stop thinking public relations is just about press releases. Invest time in knowing what type of stories each media does and then customise your release/information/pitch as per the publication/media.
- Stop “pestering” journalists/bloggers in the garb of sharing client information and randomly spamming them with WhatsApp/mails/calls/messages. Start investing in long-term relationship by constantly following the journalists stories/social media posts and then sharing valuable content and remember not necessarily for a story for your client.
- Avoid relying only on traditional media and seeing – Ink/coverage on your client story. Start searching for new media outlets and think of the campaign beyond media coverage through multiple channel. Start working with clients on the new model to ‘promote’ Earned media through Owned and Paid media and multiply reach through a ‘Push’ through the Shared media (Messenger services / social media) – which is becoming the syndicated news distributor.
- Avoid pleasing your client by agreeing to everything they say. Invest in updating overall knowledge and bringing your point of view with clients by linking client’s business goals and organisational actions with PR campaigns.
- Avoid measuring success of a PR campaigns with media coverage, AVE and awards. Start working on PR campaigns which will change mindsets and create an impact on ones outlook and not just on eyes (number game).
- Stop over dependance on technology. Invest time in learning how to use technology to make your work smarter but rely on human intelligence and judgement. Public Relations is an Art which is effective when used Scientifically.
Co-authored by:
ANUP SHARMA: Anup is a full-time student of life and part-time Story Teller with two decades of experience in Public Relations, Public Policy, Political Campaign Management, Digital and Social Media Outreach. He is senior director at Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI). You can reach him on Twitter @TweetsAnup.
VINEET HANDA: Vineet is Founder & CEO at Kaizzen. A veteran communications professional, he has spent the last 18 years in business but still feels that he has a long way to go. A serial entrepreneur, Vineet started his entrepreneurial journey in 2008 with Kaizzen, which today is a well-established name in the PR fraternity with presence in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.
The views expressed here are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Reputation Today.
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