What is Public Relations?
Okay here’s the boring bit, sorry! In the UK the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, or CIPR, says this: public relations is about reputation, the result of what you do, what you say, and what others say about you.
Basically, PR looks after reputation with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. Now, the crucial thing, in my mind anyway, is that it is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between the organisation and its publics.
Now, some of the key aspects of PR you might have heard of include media relations – this is managing relationships with journalists and media outlets to ensure favourable coverage and handling any negative press.
There’s crisis management developing strategies to handle and mitigate negative publicity and crises that may arise. Then you’ve got internal Communications. This is communicating with employees to ensure they are informed about the company policies, goals and developments, community relations building, and maintaining relationships with the local community including through things like sponsorship and events and charitable stuff.
Then you’ve got publicity and promotion generating positive media coverage through press releases, events, and promotional campaigns. Don’t forget social media management utilising social media platforms to engage with the public and manage the organisation’s online reputation! Then there’s CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility. This is developing and promoting the organisation’s initiatives related to Social and Environmental responsibility.
Overall, PR plays a crucial role in shaking public perception, managing crises, and maintaining positive relationships with various stakeholders.