Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Public relations is one of the best-kept secrets




When I say I do public relations, people usually ask “Is it advertising”? 

When I say it’s the stories—the news and features that go along with the ads—they’re surprised.

Most people don’t realize that stories are placed—shepherded from an idea to a story with facts, background and clients as sources—by someone like myself.

PR is one of the best-kept secrets in the business world for good reasons.

Publishers and broadcast station owners need advertising. Without it, stories can’t exist.

Journalists and reporters, anchors and hosts don’t want their audience to know that people in the stories are there because they hired a publicist, not because of their expertise.  

Some years ago, the Columbia Journalism Review reported that even the Wall Street Journal, an extremely prestigious newspaper, relied on PR firms.

Some 45 percent of the stories were placed by PR firms.

The next time you watch TV, listen to the radio or read a magazine, newspaper or blog, just remember….

That story probably got there because someone like me put it there.  

For more information, please call us at (916) 455-4790 or visit www.dellrichards.com