6 Public Relations Myths

Just like many things in this world, franchise public relations is subject to many myths. There are lots of myths about public relations but we have chosen six to discuss.

1. Any publicity is good publicity. You have likely heard this one before. This is one of the oldest myths about public relations there is and it is very wrong. Just because your name is out there in the world for people to see does not mean it is a good thing. If your name is out there and it's because you're involved in some scandal, then your reputation will not improve; you will have a negative connotation to your name. Some celebrities believe in this and is why they do crazy publicity stunts like sham marriages or go on binges.
2. PR is only about press releases and press conferences. While these two facets of public relations are big and powerful, they are not all that a franchise PR agency will do. They are not even the right tool for the job sometimes. A press conference is a tool that should be held off for the big jobs and press releases should not be pushed out every single time there's a hint of news. Be creative and use other tools, social media is a good one. 
3. Publicity is easy to get and doesn't cost a thing. Public relations has a lot of competition involved in it; just about every company out there is trying to get noticed by the media in some way. Now, PR is cheaper than advertising because PR is earned and not bought, however, it still costs a company money to hire a franchise PR firm and it is hard work for the firm to get the company noticed. 
4. Only the bad need publicity. Good companies get it naturally. While yes, it does occasionally happen naturally for a company that has a great product or service, every company can benefit from having PR in their efforts. A bad company uses PR to catch up, a good company uses PR to get ahead. 
5. PR is only full of ex-reporters. While many people in PR are indeed former reporters, there are other people in it too. Many PR professionals have only worked in PR; yes, many did get degrees in journalism. There are also people with marketing experience in PR too. 
6. Public relations is full of people who spin words, create slogans, and force propaganda. The world of PR is supposed to be full of ethics; certain franchise PR agencies indeed hold to the ethical codes of PRSA and know where to draw the line. A company that uses sleazy tactics to get publicity is not an agency you want to deal with. 

Have any more myths to add in? Submit them in the comments! We can help you sort those out too. 

Is Public Relations Liked Portrayed on TV?

Public relations is a business that is about promoting your client(s) and protecting their image in a way that is most beneficial to the client, yourself, and the public. As a franchise public relations professional, you have to communicate messages to the public while also establishing mutual relationships with target audiences (internal and external). You will see public relations professionals performing these duties wherever you see public relations.

We see public relations everywhere, one of those places is on television.

However, one frequently asked question of a public relations professional is if the job is like how we see it on television shows like "Sex in the City", "Entourage", and some other shows. To tell you the truth, the answer is: not really. These are surely roles in the franchise PR world that exist but the amount of public relations professionals that perform duties like the ones in those shows are not a large part of PR; they are representing a real small sector of PR. Now don't get me wrong, both of those shows are quality, they are not being insulted.

Most public relations professionals are actually working behind the scenes; they write press releases, social media, speeches, media coverage for their clients such as newspaper/magazine/radio/TV appearances. There are a lot of pitches made to journalists, local and national, to get coverage for the client. The publicity and media relations that we see in shows like "Sex in the City" and "Entourage" are only two relatively small sectors of PR; other sectors include: internal PR, crisis communications, political communications, national PR, social media services, and more.

If you are looking to hire a franchise PR agency, then contact All Points PR. 

5 Ways to Know a Career in PR is Not For You

My franchise PR agency has been around for some time now and we have been able to hire some really talented PR practitioners; however, we have also seen our fair share of people who came through the doors only to realize that they were not cut out for the franchise public relations business. How can you know if you are cut out for PR? Here are 5 ways to tell:

1. You don't take criticism well. In any industry, you have to be able to take criticism, especially constructive criticism. When you are crushed by the fact someone did not like your work, even if they told you nicely, then you do not take criticism well. If you can't take criticism well, then working in franchise PR will not be a pleasant experience for you. Critical feedback is common to see, hear, give, and receive in the PR industry, you have to have somewhat thick skin. 
2. You think it's a 9-5 job. Well, in terms of hours, sometimes it is; what I mean here is that if you go home after work and then do not think about PR, you don't read up on things happening, etc. then maybe you are not passionate about the PR world. You have to passionate about public relations in order to really succeed in it. When you finish a project, there is always something else to do for that client, there is always a "what's next?"Go and comment on another post or send another tweet! Your job is never done. 
3. You don't get excited about news. If you don't read the news throughout the day and get excited about what is happening, especially in your (or a client's) industry, then this goes back to not be passionate. 
4. You are not enthusiastic/energetic. This is not about not having passion, it is actually about not having enthusiasm or energy… about anything. If you find you are always tired and have a slow pulse at all times, then PR is not the place for you. It's not like people who succeed in PR are crazy energetic and never sleep, like they're perpetually perky, but you need to have energy! Don't worry, we get tired too. 
5. You are bad at communication. You can't write well, you can't speak (publicly or sales), etc. You have to have good writing skills and be able to speak in front of people, especially when it comes to making sales pitch. 

If you are interested in a career in PR, then do your research and study up! If you have any questions, contact All Points PR. 

How To Avoid Social Media Disasters and Blunders

Social media is a great, wonderful, blessing tool that we have at our disposal 24/7. Yes, it is definitely a friend to those of use who like to express ourselves; however, it can also be a foe. In no time at all, you have a 140 character tweet or several hundred character Facebook post get people talking about your brand but is it good or bad talk?

Since the dawn of time, er, social media, we have seen several companies become victims to social media snafus and faux pas for some very silly reasons. The person in charge of the social media account either purposefully or accidentally sent an unfortunate post and then had to deal with the repercussions.

Just recently, US Airways had a rather graphic image pop up in their twitter response to a passenger. If you do not remember or know of this incident, maybe that's for the best. It seems like a hard thing to have happen, we wonder how the person could mess up so bad. However, we all make mistakes and they are easier to have happen. As a Chicago PR agency, we have seen plenty of people fall victim to the seemingly impossible social media mishap.

So how can you avoid these ordeals?

• Have complete thought before you post. Think through what you want to post to your corporate social media accounts. It is not uncommon to have a list of things you can post about. One major thing to consider is the concept of posting content regarding current events. You can post about holidays or things going on in the news but make sure your post is tasteful. If there was a recent disaster, like a tornado, you company could post about it saying, "We are saddened by this event. Our thoughts are with those affected." Or something like that but do not try and capitalize on the situation. Example, "The tornado is sad news, those affected can use our washing detergent brand to wash their clothes." or something like that. 
• Make sure to log out of your accounts. This is especially true if you use your corporate accounts and personal accounts on the same device(s). Chrysler had a tweet complaining about the driving in Detroit, from the Chrysler account; this was likely due to the person forgetting to check if they were using the company or personal account from their device. 
• Remember, whatever you post on social media will be seen. Don't think that you deleted the post within a couple minutes so no one saw it, they saw it. 
• Think about when you are posting. For one thing, there are peak times to post to social media; besides that, you should really not post really late at night because at that time, our minds are tired and our decisions are not always the best. 

As a franchise PR agency, we have to emphasize the importance of these tips. Social media is a friend but can be a monster quickly and can be relentless. 

How to Be an Ethical PR Practitioner

Working in franchise public relations can raise some ethical issues; you want to raise awareness for your client and get them business but you also want to do things correctly. You are to protect the integrity and public trust of your client and do so by ethical means. Being successful in franchise PR all depends on your ethics within the practice.

In order to make sure practitioners in the industry abide by good standards, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) created the Ethical Guidance for Public Relations Practitioners list. This list, or code, was made and is still maintained by the PRSA Board of Ethics and Professional Standards; its objective is to create principals and other guidelines that are founded upon core values. PRPs are to be advocates, honest, loyal, professional in their development, and objective.

As a PRP, you cannot prevent the flow of information to any source as long as the information is honest and correct. This is one of the principles of the code of ethics. This is because if there is information to be known about someone or a company, as long as it is not a fabrication or dishonest, then the world has the right to know. What can you do about this if the information is negative? Damage control; however, you cannot take the information and bury it for no one to see. However, you are to protect information that is confidential and private. This can create a sticky situation for some on what to disclose and what to hold in; it is a case by case basis.

Promoting an environment of healthy competition among fellow professionals is a key for the success of being in PR. You can help establish an advantage for a client but it has to be something that the competition can do as well; so this means no insider trading and "behind closed doors" dealings.

Avoiding any conflicts of interest is a biggie when it comes to obeying the code of ethics. It can seem like a great idea to get involved in something that you have a special connection to, however, this can create a bias. You have to remain objective.

Being open about a decision and the process is another principle for PRPs to follow. When you hide this, it can create a sense of distrust and secrecy that does not give the public confidence about those in the industry. As someone working in a franchise PR agency, you have to help the confidence gain trust in the PR industry. Being honest and accurate in all forms of communication is a big way to accomplish this principle.

If you have any questions about the PRSA Code of Ethics, then feel free to contact All Points PR - a Chicago PR agency.