Why do you think a well-known global PR firm recently appointed an ex BBC journalist as Chief Content Officer?

[This is a guest post from experienced corporate communicator, Craig Badings.*]

We all know content’s not new. It’s what we’ve been doing for years.  In fact when PR first started in the US, companies employed journalists to write content that looked and sounded the way the company wanted.  So why would I flag something that has been around the PR world forever as one of the biggest changes facing our industry?

Because the rules of the content game have changed dramatically.  First, traditional content development and production required a significant process, budget and distribution, but nowadays you can do it from your mobile phone and include sound, image and video if needed.

Second, the gap between the customer and the company has closed.  Not only is the time of content to market almost immediate but clients and customers can interact with the company in real time with real people – except of course for those wretched voice response calls when you call your telecom provider!

Three words come to mind:  strategic, authentic, storytelling.

Companies can no longer interact with their audiences the way they have in the past.  The days of controlling and owning brand messages are gone.

Today, brands need to engage and interact with their audiences in different ways.

We no longer live in the world of top-down story telling.  Instead we have entered a world where entertaining, authentic and engaging story-telling is what our customers want.

Our content should connect with an audience so they feel inclined to interact, share, comment and most importantly own and believe it.

The PR person of today and tomorrow needs to be a great story teller.  No more corporate speak, no more messaging cow clods, no more, “We’ll tell you what you need to know and don’t ask us questions.”

The way customers search for information these days means we need to deliver a fantastic content experience.  Instead of pitching products and services, our role is to deliver customers knowledge in an entertaining, timely, informative and non-promotional way that helps them make decisions and that enables them to share the content with their consumer friends or B2B colleagues.

First we need to know the customer

But to get this right and in order to deliver great content that hits the right spot we better be sure we clearly define the audience.  We should understand their needs and their issues as well as know where and how they consume content.

Only then can we truly develop a content asset and distribution strategy to reach, educate and inspire them.

Content strategy is long-term

The key is to engage the customer for the long-term.  To do this, as PR practitioners, we will need to measure the impact of our content across various stages of the buying cycle.  Finding and understanding your audience in the first place takes time, effort and resources so why do it if you aren’t in the content game for the long haul.

Our clients must become publishers

Most companies, whether they are consumer or B2B oriented, will need to become publishers.  If not they are missing not only a huge opportunity to engage with their customers but they will lose ground to their competitors.

When someone like Seth Godin says that content marketing is “all the marketing that is left” as PR practitioners we should sit up and take note.

Craig Badings is a director of Sydney-based Cannings Corporate Communications and has his own blog on thought leadership and is the author of the thought leadership guide the experts refer to, Brand Stand: seven steps to thought leadership. He can be networked with via LinkedIn or Twitter.

[This is a guest post by public relations and communication management specialist, Judy Gombita.***]

Helping to flow stakeholders to relevant and useful pools of information about our companies or clients is definitely a worthwhile investment of resources. When monitoring what stakeholders self-select – particularly when they land on and dive into organizational reservoirs of core offerings or knowledge and expertise – opportunities exist to refine and shape the direction and current of corporate story telling (from both a mediated and disintermediated standpoint).

The sustenance and water analogies aren’t a prescriptive diet to abandon traditional PR practices; rather, think of it as adding new dimensions and value as an internal journalist and SEO pro. It’s a natural progression, as the 21^st century PR regime really needs to be looking to the internet as a legitimate outlet for ‘earned media,’ particularly via our own ‘media’ sites. (See my interview with Ira Basen about Engineering Search: The story of the algorithm that changed the world.)

By examining subject choices and phraseology, the focus of PR pros can move from a ‘how’ to attract attention, to a ‘why’ (and about ‘what’) search perspective. And, in assuming the role of internal chronicler, the organizational narrative can then be framed and shaped accordingly.

Support from research

From a strategic PR and marketing perspective, lending credibility to these supplementary-role suggestions are two recent studies:

• Pew Internet ‘Generations Online’ research, succinctly summarized by MarketingProfs
• (In particular) the annual Edelman Trust Barometer (Executive Findings 2011 PDF page numbers referenced below).

Top-line takeaways

What do both studies tell us? No matter what their age, increasingly people[ii] are using the internet to search for information, verified and/or analyzed by subject experts (both externally and internally) and, to a less significant extent (in terms of generations and numbers), to connect directly with organizations.

They are searching for organizational collateral beyond products and services offered. People want to determine if a business is a ‘good’ and humanized one, which can be trusted in the way it treats a variety of stakeholders (e.g. its employees – Trust Barometer, page 26).

Although companies continue to funnel resources into social media, results of the 2011 Trust Barometer suggests the self-collecting of desired information (much of it by way of search engines) remains more prevalent than the ‘two-way symmetrical communications’ (beloved by many in PR) afforded through new media channels (corporate blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc).

And yet, I see some tremendous opportunities to build on early social media efforts (partly by using search), based on the data provided.

Edelman Trust Barometer 2011 news release (January 25, 2010)

“Trust in business may have stabilized globally, but it is different and conditional, premised on what a company does and how it communicates…. Search engines rank No. 1 as the place people go first for information about a company, followed by online news sources and print/broadcast media. Traditional news, in one form or another, rank as the most trusted sources in major markets… (business magazines, radio, television, and newspapers, respectively).” Richard Edelman

Working with the Trust Barometer data

From an organizational PR perspective, following are 2011 data extracts that I see as significant in terms of areas for consideration and future focus.

PR-perspective mashup: internal experts

1. From a strategic corporate perspective, what’s particularly significant in the 2011 findings is that the highest ranked (and new) trusted internal source is ‘Technical expert within the company.’ This information is important, as likely internal experts (e.g. engineering, HR or financial staff) were hitherto under-used in ongoing organizational narratives.

Suggestion: don the internal journalist’s workout gear and start sourcing internal experts and information that might be of interest to stakeholders. (Use existing ‘search’ information gleaned from corporate websites and/or social media channels to influence the nature of the experts and information used.)

2. Given how often PR practitioners make use of the head honcho as the organization’s public face, it’s encouraging to see that the CEO position has increased in perceived trust (by 19 per cent, globally) over two years, regarding credibility.

Perhaps now is the time to push for implementation of (and real commitment to) a corporate blog and/or Twitter account, with at least some of the postings (or tweets) coming from the CEO. The organization’s various ‘technical experts’ could contribute posts, too….

Corporate blogs allow for both disintermediation (i.e. a nimble platform of wholly owned real estate – versus some third-party social media sites, such as Facebook, where your organization is really a sharecropper[iii]) and the humanizing of the organization (from the top down).

It’s prudent to implement disintermediated social media platforms prior to an unforeseen crisis or even before monitoring efforts unearth information searches from stakeholders that use negative terminology. Both potential circumstances should move the ‘do-we-need-a-blog?’ debate onto the critical-priority list, with lightening speed.

3. Although trust in the ‘Regular employee’ rose two per cent, overall the rank-and-file descended to the bottom of the ‘trust’ (or ‘interest’) heap. This undercuts declarations by social media gurus who believe the focus of organizational digital channels should be on ‘regular’ employees.

Rather than rejecting participation in corporate social media channels entirely, involve employees in figuring out what information and stories might be of the greatest interest and through which channels, particularly in regards to age preferences (as per the Pew Internet ‘Generations Online’ research).

Being platform-SEO savvy

As discussed, increasingly the success of organizations being heard or seen in the important online sphere, is dependent upon SEO earned media, whether it be through online news sources (i.e. mediated ‘pick-up’ of your organization’s stories or spokespeople, products or events) or via your corporate real estate (i.e. disintermediated corporate information and narratives).

Note that external journalists use search engines to find the same corporate stories perceived to be of interest (‘Why should this matter to me?’ and ‘How does this impact on our readers/viewers/listeners and what would they find of use and interest?’). Don that same (internal) journalist perspective during the ‘research’ and ‘subject-expert sourcing’ stages, in addition to the actual writing (for website, blog or Twitter) or telling (podcast or video) phases.

Original and valued information, whether on your corporate website (‘11 per cent trusted’), blog or other social media channels, can serve as resources to a traditional journalist researching a story. Third-party endorsement of corporate information (‘earned media’) and online (news) links only adds to your SEO clout.

Case studies of digital communication

Check out PR Conversations interviews with:

• Tom Murphy, of Microsoft, who focuses on the company’s CSR narrative
• Mike Spear*, of Genome Alberta – learn about the GenOmics site, a highly customized Facebook page that serves as a 24-hour science newsroom, collecting stories from around the world and laying them out like a digital magazine
• Andrew Arnold*, of LEGO, who makes use of social media, both for education purposes and to discover ‘brand champion’ communities around the world
• Avril Benoît*, of MSF Canada, who branches out the international NGO’s work onto a variety of platforms, whilst fiercely protecting a correct and sensitive portrayal of both its medical volunteers and the countries and victims served
• James Topham, of War Child Canada, who partners with musicians and pushes the boundaries of social media ‘games’ and depictions in the NGO’s fight for attention.

Is it a coincidence that three* out of five of these remarkably nutritious, fat-free ‘storytelling’ PR practitioners are former journalists? All five appear to have ‘worked up’ a pretty good handle on SEO, too.

***With more than 20 years of experience, primarily in the financial and lifelong learning non-profit sectors (employment, board member or committee), Toronto-based Judy Gombita is an accomplished, internationally well-networked and creative public relations and communication management specialist. In-depth experience includes initiating, planning, budgeting and maintaining integrated communication programs. Her skill set includes resource development, relationship building and reputation management. She values collaborative working environments, where strategy and ingenuity are valued. Judy can be networked with through the PR Conversations blog she co-edits, her LinkedIn profile or on Twitter @jgombita.

[This post is included, with many other posts, in a free strategic PR report that can be downloaded from this blog by email subscribing to it. The report - Public relations 2011: insights ideas issues - features professional practice-adding value from 10 global PR leaders (and me).]

Thank you to quality graphic design consultant, Pennington & Co, for its assistance with graphic elements of this post – CP.

[ii] Edelman Trust Barometer: 5,075 informed publics in two age groups (25-34 and 35-64) in 23 countries.

[iii]‘Sharecropper’ analogy courtesy of Valeria Maltoni, a prolific and articulate blogger who champions the necessity for ‘business transformation.’

We’re lucky these days. The internet is a university. And some of the best lecturers (practicing professionals, academics and their hybrid sisters) in the world have blogs, which is where I’ve learnt a hell of a lot about not just social media, but a range of public relations, marketing and business issues. It is incredible just how much you can learn from great blogs and, underpinning that, how generous people are to provide their insights and advice.

One of these blogs’ best characteristics is that they cut to the chase. They’re pithy. You get some theory but so do you get the cold, hard, slap-in-the-face and here-and-now of what matters and what you need to do about it.

Content is king ipso facto content marketing is NOW

Content management and its nimble sibling, content curation, are the new marketing central. In this online-centred world with its reliance on search, its appetite for quality content and its proclivity to send it viral, quality content and its intelligent leveraging is almost unspeakably important for marketing and public relations.

And, partly because of the sheer NOISE of all this online activity, this means that thought leadership, value and insightfulness – and let’s not forget HUMOUR – are more valued than ever before.

One set of content management stats = this:

• 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement
• 70% say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company
• 60% say that company content helps them make better product.

So that’s two posts I’ve flagged with only one promised. But the real point I want to make is encapsulated in the issue of where does content marketing belong in the social business? Now, this is an entirely valid question but, more importantly in my view:

What business cannot afford to be social, when so much of the conversation about it will be online?

The question of where does content marketing belong, however, is articulately explored in the conversionation post linked to above. One upshot is that if you have no single person or business unit coordinating content generation and utilisation, you do so at your peril:

• Content may not appear
• It may be shoddy and reek of a lack of professionalism and care
• Different elements may contradict each other, either in a specific tactical sense or an organisational branding sense.

In any of these cases: disaster.

Being a winner at getting targeted traffic for your blog or website

A post was published recently on Problogger by marketer Eric Enge that I consider one of the most important marketing/PR posts ever written. That sounds like hyperbole, but I’m sincere.

The reason it is the most important is that it provides an easy to understand explanation of long tail keywords and how to leverage them on blogs, websites etc. it is important because:

• as we now know, the internet is the number one source of information, after word-of-mouth (in fact, it’s often another version of word-of-mouth, but let’s not go there just now…), for many, many people
• searches/Googles for the most searched for keyword terms are extremely competitive, so being strategic about how we articulate content on our sites (i.e. the application of keywords) is absolutely stone-cold imperative
• the use of long tail keywords means that we will be able to funnel the most targeted, relevant search queries to our online real estate (and please remember, identifying target audiences as opposed to those who are generally irrelevant is crucial for effective marcomms).

Eric talks about Google Adwords keyword tool as the baby to use, but Google’s Wonder Wheel is another fun and very useful tool to consider utilising as well – both free!

And if you’re a B2B marketer or PR professional, don’t think long tail is not for you. In fact, I think the incredible specificity of much of B2B marketing makes long tail even more valuable.

PR and marketing needs to identify, cultivate and harness the power of 3rd party advocates

3^rd party credibility is a fundamental strategic approach that excellent PR and marketing uses. It works well with thought leadership, in fact. This is because not all thought leadership needs to come specifically from the organisation that wants to leverage off the goodwill and brand impetus 3^rd party credibility delivers.

Using a non-organisational employee to deliver thought leadership that the organisation benefits from is a subtle form of brand advocacy. But there are other reasons why your company should use brand advocates:

• They create lots of content
• They are influencers
• They talk a lot!
• They use social media a lot
• They care about their own reputation and like to share and influence
• They are loyal to brands they love/like/respect/ have a personal ‘thing’ with…

3^rd party credibility, thought leadership and brand advocacy are not the sole property of online communication, either. They are relevant to the entire big, wide world of marketing and PR.

Are your assumptions about media relations in PR on the money?

In a recently syndicated post, public relations and communication pro Greg Matusky explored five media myths that he believes apply to many public relations and marketing professionals.

• Sometimes it’s actually okay to say ‘no comment’. The main message here being don’t interact with the media solely on their terms. Organisational imperatives are important, too
• The media can play dirty. They cannot always be trusted. Don’t take them on their word unless you have good reason to
• If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Query a journalist on their rationale for the story. It might actually help to provide them with information that suits the needs of both the journo and your organisation
• You can negotiate with the media. If you don’t try, then you’re leaving options and opportunities unexplored
• Media can sometimes surprise you by taking a perspective or running a story that logic doesn’t always tell you they will. It goes back to the section on content noted above. Have you got the content and rationale to convince?

For mine, another myth you can also add is that a PR media relations pro needs to have a network of journalists to get good media placement. Rubbish. The main element a PR pro needs for this is decent content, insights, thought leadership, POD in perspectives.

It is simply not necessary to have a journalist relationship that requires them to be a Facebook friend, to be going to each others’ kids bar mitzvahs or to have season tickets to the same sporting teams. Relationships, of course, help. But how do you think the PR pro-journalist thing became a useful relationship in the first place?

Because the journalist was consistently provided with quality content, customised to their needs with probably a little bit of ‘exclusivity’ icing on top.

Why we don’t need to measure PR

Measuring the impact of business activity, and oh yes that includes PR and marketing, is somewhat of a no-brainer for any pro that is serious about their work having an impact. How else can you tell whether your work is achieving meaningful, business-relevant outcomes?

Determining what those objectives should be is one thing, but taking an arch-eyebrowed contrary view, Sean Williams argues that sometimes, well, you don’t need to measure PR. Sean says don’t do measurement when:

• you’ve been flickpassed a dodo. No matter what you do it won’t make a difference
• your organisation isn’t going to change or do anything to meet stakeholders’ needs and wants. Clearly, stakeholders are going to crucify you. All you can do is hand them the hammer and nails and grimace politely whilst they are put to use
• the cost of measuring exceeds the cost of the program or work you are measuring. Time to take a punt on the impact. Or talk to a few of the target audience. Measurement for the price of a pint. There are worse ways to do business…

On the other hand, do measurement when:

• you care about the program’s results. Really care. You might even depend on the results for your own organisation’s or your own (i.e. Le job) existence
• you know you need to change and data is the way to convince the purse-wielding powers that be
• you want insights and information to speak confidently and persuasively on your key issue(s).

What are your thoughts on the propositions put forward by each of these five (plus) posts? What is missing from the arguments put forward? Should there be another topic included? Is there anything here which has challenged your own perceptions of what we need to prioritise and implement?

PS: I’d welcome you joining my 1,500-strong LinkedIn network (send me an invite!) or interacting with me through Twitter. You can also learn more about my PR and marcomms business through my About page.

I posted an initial collection of comments on this discussion on why ex-journos should not head the PR function last week. Here is part two. I hope you enjoy them. I did!

PR is full of those who can’t strategise

“As an “ex-journo” who has successfully headed a number of large corporate PR functions and has interviewed a lot of weak PR job candidates over the years, I could easily write a piece on why some PR people should not head the PR function. Our profession is still full of folks who can’t strategize, can’t write and don’t know how to find and formulate a story, much less pitch one. A lot of those abilities are developed through journalism experience at a high quality news organization with high standards.”

David Fluhrer

Public and Investor Relations Advisor, various organisations

Unlike old dogs, journalists can learn new tricks

“I think journalists who make a career switch mid way are, more often than not open to the idea of learning something new. Of course, there are exceptional cases of journalistic ego getting bigger than the boot, but most of the time I have found them adapting to the new realities very fast.

“The experience of working on various beats also gives them a cutting edge. And it is not just with the Corp Comm, they have excelled in various other management jobs as well, at least in this part of the world there are various case studies.

“I am yet to meet a client whose PR basket is not 70 per cent Media Relations centric. As far as debate is concerned, it is like a chicken and egg syndrome. What is the point of strategy if it can not be implemented, and what will you implement if there is no strategy as to why and what do you want to communicate? And yes, those without a media background would love to believe that journos are alien to strategy. IT IS NOT.”

Ravi Sinha

CEO, TRACK2MEDIA

Don’t mention the war…

“I think that PR people that have been journalists in the past are like retired soldiers. They will never forget about the war they had to have with the public relations specialists they interfered in their careers.”

Paul Dumitru

Journalist, MONEY Express

Journalists really, truly do ‘get’ strategy

“I believe an ex-journo, with proper, comprehensive PR training is in invaluable asset for an organization. He or she will ensure that detailed communication plans are in place for each activity of an organization and know what to watch out for to avoid turning a problem into a crisis. My 15 years of experience and training as a journalist has led me to pay attention to details; my PR training has allowed me to focus on the right ones.”

Gyula Kovacs

Coordinator, Communications, Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

It’s a big PR world out there

“…media relations is an important subset of public relations, but it’s not the entire operation. A PR pro needs to understand marketing, sales and customer relations, as well as writing. I know some outstanding writers who could never be PR people — it’s just not in their makeup. Others excel.”

Stephen Lawton

Owner / Consultant, AFAB Media Services

Journos’ skills sharpened by the ‘wars’

“… as a former Newsie, I have found that my News room acumen has been the reason for the best success in my PR years. No one can know the mind of a journalist unless one was/is one. It is a private world best cracked by one of their own. No better way to create or nose out or pitch a story than to have had to have reported on stories for REAL….if it paid better, I’d go back to TV or radio news for good! THAT was a blast of a job, I have always loved it.”

Sonya Snyder

CEO & President, Quill Communications, Inc

PR is more than pitching to media

“As a former journalist who moved into PR, I’d like to add that, IMO, most reporters do not have the skills to instantly move into being an account executive at a PR agency.

“Being an A/E is about more than simply knowing how to write well and how to pitch. You need to know how PR plans are structured and created, how to devise strategies and tactics, do competitive analyses, and measure PR. You need to learn the subtleties of public speaking so you can advise clients in the public spotlight on their communication styles. If you have to write speeches, you will find that the rhythms of the spoken word are more complex than the written, and require mastering different skills. (Not the least of them being actual rhetoric.)

“You also have to be able to manage clients, junior account staffers, contractors and subcontractors. At some smaller agencies, A/Es are expected to be headhunters that pitch and secure new clients, so a fair amount of hard selling can be involved.

“However, if two candidates have otherwise equal qualifications except for their major-journalism experience (or lack of it), I’ll be more interested in the former journalist–assuming she really can communicate well.

“But I’ve known some big-city journalists whose writing skills are so shockingly poor that the only reason their stories appear coherent at all is due to diligent copy editors.”

Steven Spenser

Principal, Praxis Communication/Seattle

“Our responsibility to our clients and our companies (if internal) is to COUNSEL clients on the ways of the world. The best PR practitioners I know don’t make it in the world as ‘yes people’.

“Media relations is but one avenue to pursue, but we all know there are scores of other things we can do.

I am still amazed to this day how many prospective clients think PR is media relations. So rather than fight it, I embrace it by counseling clients to first review the infrastructure of their PR plan. That one little nugget has made clients recognize they’re not ready for even media relations activity.

“ In fact, we take the infrastructure’ debate one step further by asking them to see how tight their entire communications suite is, and how ‘ready’  they are for going to market. Bottom line–let’s reinforce what we do as counselors; do that, and you win the battle in addition to the war.”

Michael Shmarak

President/Principal, Sidney Maxwell Public Relations

Your comments on these perspectives are most welcome, but you might like to move over to the actual posts they informed, the first arguing why ex-journalists should not be ‘parachuted’ into the head of the organisational public relations function, whilst the second takes a slightly different view, focusing on why, indeed, ex-journos have the potential to make great PR bosses (soon to be published).

PS. I’d welcome you joining networks with me through my LinkedIn profile. Send me an invite!

Public relations professionals are trained to create mutually beneficial relationships between an organisation and its stakeholders. This necessitates an understanding of, and capability in, communicating in a meaningful, valuable manner with all relevant parties. Journalists communicate to, not with. Hence, their strategic communication and relationship management experience and capabilities are limited.

Strategic communication is about so much more than opinions or news being broadcast (journalists’ specialty) with little concern for the response they will provoke amongst stakeholders/audiences.

Public relations is not about the ‘control’ of relationships. Rather, it is about facilitating a best-possible outcome between an organisation and its stakeholders. Principles of public relations that need to be considered for this to occur include:

• Dialogue – at the very heart of effective public relations (i.e. not simply ‘broadcast’. Inherent in the notion of dialogue is that an organisation is actually hearing and responding to what its stakeholders are saying and, hence, respecting them)
• Negotiation (i.e. to bring about a win-win scenario)
• Collaboration (working together with stakeholders to generate fresh perspectives, new ideas and resolutions to issues)
• ‘Accommodation’ (i.e. modifying or evolving processes and behaviour).

These principles are not what journalists are trained in. This is not to say that they are not capable of applying such notions, but without requisite training (e.g. university study) and experience they will obviously be way behind the 8-ball compared to those who have done the training and have the experience.

Journalists’ attitudes are too negative to build relationships

“I have never seen a journalist succeed on the corporate side,” said Paul Cargill, Global Communications Team Lead at Cargill. “A PR professional is, at the core, an advocate. They find a way to tell their company or client’s story when there really isn’t one. They always look for ways to promote their client in ways that will be accepted as news.

“A journalist is the opposite, said Paul. “He/she is a trained sceptic. Their skill is to poke holes. When one does that inside a corporation, it is not welcome. Yes, you need to bullet-proof messages or pitches with tough thinking. But if you are not perceived as trying to make the story work instead of pointing out how it won’t, you won’t be around long.”

They are also typically negative, prioritising discussions on bad news. PR pros do flag the negative with our organisations, but our focus is on building mutually positive relationships and that will not occur by being ‘down’ on everything.

Stakeholder advocates

One particular dimension that academic study emphasises that I believe ex-journalists struggle with is the notion that strategic public relations professionals need to act as ‘in-house activists’. At its most elemental, this means the PR pro will often represent the views of external organisational stakeholders and prompt an organisation to evolve based on these views.

This may be in the context of changing the nature of a development of pristine bushland, what constituents are included in a product, how a product is manufactured (e.g. no sweat shops please) or simply the way in which information is communicated to stakeholders or how the organisation-stakeholder dialogue should take place.

Public relations requires leadership

To quote my modest peer of mine again, “PR is a management function; journalists (even senior ones on $$$) are typically ‘worker bees’. It’s quite a head shift to move from one to the other. I know that even at 21, fresh out of uni I saw my job as helping management succeed – whereas journalists moving into PR tend to have quite a different mindset about their function in an organisation.”

Communication strategy

Ex-journalists have no background in the design or analysis of market research, a critically important element of public relations. Market research provides us with the data we need to put together holistic, evidence-based communication strategies and to create benchmarks against which the success of our work can be measured.

Nor is a journalist is not trained in employee communication or community liaison. They have no experience in the sensitivities involved or the most effective means through which to communicate to these stakeholders.

Which leads me to the fact that, OH YES, journalists have no training in putting together these holistic communication strategies, the absolute screaming Jane bedrock of what we do.

As my mysterious peer said to me, “PR is a strategic discipline – journalism is not. (Just eight words, yet so much in that!)”

We don’t shoot from the hip in one-off communication salvos (a la an article in a newspaper or a segment on a white trash current affairs show), we develop strategic themes and drivers to underpin coordinated and multi-faceted activity that uses a range of communication tactics. The communication strategies are often relevant for years. They are not stories that are produced then quickly fade out of focus.

Public relations’ tactical breadth

PR is not a synonym for media relations. Nor is crisis communication the only function a senior PR operative undertakes. And whilst media relations is a major component of crisis communication, it is only one element.

Public relations – as we surely all know!!! – is comprised of a diversity of these tactical communication elements. Journalists are frequently not familiar with the nuances, challenges and opportunities of these elements:

• Publication production (e.g. annual reports, brochures etc)
• Event management
• Social media
• Website/online communication
• Database management
• Round tables and white paper production
• Community consultation
• School and community education
• Sponsorship.

Without having worked in some of these areas in a hands-on capacity, a person’s ability will be limited when:

• considering whether they are an appropriate tactic to include in a communication strategy
• empathising with the person implementing their tactical implementation
• providing counsel, direction and leadership to those implementing the tactic
• knowing what elements of the tactic to prioritise, partly because they will not be aware how long each element takes to complete.

Journalists often take a biff and barge approach to their content. Sometimes it’s hit and miss. Strategic communicators cannot afford to take this approach. It can take years to establish (and win back, where it’s lost) good will and a positive reputation.

One of our roles is to find areas where organisations and their stakeholders can ‘accommodate’ each other, as well as identifying commonalities then building upon them, rather than deepen divisiveness.

Public relations build. Journalists – after you strip away the spin of being society’s conscience – are too focused on destruction. They, unlike public relations professionals, are problem not solution-oriented.

There is a world of difference between the two professions.

In a following post I will posit a range of reasons why ex-journos can be excellent PR practitioners? Would you like to pre-empt my thoughts? Did you agree with those notions I captured here? What do you think, and what is your experience of, journalists who have been parachuted into head of PR functions?

There has been a lot of comment on this through a range of LinkedIn discussion groups already, including Public Relations Professionals, Corporate Communication, PR Professionals and the Public Relations Institute of Australia. A number of these comments on ex-journalists being the boss of PR have been summarised in a post on this blog.

PS. I’d welcome you joining networks with me through my LinkedIn profile. Send me an invite!

In the main, the two-way symmetrical, relationship building and accommodation aspect of public relations was ignored. The broader strategic capability and multi-tactical design, management and implementation issues also took a very low profile.

But there were lots of smart, wise and insightful comments left as well, including those that didn’t address the core issue, for whatever reason, and took the discussions in a lateral direction. All good.

The main groups that hosted the discussions were Public Relations Professionals, Corporate Communication, PR Professionals and the Public Relations Institute of Australia. Below I have included a number of the more interesting (and/or humourous)  quotes. I’ll post another collection next week.

Enjoy!

Journalists don’t do dialogic

“While a journalistic background can definitely be advantageous to the PR function (particularly for media relations), it does have it’s limitations.

“PR is a broad field that involves everything from issues management, crisis communication, media relations to community consultation. Each of these areas requires specific skills and knowledge, which ex-journalists may not have or even be aware of.

The other thing is that PR is intended to be a dialogue between an organisation & its publics/audiences. Having a strong news background may cause an ex-journo to focus too much on providing an information stream or selling in stories about an organisation, rather than actually communicating.

“Importantly part of the PR function should be about obtaining feedback from the public/stakeholders and using this information to make positive changes within an organisations – it’s not just about pushing a news agenda.

“This is not to say an ex-journo can’t be a great PR director, however they may have a limited idea about the potential of PR.”

Catherine Guyder

PR Account Manager, Wordstorm

Research, behaviour changing and communication strategy

“Most journalists coming straight from the press are focused on one-way information transmission–that’s what they’ve done all their careers. They are all about the message for the message’s sake.

“Corporate communication requires at least three additional ways of looking at the job:

1. Actively researching and seeking out feedback from your stakeholder groups

2. Focusing on using communication to help facilitate the right behaviors from your stakeholder groups. Sometimes that means communicating less information, but the right information to get the job done.

3. Having a long-term, strategic perspective.”

Angela told an anecdote of an ex-journo who was promoted several times because of his ability to handle crises. “Now that he’s in the top role, he has restructured the communication function and eliminated all planning and research. As he said, ‘I’m good at handling crises. Why would I want to do anything to prevent crises?’ I think that captures it well!”

Angela Sinickas

Owner, Sinickas Communications

Poor journos discriminated against – hold the headline!

“…any type of sweeping statement like this is doomed to failure and is a discrimination our profession can do without.

“Like anybody coming into our world from any profession, there are always going to be weaknesses that need to be addressed. In my view, it comes down to the values people bring to the work that they do. What are the values of people who are attracted to journalism? And how do they compare to the values of an organisation?

“In my experience, many ex-journalists initially have difficulty with concepts of supporting the corporate vision, reputation building and relationship management in a corporate sense. They can be focused on the now, as they were (often forced) as journalists. And many over-estimate the impact of a single media story and the media generally. But some I have worked with have been excellent at these skills.”

Geoff Barbaro

Leadership communications professional

Journalists defend themselves

“Well, I’ve always been amused to hear the pro-journalist argument emanating from…surprise, surprise!…ex-journalists. As someone who has straddled the fence at times (as both a writer and media relations guy), I must say that its a toss-up.

“I’ve seen former reporters and editors who’ve been sharp when it comes to story development but surprisingly lame when it comes to pitching those stories. I’ve also seen non-media folks with well-honed instincts for developing and placing stories but lacking in more general management and communication skills.”

Michael McWilliams

Public interest communicator, advocate, and social entrepreneur

Journalists never succeed

“As a journalist by training and a PR guy by profession, I have never seen a journalist succeed on the corporate side. A PR professional is, at the core, an advocate. They find a way to tell their company or client’s story when there really isn’t one. They always look for ways to promote their client in a ways that will be accepted as news.

“A journalist is the opposite. He/she is a trained sceptic. Their skill is to poke holes. When one does that inside a corporation, it is not welcome. Yes, you need to bullet-proof messages or pitches with tough thinking. But if you are not perceived as trying to make the story work instead of pointing out how it won’t, you won’t be around long.”

Roger Bentley

Global Communication Lead, Cargill

Your comments on these perspectives are most welcome, but you might like to move over to the actual posts they informed (um, and posted…which is not yet), the first arguing why ex-journalists should not be ‘parachuted’ into the head of the organisational public relations function, whilst the second takes a slightly different view, focusing on why, indeed, ex-journos have the potential to make great PR bosses.

PS. I’d welcome you joining networks with me through my LinkedIn profile. Send me an invite!

Mainstream media, when given a choice between a good-news and a feel-bad story, well, you know which way the editor/chief of staff/producer is going to go. There is no decision for most editors and journalists to make between running a story with a positive, hopeful perspective and that of a negative perspective.

A recent example of this is the particularly mean-spirited coverage across mainstream media of Socceroo Tim Cahill. Cahill had media finger pointing at him for being drunk and booted out of a nightclub. It ends up there was no case to answer.

Of course, we only have ourselves to blame. Presumably we buy/tune in/search for/respond to the media that features the negative vibes.

Building relationships

Public relations, in opposition to the majority of contemporary mainstream media, helps build and maintain relationships. Its intent is the opposite of media’s reality, which is seemingly to be divisive. When operating at its optimum, strategic potential, public relations is about helping organisations and their stakeholders (often large swathes of society) understand and empathise with each other.

At its absolute apogee, public relations can help both organisations and their stakeholders change their behaviours so all parties are more aligned with each other. It is not about pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes, it is not about propaganda. It is about all relevant parties helping to see each other more clearly and with greater equanimity.

If you use the metaphor of law, media takes a confrontational, litigious approach, whereas public relations is more negotiation and, to a lesser degree, conciliation-centred.

Why so negative?

One day I would like someone in the Fourth Estate to show me the research that proves we do predominantly want the negative stories/focus and it does help the media moguls make money.

If was proven scientifically the community did want all the bad news the media serves up to them, then social commentators and the government and, maybe, selective media would potentially give them a serve for catering to society’s lowest common denominator. By doing that, the logical conclusion is that the media is then actually encouraging a more negative societal mindset.

And if research pointed out that we didn’t want so much bad news or negative/non-hopeful perspectives on issues, then how does that position the media? As undermining people’s aspirations for hope and yearnings for more positive perspectives?

Media, clearly, has an inherent social responsibility. It serves an incredibly important purpose (I’m not going there, but let’s leave just use a few terms like freedom, education, knowledge, community, democracy), but it is a purpose that is often unfulfilled. It is a shame that it has become so debased by its insistence of focusing on the negative.

There are plenty who will argue that the purpose of the media has always been to cater to the community’s predilections, no matter how negative, solipsistic or inane. Equally, however, there are plenty of media apologists who will burn in hell before they budge from the belief that the role and responsibility of media is to get to the heart of, and make public, key issues that impact on society.

 The black and white, for and against, media raison d’être argument is:

• It exists purely to make money for its owners/shareholders
• It provides a social service for the good of all society.

 Media survives on public relations’ assistance

Of course, it’s a symbiotic relationship between public relations and the media and there are multiple examples of crossover between them. But the media – with the ever-increasing destruction of its resources by the moguls continuing apace – should realise what a good wicket/pitch/court/etc they are on when PR professionals do so much of their work for them:

• Research
• Creative (and often socially important) story ideas
• The lining up of 3^rd party interviewees
• Issues options
• Opinion piece drafting
• Helping interviewees speak coherently (oh the media will love this; and yes I despise media coaching when its gets to its governmental anti-apex of ultra-spin, but there really is a mutually agreeable middle ground!).

Without the provision of information from PR professionals to B2B media the existence of that sector would, in particular, be profoundly threatened. It simply would not have the resources to exist. And with some statistics saying that 80% of mainstream media stories are generated, or extensively assisted, by PR initiatives, then media as a whole might not be far from the scrapyard as well

At the end of the day, journalists should thank their stars for the PR industry. They would be lost without us.

[For those on LinkedIn and in the Corporate Communication group, a discussion on this post can also be found here. Another discussion can be found on Australian media and marketing website mUmBRELLA, where this post was syndicated.]