Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

What is Public Relations

What is Public Relations

Public relations is one of the most misunderstood and poorly utilized resource in industry, especially technology start-ups. It is seen as a tactical function of marketing and, sometimes, a subset of advertising. It is often employed to late in a marketing program to be effective, generally blamed for the failure and rarely given credit for the success of those programs. This misuse and misunderstanding makes PR more a necessary evil than a valued part of the corporate effort. You're not sure what it does. You know are going to hate paying for it. But you know you have to do it, so lets do it as cheaply as possible and get it over with.
As a result, few PR programs succeed…especially start-ups. Most PR firms understand this situation and, for the most part, many have given up trying to convince entrepreneurs of how to do it right. They just try to do the best work possible, collect the money and move on to the next client
Personally, I'm one that isn't ready to give up. I've got some pretty cool clients who get it, so I know it's possible. So I'm going to give you what I've learned in 35 years of being a professional communicator.
PR is not a tactic of marketing. It's not a subset of advertising. It is the precursor for both.
The market is a conversation. You have something you think is valuable. So you talk to people who might buy what you have. You listen to what they want. You talk to their competitors and industry analysts and journalists and find out what they are saying. You read. And then you look again at what you think is so valuable and you put it into a context that your customers will accept as value.
That's what PR is. Edward Bernays, known as the father of public relations, put it very simply. Public Relations is engineering opinion in the marketplace of ideas.
From all the information gathered in the process of your market conversation, you develop a marketing strategy. You build messages that are not filled with platitude and buzzwords because you know exactly what the market needs to hear and can put it in a way they accept. At this point, PR steps in along side of marketing and provides a continual flow of information between you and the market. Once the message is established, advertising comes in and walks in step with the PR program.
The problem is you are not going to get this kind of service from a college grad or someone who looks at PR as an entry point for promotion to a marketing VP position. You need someone who is dedicated to the conversation; who understands that communications is a difficult, sometimes tedious, but never-ending process of discovery and change.
Whether you hire a PR firm to provide this service, or you hire a professional to work in house, you need to have confidence that this is a resource can sit down with the CEO, CTO, marketing and sales staff and provide strategic input and counsel throughout the course of your market conversation.





What is Public Relations - To learn more about this author, visit Lou Covey's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback

To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Lou Covey
(Visit Lou's Website) Lou Covey has been a professional communicator for more than 30 years as a journalist, technical writer and corporate communications consultant. Beginning his career in 1971 as a journalist, Lou has written for the Palo Alto Times, San Jose Mercury-News, Lodi News-Sentinel, Sacramento Bee and New York Times. His experience included covering the Ford/Carter presidential campaign in 1976 with the national press corps. He has also written for ECN and MacWorld. Since 1990, Lou has represented leading electronics firms, embedded software and hardware suppliers, CAD software companies At VitalCom, Lou is responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency, directs the expansion of business worldwide, and provides strategic counsel to all clients.

Lou Covey is a Bronze author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Lou Covey's

Complete
List Of
Public-Relations
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Lou Covey's Complete List of Public-Relations Articles For FREE!

More Lou Covey
What is Public Relations
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
George Ludwig  
Anne Barr  
Kim Castle  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Radio Campaigns Icon Radio Campaigns
Social Bookmarking Guide Icon Social Bookmarking Guide
The Entrepreneurial Sweet Spot Icon The Entrepreneurial Sweet Spot
Instant Flyers Icon Instant Flyers
Internet Marketing Secrets Icon Internet Marketing Secrets
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
Top 50 Geek Business Blogs
 
Top 50 Debt Blogs
Top 50 Debt Blogs
Learn To Get Out Of Debt
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Joyce Edobor Benin City, Nigeria,
Joyce Edobor
Benin City, Nigeria
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Chris Nguyen, 30+ national clients on $0
Chris Nguyen
30+ national clients on $0
Adam and Matthew Toren , $200k to $3.4 Mil in 3 Years
Adam and Matthew Toren
$200k to $3.4 Mil in 3 Years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Duncan Hines, Duncan Hines
Duncan Hines
Duncan Hines
Dana White, UFC
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing
John Jantsch
Duct Tape Marketing
Michael Gerber, The E Myth
Michael Gerber
The E Myth
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     10 Golden rules to survive the Global Crisis
By Roland Hanekroot
     The world’s greatest Business Tool revealed
By Roland Hanekroot
     A Business without a Business Plan achieves everyting in it
By Roland Hanekroot

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More popular articles
- Crm Software Ratings
More Information