21 myths about public relations

Over the years, we have heard and debunked many myths about PR. Here we are setting the record straight, here are our 21 myths about public relations:

We lie
- We don’t do lies, we do spin…. there’s a difference.
We can spin anything
- Although positioning your product is our specialty, we cannot spin everything. If we don’t stand behind a project, we won’t represent it.
All we do is go to parties
- Wrong, wrong, wrong. Yes there are parties but we’re usually working them. That means running, organizing, trying to keep things on schedule and dealing with any problems that may arise, all while keeping our work out of view of the guests.
PR is light and fluffy all the time
- Ever heard of crisis PR? It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Let’s say someone is decapitated at a factory…your PR team has to handle how that is brought to the public and quickly.
There is no ROI
- Sure, PR may not add to your bank account balance directly. What it does do is share your story and allow the public to engage with your brand. There is ROI in generating buzz surrounding your story because ultimately that buzz will generate ticket sales, attendance and word of mouth.
PR is easy
- PR is not easy. It takes smarts, organization, thinking about things from every angle before anyone else and being able to tell your story in a unique way, tailored to each journalist. It’s hard, long hours of putting in full days then going to those parties that we “attend” all the time followed by a 6 a.m. call time for the morning show circuit.
PR is 9 to 5
- HA! This is a good one. Especially in entertainment PR, we spend our 9 to 5 organizing and then guess when the entertainment events happen? That’s right, evenings and weekends. So yes, we put in 9 to 5 but that’s only before our nights/early mornings of execution.
PR has nothing to do with the marketing mix.
- PR shares the same goal with all other elements of the marketing mix – to build awareness of the brand, change people’s attitudes towards it and ultimately, sell the products. The difference is that each element works towards this goal in a slightly different way and PR has always been about managing a company’s reputation above anything else. It’s the way in which PR agencies now do this, after the unstoppable rise of digital media, which has changed. (Aspectus PR)
There is no writing involved in PR
- PR is approximately 80% writing. On any given day, we are writing pitches, press releases, blog posts, social media posts, proposals, reports, analytics and countless other things, all in a way that is in line with the project’s key messaging.
Social media is not work
- The type of social media that you do on your own time is easy and you want what you are reading to be easy as well, we get that. What you don’t take into account is how we have to take both your ease of reading and key messaging into account before posting, and to post enough to keep the brand relevant.
PR is a girl’s job
- PR may be a female driven industry but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of men. According to the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), there is a 60:40 ratio and when you think about it…that’s not far off from half.
It’s Samantha Jones and Olivia Pope all the time
- Hollywood has an interesting way of spinning things. But wait, that’s our job! Characters like Samantha Jones and Olivia Pope have a way of glamorizing PR. Sure you may think being sassy like Samantha or badass like Olivia sounds appealing but it’s a lot more than that.
PR is one dimensional
- PR is not just PR. There are many sectors of PR and they are all very different. A PR professional could be involved in healthcare, government, corporate, agency, entertainment, tech, nonprofit or many other sectors. Each unique and challenging.
You don’t need to be business savvy to be a PR
- Being business savvy is what will make you a great PR. Being able to assess a companies business plan and find a way to use it to create a PR campaign is an invaluable asset. Being business savvy is an essential component to being a PR.
PR is nothing but press releases
- Going back to the “no writing in PR” myth. We draft and release many different types of business documents and then use them as tools to generate coverage for our clients.
PR is glamorous
- Sure, it could be glamorous if we hadn’t just put in a 14-hour day before that launch. Sometime being a PR requires a lot of the grunt work and that grunt work is not glamorous.
PR will fix all your ____ problems
- PR is a tool to tell your story. We create a bridge between you and the media. You may come to a PR firm with a certain problem and expect it to be solved using PR. Sometimes we can alter a public perception of your brand by positioning your product in a favourable light but usually our goal is get as many people watching as possible; to spread awareness. This may or may not solve that exact problem you came to us with.
It’s a PR’s fault when the coverage is bad
- We have no control over the tone of the coverage. Our goal is to make sure that the journalist is covering/reviewing your project. What they write is their opinion not ours.
PR, marketing and advertising are all the same thing
- PR is earned, advertising is paid and both fall under the marketing umbrella.
You will get copy approval before coverage is published
- PR professionals have no control over the opinion of journalists. They will not change their work to suit your opinion. Asking for copy approval and making suggestions will only anger the journalist and they may pull the piece.
Only bad projects need PR.
- All stories need PR. You could have the world’s most gripping and interesting story but if no one is hearing it then what is the point? PR will help in spreading brand awareness and work to make your story the talk of the town.