Why Your Company Needs a Public Relations Officer

There is no single greater value to a brand than having people talk about it. Where advertising sends a fixed message that you pay handsomely for, public relations creates an objective conversation about your company or brand for a fraction of the cost. Advertising lends little to no credibility to your brand, whereas the editorial is independently verified by a trusted third party and is a thousand times more valuable.

1. Compete with your competitors. There has never been a more consumer-driven economy than the one we are in now, and the maze is larger with social media and the many digital outlets available to write about your brand. If you’ve pondered the reasons why you might need to hire a Public Relations officer or talked yourself into reasons why you don’t need a PR officer, here are four good reasons why you definitely do. 

Your competitors are out there. You see them in the news and on social media for a reason; they’re working public relations better than you. 

If you’re not being quoted in the press, you’re losing market share by losing the limelight.

2. Building brand recognition. First, let’s be very clear that building a brand is a marathon and not a sprint, which means that you should start the race as early as possible. The long-term effects of media visibility grow over time, in fact, years, and this creates amplification.

Good public relations work in conjunction with other elements of your overall marketing strategy, which might include social media, events, or charity tie-ins. This is how brands grow, with layers of conversation about their product over many years. When you look at the changes the company makes, let’s say over a three-year period, which is a good time to measure, there will be a trajectory. And if that trajectory trends up, you’ve done something right.

3. Stay relevant. One of the worst things a company can do is hire a PR officer for six months and then let them go because they achieved a singular goal. Staying relevant means that editors and writers are always hearing about your brand, so if you stop talking, then you are no longer relevant.

A good PR strategy will include a multi-tiered process with different ways to create a conversation. This might include creating thought leadership opportunities to give credibility to your executive staff, which means placing bylined articles on subjects your staff is conversant in. This could also mean creating videos or podcasts on peripheral but relevant subjects to garner attention and conversation around your leadership and company.

4. Bridge the language with journalists (Media Relations). Many companies, particularly startups, believe that they can whip up a pitch and send it out or pick up the phone and talk to an editor and that should do the trick. While I will be the first to admit that publicists are not re-inventing, there is a definite language journalists speak. It is one of short verbiage that is to the point and compels them to read further in the email. They’re looking for any reason to hit delete and unless you know how to prevent that, you will have zero traction.

Another important component is language and writing. Be honest with yourself: Are you a good writer? Do you have a great command of the English language? Editors in particular will hit that delete button at the first misuse of a word, a misspelling, or when they get to that awkward or mangled sentence. Finally, good PR is all about sales and publicists are by nature of their profession selling (your story) each day.