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The Great PR Misconception

Posted On - 13/03/2023

For an industry that specialises in reputation management, PR definitely has a reputation issue. To this day, many business owners and key decision makers associate public relations solely with the activity required to secure media coverage.

This was further highlighted by a recent survey which was conducted by the Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)*. Around 17% of the 100 UK directors asked, said that their organisation had no PR support internally or externally and the majority of UK directors associated public relations with media relations as well as more short-term focused PR programmes and campaigns.

Any PR agency worth its salt will be able to identify how PR and communication can really add value to an organisation. This can include different disciplines of work such as strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, crisis communications, internal communications and public affairs.

Take our work for example. Our clients see us as part of their team, we work with them to get under the skin of their company and understand their needs and how we can help them achieve their organisational goals.

Below are a few examples of just what we’ve been up to in the past year alone!

• We’ve supported the internal communication function of a global organisation to create content campaigns across its network.

• We’ve developed an external partnership plan for a client willing to develop relationships with organisations who can support its work in the long-term.

• We have taken part in planning meetings for clients’ sales teams to develop a two-way working relationship and gather intelligence to inform campaigns. This has meant we’ve been able to get to know them personally, to explain how we can work with them to open doors for them, find out from them exactly how we can help them, get input on case studies for the press and find out from them how the work we’ve done has already paid off.

• We’ve researched target audiences for a particular sector to be able to identify their unique interests to develop media relations campaigns that cut through the noise.

Now this doesn’t mean that every PR agency can do everything. PR agencies offer a wide range of services and it’s important to choose one which can offer the right services to suit your aims and objectives which is why your PR and communications brief should focus on what your objectives are as a business as opposed to just listing actions for the agency.

Get PR professionals involved in early-stage planning and let them see what’s happening behind the scenes so they can advise on how their work can best have a positive impact on the organisation. A reputable agency will be clear about whether they can add value or not and will steer you in the right direction.

Having this ongoing support can really help you identify areas that PR can help with which is just one of the reasons that many our clients choose to work with us on a monthly retainer as it enables us to be involved in the organisational activity on an ongoing basis and make suggestions that can really bring about positive change!

HINDSIGHT

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SEEING IS BELIEVING

‘We have worked with Cerub PR since the beginning of 2017 concentrating on community interest projects and general CSR. Ceri and Anastasia have been very proactive and productive they are easy to contact and have significantly raised our profile in the local and regional media.’

Mike Lowe - Operations Director - Summerleaze Limited

'The team at Buckinghamshire Business First has had the pleasure of working with Ceri at Cerub PR for over a decade as our preferred PR sponsor of the Buckinghamshire Business Awards. Cerub has also provided invaluable PR support for our business-to-business workshops and events and has been a reliable source of ad hoc PR support and advice often with very tight timescales. Throughout this time, Ceri has consistently demonstrated professionalism and reliability, proving to be a safe pair of hands in all situations. Ceri is not afraid to challenge when needed, ensuring that our communications are always of the highest standard. We highly recommend Cerub PR.'

Lynsey Dunn - Buckinghamshire Business First - Head of Marketing, Communications and Events

'We entered two awards, one of which we were shortlisted for. It was our first time doing this and the business is still fairly young, so this was a great outcome and gained us more visibility locally. The nomination was featured in the local press online, which generated backlinks.

'Our CEO & Founder was featured in some key publications, including Business Matters and the Financial Services Forum, which are highly relevant publications for our target audience. The feature in the FS Forum has subsequently led to our CEO securing a speaker slot at one of their upcoming events, which further positions her as an expert in our field.

'We were impressed with the connections and contacts they had, which enabled us to quickly get a PR function up and running, despite having never done activity like this before. The opportunities we got were really interesting and have had a lasting impact beyond the initial project.'

Catherine Story - Founder and Managing Director - Freshbat Marketing

'Shout out to the amazing Cerub PR! We recently wrapped up a dental health month campaign and their energy, creativity and understanding of our brand and audience made a real impact. Cerub delivered real results for us, securing over 40 pieces of high- quality coverage across trade, consumer and broadcast media.

'We achieved loads of awareness for the campaign with both veterinary professionals and pet owners. Ceri-Jane Hackling's strategic thinking, proactivity and ability to spot strong storytelling opportunities made a big difference. They genuinely are an extension to our team and I wouldn’t be without them!'

Will Peel - Marketing Manager - Animalcare

'We took part in a 1:1 PR strategy planning afternoon with Cerub PR. It was such a helpful exercise with Ceri and Anastasia leading us through our business plans and objectives from a PR and Communications perspective. The output of the session was a detailed report/strategic document with plenty of actionable information, ideas and observations that will allow me to create a PR strand to our overall marketing strategy and put the suggestions and advice into action myself. This was a very helpful exercise to support my planning. We look forward to working with Cerub PR in the future as our business grows.'

Hannah Whalley - Marketing Manager - Controlled Events

'Our programme does some fantastic work to help both businesses and the environment. Being fantastic isn’t always enough though; it’s also about getting the message out there to the market. This is where Ceri, Anastasia and the team at Cerub PR thrived. They helped us to reach new marketing outlets, which proved invaluable in the post-pandemic landscape. We would absolutely recommend Cerub and would be happy to work with them in the future.'

Daniel Cope - Programme Manager - Low Carbon Workspaces

‘It has been an absolute pleasure working with Cerub PR. Right from the start, we knew we were in safe and professional hands. They can cover everything you may need, and for someone with zero experience in this area, their no nonsense approach was fresh and welcoming. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.’

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The Great PR Misconception