The role of a PR professional is not easy. The PR expert is not here to promote brands and products, rather develop a strong relationship with the audience and clients. A PR expert has a lot of roles from managing crises to increasing the reputation of the brand. However, there can be a lot of challenges that a PR professional can face and end up doing the job in a way that is not feasible for the company or the audience. As a result, it becomes necessary for PR professionals to abide by some rules and understand what they must do and what they must not do. The article will reflect on the Do’s and Don’ts of the PR profession.
DO’s Of PR
The first most important thing that a PR professional must do is devise PR campaigns and strategies as per the company’s message and objectives. The PR expert must first know who are the targeted audience and accordingly draft the PR campaign. Without knowing the goals, objectives, and motives of the company, a PR professional will not be able to carry out the planning successfully. Once you know the mission of your company, you will have a clearer picture of what to do and what not to do.
When you are finally aware of the company’s rules and how the campaign is drafted, you can then reach out to the best journalists for featuring the right story. Knowing the journalists and reaching out to them is essential. However, here you have to remember to reach out to the journalists considering their respective domains. For instance, you cannot contact technology journalists and convince them to write about lifestyle. Therefore, make sure to reach out to the right journalist for the right story.
Once you identify the right journalists and media houses, make sure to do thorough research on them before approaching. Find out what exact topics do they cover and what of stories they like to publish. Always think out of the box because remember there are thousands of PR professionals contacting the.
Therefore, you need to pitch the most compelling story with data and statistics and tailor the message appropriately so that the journalists are convinced enough to take it forward and publish it. The message must be clear and crisp with authentic data so that there is no discrepancy and the journalist feel interested enough to conduct more research on it.
Now, this might sound a little difficult. So, what is important here is to read the news published by the journalists to understand their style, flow, and pattern. You need to check out what kind of stories are they publishing and accordingly tailor pitches. However, one thing that you need to be careful here is to be mindful of whatever you say. Therefore, try to always stay updated with the latest news and be cautious before speaking or writing about the matter. So, whenever you disclose information, make sure you have enough proof to validate the statement.
DON’TS Of PR
Now let’s check out what you shouldn’t do as a PR professional. Naturally, all top PR agency give proper training to their professionals. However, when you start doing the work, you can come across various difficulties and not comprehend what to do and what not to do.
The first thing that you shouldn’t do is approach the media without any proper background research. Always remember that even if your product is of high quality and you are working for a big organization, if you are not aware of what needs to be done, journalists will never write about it.
For instance, if your client has introduced a new product, you need to reach out to the media platforms and talk in detail about the product, its advantages, and user benefits. Only when you have a complete understanding of the product and service, you can give a proper explanation to the journalists and convince them to publish the story.
Make sure not to bother the journalists too much. After you share the first draft of the story, wait for some time to follow up with the. You should always do the first follow up through email and not call and bother them. First, check out whether the journalists are comfortable enough to take up phone calls. Make sure to contact them through their professional channels and not bother them on their contact details. Only once you develop a strong bond with them, approach in a more friendly manner.
You can always reach out to them through various social media platforms but never overdo it. They might get agitated and never contact you back.
You should never take rejection from journalists personally. Remember they receive hundreds of pitches every day and it can be frustrating for them to check them out all. As a result, approach the right journalists for the right story so that by publishing your brand, they also get a platform to show their work and skill.
Wrapping Up
So, these are the do’s and the don’ts that you should remember as a PR professional. If you follow these rules and strategies, you surely get success in your professional life. A little bit of hard work and research is all you need. When you know the background of the journalists and reach out to them with convincing pitch, even they are bound to publish your story because that will also help them to showcase their work.
