What is public relations

Its primary goals are to disseminate important company news or events, maintain a brand image , and put a positive spin on negative events to minimize their fallout. PR may occur in the form of a company press release , news conference , interviews with journalists, social media posting, or other venues. Every individual or entity operating in the public eye faces the spread of information about them or their practices to the public. While public relations is an industry unto itself, any attempt to portray oneself in a certain way to others can be considered a form of public relations.

Although not inherent in the definition, PR is often thought of as "spin," with the goal being to present the person, company, or brand in the best light possible. PR differs from advertising in that PR attempts to represent a person or brand's image in ways that will appear organic, such as generating good press from independent sources and recommending business decisions that will incur public support.

Loosely defined until the mid-twentieth century, PR is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. PR is essential to any company's success, especially when shares in the company are publicly traded and the value of a share depends on the public's confidence in a company or brand. In addition to handling media requests, information queries, and shareholder concerns, PR personnel are frequently responsible for crafting and maintaining the corporation's image.

Occasionally, PR professionals engage in negative PR or willful attempts to discredit a rival brand or company, although such practices are not in keeping with the industry's code of ethics.

Many public companies have a separate investor relations IR department for dealing with communications to shareholders and analysts. PR also involves managing a company's reputation in the eyes of its customers. In a PR crisis, restaurant chain Chick-fil-A was forced to issue emergency statements with respect to its stance on same-sex marriage after a Chick-fil-A executive publicly came out against marriage equality.

The statement stressed the company's "biblically-based principles" and its belief in treating "every person with honor, dignity, and respect. Most major companies have a PR department or utilize the services of an outside firm. A company often has multiple publics to impress. Internally, a company will want to present itself as competently operated to its investors and biggest shareholders, which can involve arranging product demonstrations or other events directed towards shareholders. Externally, a company that sells a good or service directly to consumers will want to present a public image that will encourage genuine, lasting brand support, which extends beyond the somewhat knowingly specious goals of advertising.

The company also generates PR to attract investors. In this respect, good PR is especially important for startups or rapidly expanding companies. Accessed Aug. State of California Department of Justice. Small Business. Marketing Essentials. Used properly, PR can give a company the ability to overcome almost any obstacle it may face.

This is some of what makes PR so essential. Whatever the industry, trust plays a monumental role when it comes to determining the success of a business. Without trust, a business leaves potential sales on the table. To bridge that trust-gap between a business and its would-be clients or customers, the business can hire someone in public relations. The expert works on increasing their credibility within their given industry and increasing their overall reputation.

This is often done through thought leadership pieces, influencer connections and networking strategies. A company that enhances its reputation through a range of unique PR practices makes it likely that new potential customers will find their way right to its door.

Customers and clients will have more options to connect with the company through its business stories and press releases. PR agencies make that possible by helping organizations to craft the right messages to resonate with their target customers in impactful ways. In the end, that means bigger profits.

This builds up a strong relationship of the brand with the public. Advertising , on the other hand, is a paid communication message intended to inform people about something or to influence them to buy or try something. Marketing is the umbrella under which all the divisions dealing with creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging dwells. That is, PR is the subset of marketing.

Everything a PR department does is determined by the marketing goals set by the organisation. Did we miss something? Come on! Tell us what you think about our article on public relations in the comments section. A startup consultant, dreamer, traveller, and philomath. Aashish has worked with over 50 startups and successfully helped them ideate, raise money, and succeed. When not working, he can be found hiking, camping, and stargazing. Contents show.

Advertising is the action of calling public attention to an idea, good, or service through paid announcements by an identified sponsor. Marketing refers to activities a company undertakes to create, communicate promote, deliver, and exchange the offerings that have value for the customers.

To communicate to the target audience about a certain offering, action, work, or other brand-related information. Aashish Pahwa.