Valley PR Blog

Interview: Press Releases Are Not a PR Strategy

By Dan Wool on April 26th, 2007 In Professional Development

I’m originally from Rhode Island. I moved to Phoenix in 1988 and have lived here for 19 years. I earned my Masters in Mass Communications from Boston University and after working in Denver and Boston for a few years, followed my then boyfriend, now husband, Dale to a job here. I found a job as a PR manager at a division of Honeywell – industrial automation and control. I was there 2½ years – they kept having layoffs and consolidation but somehow my job responsibilities kept increasing. It’s gone on from there.

Why did you write the book?

It came from what I was experiencing as a sole proprietor. I was exposed to a lot of different companies and began to see common themes repeated over and over. Usually they were from small but growing companies in high tech (my specialty), usually in Arizona, and they were just about to launch as product. Apparently, they saw me as a conduit to get press releases out the door. Meanwhile, I’m a PR strategist.So I had felt a need to write something down to address this. In a way, I felt the common perception of PR as press releases was diminishing the PR profession, which got my back up and that’s why I felt a need to get it off my chest and educate. I had already compiled several PR essays for a manufacturing magazine – I knew that if I put my mind to it, I’d have enough for a book. I guess I also hoped that maybe, for some people, they’d think that “if it’s in print, it must be true.”Now that you’ve been through the first edition, what has been the response to the book?

It has been interesting. I wrote it with corporate executives in mind and the typical executive has been someone who has started his own company. It’s been less of the wise, white-haired, middle-aged men we think of when you say executive; it’s typically been younger entrepreneurs in their 20s-30s. My intention with the title was to get people to stop in their tracks. These younger execs have said they went in thinking they knew it all about PR but after reading the first few chapters, I deflated their impression and really got them thinking strategically.

What’s been heartwarming for me is the number of PR people who have responded positively. The book has turned into a way to connect with other PR pros and validate the feelings we shared. It’s been a kind of PR Anonymous via the Internet. Many have bought the book to show their boss – it gives them a certain clout I guess – it enables them to say, “Hey, it’s not just me Mr. So-and-so – here’s a whole book about what I’ve been trying to tell you!”

It’s a provocative title. Any surprises or unusual responses?

One surprise is that the book has been used as a university textbook. This wasn’t intended. Textbooks offer a lot of details and case studies. The book is really designed for a two-hour plane ride. It is more from a strategic, conceptual level. But I guess the message [in class] is that if you understand PR in this framework as part of a real exercise not a theory or transaction, you’ll be more successful.

Another response has been from social media advocates. Many have simply responded to the title of the book and misinterpreted it. Some seem to believe I’m saying press releases are bad and shouldn’t be distributed on the Web. That’s not true. What I’m saying is that press releases are part of a larger, strategic program you should be following as a business. Many people fall back on press releases. The Internet has a lot of great aspects to it, but it can also make people lazy.

What’s new in the second edition?

It’s an update. I solicited feedback from a number of people…. The major changes are a new chapter on blogs, podcasts, and social media. There is more detailed information now on PR measurement. We also expanded the resource directory and have a new appendix of samples.

Why are executives unclear on the concept?

Executives have no trouble understanding that someone in legal, finance, etc. requires specific education, background and training. However, they think that PR doesn’t; they think it’s just sales support – if we write copy the way we want it and send it out that that will build sales and increase revenue. The truth is that sales and PR have different goals – PR is trying to build long-term relationships and serve target markets. We’re not just looking at selling a consumer; we look at multiple constituencies: boards of directors, investors, employees, environmentalists, all the different audience segments that might touch the company.

What happens is that executives see the results but don’t see all the legwork behind it. They think PR is like a faucet, you just turn it on.

In the book, you list 10 misconceptions executives have about PR? Aside from the book’s title, which in your view is the biggest?

The biggest is the belief that PR is sales support – that it’s transactional – that you just push the information out and sell from it. There was a great article by Barry Kluger – a column he published a few years ago – explaining the difference between publicity and PR. Publicity is what you do to open a restaurant. PR is what you bring when you have a serious issue or crisis.

It’s a big misconception to lump publicity and PR in the same bucket – publicity is one way and PR is really two way communications. Two-way communication is much stronger.

Do you think the Web has changed executive attitudes toward PR?

The Internet has created a lot of lazy behavior on PR people’s part as well as a lot of gunk out there. People are just publishing anything and everything in hopes of catching someone’s eye. The benefit though is that PR is not as stilted as it used to be. Press releases are more of a pleasure to read because there is an art in writing in a way that is appealing and serves editors interests first. But a lot of people will just write stuff to write it and it ends up very promotional. Most people are tired of that and see right through it.

You’ve added a chapter on social media. How should a company approach social media and add it to its overall tactical toolbox?

Social media is one piece of a lot of tactics they should use – and a very important piece. I find that the range of companies that engage is across the board – some are ignorant to [social media], others are heavily engaged. It depends on how aggressive their PR people are and what industries they’re in. Some industries seem less prone to jump into social media than others. Consumer brands are heavily engaged but manufacturing, construction and those types, are not using it as much.

What is your biggest PR pet peeve?

The sense that anyone can do it. You don’t just find companies promoting anyone into legal or finance. Over the years, I’ve seen a few instances where someone was a relative or good at handling parties and moved into PR and marketing. It rarely works out.

The PR people I admire not only have solid training but an innate sense for it. There are a lot of ramifications from PR that executives may not think of – such as Sarbanes-Oxley. They need to realize that a good PR person is a “Mini Me” of the CEO – he or she is versed in a lot of things like a Renaissance man or woman – not just pegged to one segment or division. We need to know all aspects of operations — that’s often forgotten.

Even though they may not be the primary audience, what can PR pros learn from reading the book?

The book is validation of what PR is about and what we all go through as PR people. One woman wrote to me from a company in Maine. She handles PR there and said it was like her against the whole company. But she felt validated and vindicated by the book. That made me made feel good. It’s also about reminders. None of us is infallible. We’re all constantly learning. I even go back to certain chapters to remind myself of all the stuff I’ve got to keep up with.

What’s your best advice for fellow PR pros?

Just stay true to your instincts and training. You will face instances in your career where what you know to be ethically correct is in conflict with your instructions. If you cannot persuade the person going down the wrong path otherwise, you need to protect your own ethics and reputation and that takes fortitude this day in age. Whenever I’ve faced that, I’ve had to leave and have never regretted it. You have to realize they have their path and you have yours; so you have to try and match up with people who are compatible. You can generally find this out up front in the interview process – not later when something happens.

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