Why bother with PR?

Everyone will have heard about public relations (or ‘PR’) and have an idea what it is, but when asked to define exactly what public relations is all about and how it can help businesses, many will struggle. In fact, thanks to the association of PR with bad politics, PR is all too often viewed in a negative light, seen as a technique to ‘spin’ a story in order to mislead the public.

However when done well, PR can prove invaluable to all types of businesses. It helps to effectively manage a company’s reputation and generate positive publicity. It’s not about lying, ‘spinning’ or ‘fake news’, but is about being transparent with stakeholders about what the company stands for, the great things it’s doing and if things go ‘pear shaped’ how it’s making a bad situation better. PR is about communication, building relationships and ensuring your business is given a ‘voice’.

The reputational impact of good PR can make a huge difference. When positive stories about your business are circulated in the media and on social media, for example, prospects want to work with you, customers want to stay with you and employees are proud to work for you. Yes, PR can help with ‘leads’ but PR is more about the ‘bigger picture’, helping you to stand out and be remembered for all the right reasons.