What is PR and Why It Matters

What is PR? This question is probably the most burning question of this often misunderstood area of communication.

Some may describe it as the art and science used by organisations to shape their image, messaging and mission while meaningfully engaging with stakeholder groups. While some would focus more on the tactics saying that PR is the combined efforts of various communication strategies including press releases, media relations and various other communiques to amplify the presence of a company or brand by building and gaining trust through earned publicity and public recognition. And while that may be correct in some aspects — one thing that’s certain is that PR is most certainly not only writing bylines, press releases, media analysis, media training, story telling or crisis communications it’s all of that and so, so much more.

And yes while fees are charged for PR — PR is not paid for media placement.

At Cassiopeia, we believe that PR remains one of the most intricate elements of communication strategies Often criticized for its use and the debate over how to measure its effectiveness, PR is arguably the aspect of communication that offers the greatest return on investment for brands, organisations, and individuals. When executed effectively, both positive and negative PR can significantly influence the trajectory of any entity irrespective of whether its financial, consumer, Web 3, emerging technology and even medical PR .

Simply put PR is the art and science of how to shape the perception of an organisation to external stakeholders using a variety of tactics and strategies to uniquely position and maintain the overall positive image of the respective organisation paying for PR services.

Cassiopeia CEO Stefania moderating a panel at Paris Blockchain Week 2024

What tactics are used in PR?

These wizards wear many hats, and most times use a combination of skills to achieve results. Most importantly a PR expert is always aware of what’s happening in the news and how they are able to add value to their clients by making the most of current affairs.

And while being in the news is great, the achievement of placement in trade publications and commentary should not be overlooked. Often it’s all the small wins along the way that eventually lead up to the big bang WOW, Tier 1 media wins.

To build a stunning house you need first to create solid fundamentals, work on the messaging. Shape narratives that relate to the current state of the industry and find that unique positioning for the client in the mainstream discourse.

Below are some of the tools that PR professionals may use; however, ask anyone in the industry and they will tell you that this particular call of duty extends far beyond any list or when you get home.

• Content creation using the written word this includes but is not limited to press releases, bylines, commentary, web copy for internal and external sites and speech writing to name a few
• Communication strategy proactive and reactive
• Media analysis
• Competitor analysis
• Media pitches including for speaking opportunities at events
• Value adding to client through expanding networks and strategic partnerships
• Public affairs / Social Media communication strategy
• Influencer connections
• Creation and curation of events aligned to business goals and messaging

And while this list may showcase some of the daily efforts used — the very nature of PR is that this can change and the successful are often distinguished by how well they are able to adapt and more often than not how rapidly they can do so.

Is PR the same as marketing? NO

There are elements of PR that intersect with marketing and business development even though those areas are separate but interconnected. A good PR expert is able to navigate all and give advice and make recommendations to both CMOs and BD teams.

PR teams work directly with the executive teams to shape the company messaging and help marketing, business development and sales teams to be more efficient and better perform.

Remember success is always teamwork.

Building trust with the media — But we WANT to be on the FRONT Cover of XXX — Can you do it?

Perhaps the biggest enemy of the industry are some of our fellow practitioners. While every effort is made to place content sometimes it’s just simply not the right time, one example we’re aware of is a story that was pitched, the journalist loved it and it was going to be published; however media sentiment changed and the content wasn’t used then… but a year later it was published! Now this may not be the norm but it can happen and it’s a reminder that there’s no such thing as wasted effort in every pitch and piece of content that was shared.

YES, we understand the feeling of making the headlines — but from the onset if any agency or practitioner promises coverage — run! Guaranteed placement has a name: it’s called a sponsored article of paid for PR housed in a PAID FOR PR section of the respective publication.

(Recently placed op-ed for our client Q.org

featured in Coindesk and syndicated on Yahoo Finance and Coin Live)

Evolution

All things change and that includes PR. The measures that were once used to evaluate efficacy aren’t valid anymore, and it’s a constant evolution of what makes a metric valid that is often left questioned by clients — who may not fully understand what PR is and that results are the culmination of multiple efforts that doesn’t happen overnight. This is particularly true for certain industries i.e. Web 3 where clients often want MASSIVE results for 3 months and then agencies hop from one agency to another leaving a trail of disappointment and with a bad taste of none-delivery as they haven’t understood that results take time and PR is genuinely a long game.

Add to the mix that now many media are using paywall, PR has to find new ways to add value to clients and be more strategic about placements. There has been a definite shift to engage directly with communities where multiple messages are created and discourse happens; Today PR is closer to influencer communities than ever before and these relationships are not exclusively for the agency but need to be extended to clients too.

The media landscape is constantly changing; gone are the days of the ‘black-book’ Journos change all the time/no media black book.

AI tools are promising to make PR work easier, and although there are tools PR teams can use, nothing can for now replace the overall PR process which requires a lot of thinking outside the box. And this can’t be done by a machine/AI agent.

PR is a mutually effective relationship built on a strong foundation of trust between a client and the agency — we need to collaborate as part of your business and not just another service provider. We will always have your best interest at heart and will always be honest about how to navigate the communication landscape regardless of the circumstances.

Be sure to follow us for our series about the Ins and Outs of PR, and if you have any questions please reach out to us — we’d love to hear your thoughts and guide you on the path to better understanding an often misunderstood communication discipline of PR.