To PR Or Not to PR, That is the Question!

Public Relations is responsible for a vast amount of the content filling news websites, magazines and frequently daytime TV shows. What gets passed off as content by the networks is usually carefully placed product pitches. What you are really watching is ads sandwiched between ads!

This morning for example I was watching a breakfast show and their leading segment was promoted: "Coming up, Justin Bieber's top tips for our PM". Now this is clearly just a brand-awareness exercise for Mr Bieber, but it's much more likely to be watched by the viewers than an out-right advert and will probably cost his management company nothing as it's basically just free filler for the network. No doubt between his top tips for our PM will be news of his upcoming performances and where you can buy tickets etc.

PR is usually not as blatant as that, and unless you have the marketing machinery and hype that Justin Bieber has behind him you are unlikely to be able to pull off a coup of that magnitude. The point is that advertising is becoming so pervasive that people are developing an immunity to it and don't even see the majority of the (very expensive) adverts that are thrust at them all day long. Public Relations if done right offers you a new way to advertise, without advertising!

So in answer to the original question - YES! of course you should be using PR! Even if you have a limitless amount of cash to spend on advertising, PR should be your first priority.

When was the last time your advertisement was picked up by another magazine or website and printed for free? It happens all the time with press releases. As long as you can come up with news - such as winning an award, sponsoring an event, partnering with another company, growing, taking over another company, survey results you have generated etc etc... The world of free, syndicated marketing will be yours for the taking!

Identifying what is news, writing a press release and knowing who to send it to is a professional job. If you don't have the big bucks to spend on a Public Relations agency then maybe you should use a freelance PR consultant instead.