I never intended to enter the public relations profession, because I wondered how many PR programs had much of an impact on the client’s success. Eventually I realized it didn’t have to be that way and jumped right in, first as a shareholder with an agency and then in 1999 as owner of my own agency.
Maybe it’s because I spent a few years on the client side, but I still think we as PR practitioners can be our own worst enemies. The profession often gets a bad rap, which spills onto each of us. But let’s face it – some of the criticism is deserved. Here are some of my prescriptions for a better profession.
- Don’t sell your name just for a big client. It’s OK to be selective in the choice of clients and referral partners. One of the things I cherish about running an independent agency is that we can work with any clients we choose to – or conversely, choose not to work with. When I started the agency, I received a call from a group of attorneys who wanted us to work with them on a series of projects I found distasteful. When I turned them down (and this was as a brand new agency that needed all the clients it could get), they laughed at me and told me how much money I was refusing. My feeling then and now is that clients don’t have a right to PR representation and there are probably some that don’t deserve ANY representation (or at least not from us).
- Be credible with media. Sure, this seems obvious, but you know that reporters don’t always hold us in the highest regard. One of my account people – formerly a reporter – told me they had a “wall of shame” at her old newspaper where they posted the most ridiculous news releases and pitches. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who gets up on that wall deserves it, but unfortunately makes all the rest of us look bad as well. And why in the name of heaven would anyone have a staff person call a reporter to see if they received a release? In most cases the release didn’t say much anyway. Whatever happened to strategic pitching?
- PLEASE, no “spin.” This is one of the ultimate four-letter words as far as I’m concerned. Our job is to provide information and access that will support our client’s growth and build their brands, not to turn them into something they aren’t.
- Make the client’s dollars count. I’m embarrassed when I hear about agencies that chew up their clients’ budgets with nonproductive projects or develop campaigns without even consulting their clients.
I can (and probably do) make enough mistakes on my own, and don’t need to have reporters refer to me as one of “you PR people.” But on the other hand, if we’re all doing our jobs right, maybe some day that will be a compliment!
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