Survey: 72% of Parents Of PR Pros Don’t Understand What Their Kids Do & 41% Of Spouses Of Those Who Work In PR Don’t Get It!
Does your family understand what PR means or what PR people do? If they don’t, you shouldn’t feel too bad. A recent survey of 1000 PR pros found 72% of them say their parents don’t understand what PR is, and another 41% say their spouses don’t know either.
Some of the professional’s we spoke with said their parents thought that PR meant advertising or marketing, and had no idea that their children weren’t “working on the computer”. The CEO of 5wPR, Ronn Torossian stated; “anyone who works in PR wouldn’t be the least surprised to learn that was the case.” A survey of 1000 PR professionals was conducted via email on August 15th and 16th – and not surprisingly, many of the survey participants noted that they were asked “Why isn’t your name in that story?” Similarly, participants noted that they were continually asked to explain how PR is different than advertising.
Of course, people working in PR agencies promote their clients — companies or individuals — through editorial coverage, social media, event and conferences, and other means. PR is known as ‘free media,’ because it is different from running advertisements which a client would develop and pay to have shared on various media platforms. PR also covers activities such as lobbying and government research, event planning for celebrities and charitable causes.
PR also helps get news out about positive events and new products, services or ideas.
Successful PR campaigns can impact public perception. They can raise awareness of a fundraising event for a charitable cause, and they can get the word out about a new product for an innovative company like Apple. Because of this, successful PR campaigns also have the power to sway public opinion and contribute to the success of a business, nonprofit, or a new product on the market.
Some of the tactics PR people use to promote their clients include:
• Writing press releases
• Writing pitches about clients and forwarding them along to the media and journalists
• Writing speeches
• Expanding client contacts
• Planning special events geared towards outreach or media relations
• Writing blogs
• Strategic research and planning
• Using social media to get the word out about a PR campaign
So that’s what PR people do – yet so many people are married to people who don’t understand what they do. Everything PR will continue with interesting surveys.’ Please share this story – so more people learn about the Public Relations industry.