Public relations is formally known as the strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and the public. In my own words, it’s the crucial job of creating strong bonds between a company and its potential connections in an effort to build and maintain the most attractive face for an organization or brand. Though the overall intention of public relations has remained over the years, the methods of getting there have changed notably. In the past, public relations relied on third-party endorsements to help share information about their product, client, or organization. This process was effective but because information was relayed through a third-party, not the organization itself, there was risk involved. The organization had less control over their exact message to the public.
Today, the approaches to public relations differ greatly. The P.E.S.O. Model outlines the main modes of public relations tactics. P stands for paid media. This involves paying another company to endorse the product or client that a public relations specialist is working for. This usually involves taking out an ad or paying for a sponsored social media post and it relies heavily on the level of impressions and frequency it receives. An added bonus to this method is that it provides analytics on the traffic surrounding their ad or post. This helps them know how to move forward. E is for earned media and this refers to the most traditional way of public relations. Earned media functions like all of public relations did in the past by relying on a third-party endorsement. In this case, another source shares the story for the public relations company. S stands for shared media which refers to media shared through social media, word-of-mouth, or referrals. An example of this would be a retweet on Twitter, a shared article on Facebook, an in person recommendation or even a Yelp review. Shared media can be effective when it reaches the correct crowd and spreads in an efficient and transparent way. Finally, O is for owned media. Owned media refers to the communication channels that a company owns and operates, like a website. This is beneficial to the company because they completely control the narrative. However, this can be seen as less reputable to the audience because the company may have a bias. The fact of the matter here is that if a company builds credibility with the audience, owned media benefits both parties.
It is true that public relations has withstood the test of time and I believe this will continue for years to come. However, public relations will have to continue to develop overtime to fit the preferences of the people. Public relations writing is one thing, but it is becoming increasingly important to make the writing relevant and attention worthy to the public. The structure of public relations needs to become consumer focused. Content should be condensed with a greater amount of visuals because this is what the modern attention span has time for. Public relations should use the power of analytics to its advantage but remember to keep an honest and educational motive behind their work.
Overall, I think I had a solid general idea of the workings of public relations but learning these qualities has been an invigorating experience. I look forward to embarking on the journey of public relations as it is my goal to work within this field. My intent is to work on the shift of the public relations sphere from advocate to educator. I aspire to write content, host events, conduct interviews, and so much more. I want to fully engage my audiences and bring them the most extensive and pure content possible. In the end, my goal is to have an impact that is effective in creating relationships to spread brands, clients, or organizations while still being dignified and based in authenticity.
Ruthie's Writings. 