Public relations (PR) is about how an organisation is represented to the public, and received by them. PR is used to influence the media landscape through communication strategies that work toward the end goal of being received in a positive light, not just to communicate trust but to prevent ill will.
What are the five key skills of public relations? In this article, Real Business will highlight the most important skills in the trade according to public relations specialists, that will put you well on the path to becoming a PR professional.
Table of Contents
1. Create Media Relations
News comes from media outlets, meaning it’s crucial to build and maintain strong media relations with journalists and other influential characters. Journalists can convey cutting messages through their writing skills to large audiences, and if they can shine a light on your company that differs from the rosy exterior your brochure illustrates, you may find yourself receiving negative publicity.
The media most definitely has its critics, but it will always be more trustworthy, and much more noticeable, than an advertisement singing your virtues. Furthermore, the content creation skills and crisis management ability of a journalist are far beyond what most companies can handle, which will only enhance your chances of weathering a PR storm.
The following is how to create media relations:
- Identify targets – All halfway successful businesses know their target audiences. Find the media outlets that best cater to this audience, and research the specific journalists that have good followings, and may be compatible with your brand.
- Build relationships – Don’t pitch stories – engage with the journalist via social media posts, share their work, etc. Build a working relationship and treat the journalist more like an external employee than a partner.
- Craft compelling pitches – Tailor your pitch to each journalist and outlet, almost like a reverse job interview. Your company has to be newsworthy, or your story does. There’s no in-between.
The results will pay dividends; potential clients are much more likely to be drawn to you when they see others (established media or other companies) speaking well of you than when it is through your self-promotion alone.
2. Target Your PR Campaign To Specific Audiences
PR’s ultimate goal is to enhance the brand image so that clients are more inclined to take up your services or products. It’s for that reason that you ensure your PR campaigns are efficient, specifically targeting your target audience. The reason for this is simple – it aligns with your business goals.
Generalising your PR campaigns is a mistake. Messaging is one of the most important skills in the business world specifically because appealing to specific interests, concerns, and problem-solving solutions means you have a better chance of resonating and catching a person’s attention. Furthermore, all PR campaigns have allotted resources, and all resources within a business should be used with efficiency to maximise returns.
You will need to employ strategic thinking. Start by asking yourself the following:
- Who are you trying to reach?
- How do they consume media?
- What do they read?
- What are their pain points?
Answering these questions will help to focus your campaign on developing a targeted message that will resonate with your target audiences, whilst also allowing you to implement tracking and measuring processes.
3. Relevancy Is King
Information nowadays is fast-paced with quick turnover times. Viral videos, hashtags, and trending topics all direct interest away from generalised spheres. This is why social media proficiency is required for PR professionals to stay relevant and effectively engage their audiences.
A public relations specialist will spend a good deal of their time following trends that are relevant to the industry they are working for. This allows them to leverage social media by creating relevant, engaging content. A user needs to know right away that what they are seeing is relevant and not old, meaning that not only does the content have to be new, but PR specialists must also ensure they engage on these social media platforms to give an air of presenteeism.
Ensure you:
- Monitor Conversations – Track hashtags, keywords and mentions via social media skills. See what is new within the industry, and capitalise on it by appealing to customer interests or problems.
- Share real-time updates – Sharing news of points of interest will keep it relevant, and allow you to gauge the levels of interest.
- Engage with audiences – Audiences and customers love a responsive organisation, so long as it is to the point and informed. To them, it’s another form of good customer service and convenience.
4. Become A Thought Leader In The Industry
Thought leaders are individuals or groups who are considered the “authorities” in certain fields or industries. They act as a conduit between knowledge and the customer, being able to use their knowledge and unique insights to inform or even entertain, thereby becoming a “friend” to the audience. It’s a critical skill for this reason, as it places the power in the hands of a company and blurs the lines between a person bound by policy and regulations, and a person on the internet.
Thought leaders tend to visit various channels, whether it be speaking engagements, blog posts, social media or research publications. Over time, you can:
- Build credibility – Being consistently right and breaking down complicated subjects into digestible chunks will build your credibility over time.
- Media attention – Journalists and media outlets prefer to speak to thought leaders for interviews, quotes and expert opinions.
- Influence industry trends – Thought leaders have the power to shape narratives in their field, pushing it one way or another.
Doing this requires expertise in the field, meaning you must develop knowledge in your chosen area. It takes a heavy commitment to a subject, as well as extensive communication skills.
5. Make It A Conversation
You don’t want to come across as speaking to your audience; all your communication should serve the purpose of opening up a dialogue between your business and the public. This is called interpersonal communication. Social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc. are not merely soapboxes on which to advertise, but are excellent platforms to interact and converse with your audience.
Here you can gauge their interest and opinion towards your services or ideas and, correspondingly, show them that you’re interested in what they have to say. And when they do respond, you must engage – even someone retweeting something you say on Twitter may be worth following up.
Effectively, what we’re saying is that PR should be a lifelong conversation between a business and the audience as to why your industry is fantastic and that you are the best one to solve their problems.
Conclusion
These are five important PR skills to master to enhance your brand image. Nonetheless, they are far from the only ones. Remember, PR is about more than simply attending press releases and saying pretty words – it involves a lifelong mission toward ensuring your company has the cleanest and most authoritative image possible.
