Common PR-mistakes
COMMON PR-MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
1. Overdoing PR Too Early or in a brief period
Many companies delay their public relations efforts for so long that they do so in haste when they finally launch them. They engage consultants and invest heavily in firms, only to have nothing to show. Alternatively, they might secure a few significant articles and then go silent for several months. This is partially the fault of those in the PR industry who market us by boasting about the extensive reach we’ve secured for our clients with high-profile articles in major outlets.
The truth is that I value ten publications over six months across five different small regional and industry-specific outlets MUCH MORE than one extensive article in a national or international newspaper.
Consistent PR yields results: repeating a message over time builds relationships, shifts perceptions, and secures top-of-mind awareness. That one big article you got five months ago and then you went silent is not worthless but still, not worth as much as you probably paid for it.
2. Underdoing PR Too Late
The opposite error—delaying public relations efforts while focusing entirely on product development, marketing, and sales—is another common mistake. The issue is neglecting to build robust relationships with potential stakeholders relevant to your business—users, investors, customers—and talent before developing products or launching marketing campaigns.
Understanding who you are building for—their needs and desires—beforehand makes everything more manageable when it’s time to market your products or services. It’s the difference between navigating a minefield versus walking on a red carpet.
3. Believing All PR Is Good PR
Achieving media attention is easy, but it isn’t everything either. Public relations shouldn’t merely focus on maximizing media exposure but should adopt a strategic approach towards creating the right kind of attention while ensuring your messages are effectively communicated.
4. Focusing Exclusively on Themselves and Their Products
While your fascination with your company and its products is understandable, peeling back the layers of self-interest and considering what angles, knowledge, and perspectives truly add value to others is essential. By adopting an external perspective, you can secure media attention more efficiently—and the right kind of attention.
Journalists appreciate companies that discuss trends and share knowledge and perspectives generously—even when it seems business-critical. However, they are less fond of companies attempting to sell their products through press releases that are just marketing flyers in disguise.
This doesn’t mean you can never mention your products in press releases but instead emphasize the need to connect your offerings—and the reasons behind their creation—to trends, insights, and other valuable information for others.
Photo: Francisco De Legarreta C. Unsplash.