What’s so good about blogging on public relations?
By Craig on Dec 17, 2009 in Corporate social responsibility, Marketing, Media relations, Public relations, Strategic communication | View Comments
Why blog about public relations? Well, for me it is because of the discipline’s inherent drama, aptitude for telling interesting stories and constant shape-shifting. Public relations, marketing and their many strategic (e.g. corporate and marketing communication etc) and tactical permutations are the grist for my mill.
The goals for this blog that I started mid-2009 have stayed pretty much the same: to expand knowledge on professional communication, especially public relations, and stimulate vigorous debate. Hopefully, an outcome of this is enhancing the conceptual and practical awareness and skills of communication professionals so they become better at their jobs.
A major motivating factor behind the blog’s inception was (and is) to raise awareness of the strategic importance of public relations to business and how its best practice application leads to a more equitable society.
At the core of the blog’s aesthetic is honesty and integrity; expressing opinions in a frank, sometimes provocative manner, that truly encapsulates the perspective of those, including myself, who use the blog as a platform and an opportunity for dialogue.
I view taking a sometimes ‘edgy’ approach, rather than a softly-softly mind-your-manners one, as being more likely to engage with professional communicators and involve them in the blog’s discussions.
Another factor was to help raise the profile of my ‘personal brand’ as part of a marketing strategy to get work after being a ‘GFC (woe is/was me…) retrenchment’ in April. This seems to have worked, as it definitely helped me gain a permanent role, as well as clients for my own business.
Since starting the blog in June, the blog has:
- featured the perspectives of numerous industry leaders
- had customised versions of its posts syndicated in Mumbrella, Frocomm’s PR Report and the Public Relations Institute of Australia’s e-newsletter and website
- provided a free, extensively resourced PDF report on crisis communication and social media, featuring the views of numerous PR thought leaders
- enhanced the vigour with which professional communication has been discussed in this country, adding to media and influential blogger commentary
- been ranked number one when undertaking a Google search for ‘public relations bloggers’ on 20 November (okay already, I admit Google must have been having a freak day).
The diversity of perspectives and voices the blog represents is analogous of social media and public relations, a key tenet of the latter being to represent the plurality of perspectives relevant to organisations. This is manifested not just in readers’ comments, but in posts that specifically discuss the views of others, either in the manner of ‘reviews’, interviews or guest posts. Topics covered include:
There are a number of posts which encapsulate the blog’s aesthetic. They include
- the primacy of the two-way symmetrical communication model of public relations to the discipline’s best practice implementation
- how public relations is a critically important business discipline that is helping the world become a better place
- public relations’ responsibility to transform organisations so that they are more aligned with their stakeholders’ needs and wants
- the gratifying and inspirational aesthetic that underpins the culture of public relations.
It’s been a fun ride and has certainly enhanced my enjoyment of public relations.
Working in a consultancy environment, all too often you find yourself ensconced in the tactical rather than the strategic end of PR, way too frequently do you end up focusing on media relations alone and, finally, new business isn’t what I would call the sexiest characteristic of PR agency life (it’s not what I did a Goddamn Masters for, put it like that!)
So it’s fulfilling, at least, to discuss best practice and interesting dimensions of public relations whilst you are working to get that that killer client walk in the door…
