PR 2010

This is a long post. It’s the result of a week’s worth of thinking about PR, triggered by conversations at Like Minds and by some consulting work I’ve been doing. Consider this my attempt to synthesise it all into a framework.

What Is PR For?

At its best, PR is about creating the conditions for a relationship to form between an organisation and its publics. It’s not about spin. It’s not about coverage. It’s about trust.

But the tools of PR – the press release, the media list, the pitch – were designed for a world in which information was scarce and media was centralised. That world is gone.

The New Reality

In a world of social media and networked publics, every customer is a potential publisher. Every employee is a potential spokesperson. Every interaction is a potential story.

This changes everything.

The organisations that are winning in this environment are not the ones with the best PR agencies. They’re the ones with the most engaged communities. The ones whose people genuinely believe in what they’re doing. The ones who have earned trust, not purchased attention.

PR 2010

Here’s what I think PR looks like going forward:

1. Listen first. Know what your publics are saying before you decide what to say.
2. Participate, don’t broadcast. Be in the conversation, not above it.
3. Build relationships, not campaigns. Campaigns end. Relationships compound.
4. Be human. Say things a human would say. Do things a human would do.
5. Measure trust, not coverage. Coverage is a proxy. Trust is the thing.