Why #PR is so Misunderstood

How to tell what the correct use of PR is and what can it really do for your business.

PR is often misunderstood by the masses and as a result many people are confused by what PR can do and what it cannot do. 

From my own market research,

• A high percentage of people see PR as a bit of a crapshoot and are not sure that PR will create the results they are looking for. 
• Other people think PR is very passive and is simply about writing a press release about something that has happened.
• Another percentage of people believe there is uncertainty in the area, but at the same token they know they must do it and pay money for it.

These are three of the biggest misunderstanding about PR and the reason they are misunderstood is because the way PR is typically done today is done incorrectly.

Good PR vs. Bad PR

It is important to understand the difference between good PR and bad PR.

Exceptional PR involves a plan or strategy for reaching critical mass and a PR professional who is thinking light years ahead of the events that are currently happening in the present.

First-class PR involves having the foundation built before you place the structure on top. It is more about building confidence by achieving critical mass and establishing your credibility than it is about selling a product or service.

Bad PR is as described above where the perceptions are that is simply about writing one or two press releases and expecting the masses to come pouring in.

Defective PR is also about the lack of a plan and a vision of what the end result should look like. If you choose a PR agency that has this mindset you will be among the high percentage of people that view PR as a gamble that does not produce the results you expect. This is also how PR gets commonly misunderstood by the masses.

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Karla Jo Helms, Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR Strategist,www.jotopr.com