Top Public Relation Mistakes
April 25, 2019
What is the main goal of public relations? Ultimately, the goal is to help portray a business in the best light possible. From getting established as a new company to tending to a tough situation, PR is a big deal when it comes to maintaining a reputation. Let’s not forget how PR and advertising differs when it comes to media space. Advertising means paying for space, PR helps convince and persuade media to take an interest in the business and push out business activities. Unfortunately, many public relations teams make some of the most common PR mistakes. Here are the top ten in our book.
Bad Timing
In life and in business, timing is EVERYTHING! More often than not, whoever is responsible for public relations does not end up getting a head start. There is lead time for magazines and other types of media, so timing out each task is extra important. Missing a deadline is not a good PR move.
Tiny Thinking
It’s hard to get the word out about something when you stick with the same old magazines, radio channels, and online news sites. Think bigger! Utilize as many platforms as possible and stop with the overused press releases. Try using suggestion stories and/or pitch letters to grab the attention of potential customers and clients. This will give them an idea of the brand and have them curious to know more.
Bad Follow-up
It’s poor form to release a story and not have all of the facts. Many businesses lose the story because they’re not fully informed. Imagine getting phone calls from people asking questions about the topic and you do not have the answers. It just looks bad, and loses the trust of anyone wanting to know more.
Over Hyping
Of course staying positive is a necessity, but overusing superlatives can get overwhelming and frankly arouse suspicion in readers. Try to remember who your target audience is and stay away from the tediousness of words like “Incredible”, “Amazing”, “Fantastic”. This is not to say that you should never use those words, just be strategic when and where they are used. Also remember to avoid generalizations and exaggerations.
Bad Grammar
Grammar, especially in the PR and marketing world, is crucial. Bad grammar not only makes your company look uneducated, it shows that you are somewhat careless when pushing out information to the public to see. This can also go for poorly worded sentences, paragraphs that are too long, and leaving important things out. If customers are asking basic questions about something, and the information is not readily available to them on your website, you’ve done a bad job including pertinent details. This could result in loss of interest and even loss of business.
Planning Trouble
We have all been in the passenger seat, getting first-hand experience with people who do not seem to have a plan. It’s not the most comfortable situation to be in, so why try winging it as a PR tactic? There needs to be a simple plan of action.
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