Top 4 most common PR Myths busted

One of the most undervalued and underutilised marketing tactics is public relations (PR). Most people don’t even know what exactly PR is. Professionals working in PR companies in Delhi usually have to face the questions like are you a journalist? Do you take interviews of celebrities or is your company a type of event management?”

Even some of the small business owners and startups are unaware about the working of PR due to some of the very common myths prevailing in the industry. In this article, we will debunk the top four most common PR myths and help you better understand the PR companies in Delhi.

Myth #1: PR equals to press releases

The press release is the must have and an important instrument in the PR toolkit — the method that PR agencies in Delhi continue to use to communicate their stories to media. But one thing to keep in mind is that press release can be an effective tool only when used properly.

The inexperienced PR agencies in Delhi mostly send their untargeted press release to every single media outlet that they can think of reaching, without drafting any real strategy or considering the journalist’s specific areas of interest. This way of working has made the press release a much less effective tool for PR professionals.

Instead of doing this spray and pray method go with a more effective way of using a pitch letter to deliver message/story idea to the media. A pitch letter is an email, which outlines the newsworthy story behind the news.

Myth #2: Effective PR can replace the efforts of a sales team

PR is not at all equals to sales. Instead, this marketing function is used to generate brand awareness and credibility of the company. This in turn helps the sales team in approaching the potential vendors as they are already familiar with your company. With PR professionals dedicatedly working on your campaign all the cold leads will turn into warm leads, resulting in a drastic increase in the sales team’s efficacy over time.

Myth #3: Using PR, my company will become famous overnight

Building a brand and creating awareness in a customer’s mind is not a thing that will happen overnight. With a huge number of PR campaigns happening in the city, PR Consultants in Delhi expect to start seeing media placements at approximately three months into the campaign. As long as the campaign continues, the number of PR placements will increase exponentially. So, instead of creating a ruckus for not getting stories in media outlets instantly, wait and help the PR team in better drafting some impactful stories. It is recommended to consider PR a basic necessity for marketing your business and with outreach done on a regular basis, as long as the company is in existence.

Myth #4: PR is easy, so I’ll just do it myself

This is probably one of the biggest myths about PR industry. Many business owners think that they can handle PR themselves in order to save money; after all, it’s all about writing a press release and getting journalists to your door asking for interviews. PR is not just about press releases... or even about media pitching. PR is all about creating a consistent brand, writing well, communicating effectively, acting strategically, and creating relationships with media.

Why it’s necessary to hire a PR firm?

Most of the potential clients coming into the offices of the Public Relations (PR) companies in Delhi tend to act as their own publicist after making some copious notes from information in the form of articles and blogs available online. With due respect, all these clients need to understand that they can’t represent themselves and even if they do they will fail badly as a publicist. Professionals and experts working in the PR companies in Delhi know exactly what is going to be picked and what not. For a story to make an impact either with traditional PR or with digital PR, it needs to have- a great story, insight about ongoing trends and great taste knowledge about the target audience. Here are the five reasons one can’t do their PR on their own:

Rejection- Clients don’t really know a number of rejections that come before getting a story pitched in a single publication. With one single person doing the job of publicising it, the rejections can lead to huge numbers.  But with some people pitching numerous media persons and publications, the chances of getting media visibility are very high. You might take the rejections personally, but a good PR firm instead of doing so opts to mend and reframe the action-plan to get the best possible media outlet to place the story.

Writing Skills- A successful PR doesn’t just require the skills to publicise the events but also requires a good hand at writing etiquettes. Be it the online media or the traditional one journalist respect the content that is short, concise, to-the-point with well-phrased sentences and relevant pitches. No one in the lifestyle publications will pick the story if it is written in way too formal or serious form.

Social Media Fails- There might be certain theories claiming that simple word of mouth can easily turn a small idea into a phenomenon on social media. But unfortunately, it’s not true at all. Only good PR professionals working in the best PR Cosultants in Delhi can help you in drafting an impactful social media content that would instantly become a rage on these outlets. Each day billions of messages are flushed on these social media outlets and without the help of a good PR firm one won’t be able to judge which platform is best suited for their campaign.

Contacts- Contacts with media persons, bloggers, editors, producers and other influencers in the media industry are worth their weight in gold. Doing a number of interviews, presenting hundreds of statistics and articles will not get media coverage’s because most journalists go with the coverage’s that come from their contacts. That’s why PR firm is hired so that using their contacts you can get the necessary media coverage. 

Getting the most out of PR internships

It’s that time of the year when students whether pass outs or still in their graduation period are running here and there looking for an internship in the best sort PR companies in Delhi. People tell them to get an internship for the experience but what they don’t tell is how to convert these internship opportunities as a chance of grabbing a good paying job in one of the top PR companies in Delhi. Here are a few steps that will help you in making the most out of your PR internships:

• Try to be available as much as you can

Interns with the right amount of enthusiasm and efficiency in their attitude are the ones who will be considered more eligible than the ones with overconfident or with under confident attitude. PR professionals work in a team, and while working at times, you need to volunteer for other tasks too with a smile because all this will get you the attention of the seniors which will eventually lead to seniors delegating more tasks to you giving you an opportunity to demonstrate your creative potential. Completing the tasks in a hurry will lead you nowhere but completing them with efficiency will surely guarantee your presence for the next job.

• Familiarize with the organization and staff properly

All know how tough it is to enter the industry, so better not be overexcited and instead try conversing with the other employees. But before conversing make sure you know the workings and different personalities with their level of works in the company. Most employees in PR consultants in Delhi appreciate feedbacks and suggestions but make sure to do so in a rather polite way. Different personalities have different approaches to follow so if once got rejected don’t insist for your suggestion again and again as it may irritate the seniors. PR involves long hours and high pressure of work, so it’s better to familiarize with the team thus making work more fun.

• Don’t let your focus deter

One of the key requirements for a good employee is that he/she is focused on their work and completes the work as desired by the team. Your focus on work is reflected in the questions you ask and suggestions you give so make sure to do relevant talks only. If your team has allocated you a fairly important task, then this indicates you have surely done something worth appreciating. So make sure you continue with the achievement regime because this is the stage where each step is being crucially monitored.

• Wear the positive look always

At times there are times during your internship when you might not be doing the most glamorous job, and in the beginning, it might be difficult without knowing anyone in the workplace. The key here is to stay positive and be a person who has a smile and not a grin all the time on his/her face. Keep it clear in mind your happy and optimistic approach is what will work wonders when the time comes for your seniors to assess your suitability for the long run.

3 Key trends that will affect the World of Public Relations

With technological advancement and digitisation at its pace, the world of many industries including that of Public Relations (PR) is changing rapidly. With this rapid pace of changes taking place here are the 3 main trends that will have an impact on PR professionals, especially those working in PR companies in Delhi:

 1. Convergence

There are changes happening all around the PR firms in Delhi. While traditional below the line agencies are providing the social media and digital services, creative agencies, on the other hand, have hired digital experts, creative folks and sponsorship strategists. In totality, PR companies in Delhi are indulging deeper into brand strategy as well as in offering new services such as creative, design; video and digital PR. Convergence of a variety of services is also a threat to PR firms. Because the more the company expands its service offerings, especially in technology, more are the chances of clients and potential clients moving in a conflicting space. PR consultants in Delhi need to handle this as the accountancy and legal practices have.

2. Video- the new star element in storytelling

PR professionals are the storytellers. They tell the target audience stories about their clients through selected media. However, as the way of how people consume media and stories have changed so has changed the pattern of storytelling in PR industry. Many recent reports and studies suggest that people watch at least one video every day and by 2020, 75% of mobile traffic will be video driven only. This leads to the fact that live videos are the trending topics racking up billions of views on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. With such a high inclination towards video, it is obvious for the PR firms in Delhi to start using video and other visual tools- such as infographics, images and slideshows in their PR campaign.

3. Reputation is the key concern

Reputation management will gain its prominence as a PR service offered by PR companies in Delhi. The service has already been there, but in such a volatile and negative world, its importance is ever increasing. From media coverage to political changes to cyber-attacks to online reviews, businesses, governments, organisations and individuals will rely on PR professionals to build, protect and enhance their reputations. PR firms need to enhance and improve their skillset to provide deeper and more accurate reputation auditing, management and recovery services, in a coherent and sellable way.

What journalists desire from PR professionals?

Having good media relations is the essential quality looked out in every PR professionals serving to the PR cosultants in Delhi. And, to build the best and the most successful relations among media It’s not a prestigious background but a proper understanding of the balance concept that is required. The concept of balancing the traditional skills of doing PR with digital PR skills will only guarantee great relations with journalists in the overall media kingdom. In terms of PR climate in PR companies in Delhi, things certainly have changed from typewriters to Twitter over the years but despite the changes the experts suggest that the primary methods for interactions with media persons are the ones that still garner success. Here are some points highlighting what exactly the journalists’ desire from PR professionals:

Traditional needs to go hand in hand with digital PR

Just like the fact that a healthy body needs a well-balanced diet with a proper mix of fruits and vegetables, a PR professional working in one of the PR companies in Delhi, striking an exact balance between digital and real life connections is exactly the same. Journalists receive almost a thousand mails in a day with most of them getting ignored and sending same mail again and again will do nothing but will ruin your connection with the journalist as he will completely ignore you by transferring your mail in the spam list. Instead of doing this if you drop down a mail and also make a phone call it will translate into getting a realm of good results as this will generate a personal touch in the minds of media professionals. But you can’t even ignore online platforms and social media at all. The more you are aware of the happenings on the social media portal, the more will you be able to elevate your relations with the media personnel. 

How journalists categorise sources

According to the latest survey by a reputed organization, when looking for sources for a story, journalists usually prefer online sources more than the traditional ones. Journalists prefer online press kits (containing photos, digital portfolio of information and other resources) first rather than going with the emails containing press release. It’s not that PR pitches are a thing of past they are still in trend as they generate creative story ideas in journalist’s mind. To supercharge your PR pitches it’s essential to inculcate them with the sensational, breaking or seasonal news. Another good way of highlighting PR pitches is to make them short and furnish them with a link to the online press kit.

Social media is a mirror of client’s reach and credibility

Social media pages and profiles are of prime importance when interacting with the journalist regarding a client. If you are touting your client as an international expert with 100 Facebook fans and 200 Twitter followers only, then the journalists surely would term your PR pitch as a fraud. So make sure to get your clients enough visibility on their social media pages. No matter how many research a client has done or how many books they have written, it is the number of fans or followers that scream your expertise in any language.