It’s a running joke in our industry that few outside public relations really understand what we do.
PR has the dubious honor of ranking among the 10 most misunderstood professions by parents of those in the biz, according to a survey conducted by LinkedIn. It’s right up there with data scientist and UI designer when it comes to jobs your mom just doesn’t get.
That’s OK in my book; it’s silly to be sensitive about it or to take offense when people ask if you created that cute TV ad.
More frustrating than ignorance about the practice of PR are the misconceptions and stereotypes about it. Some date from the birth of the industry, just after World War II; others are more recent media creations. They just won’t quit.
Here are the top tropes about PR people that I’d be happy never to hear again:
1. PR is all about spin. The term originated with the expression to “spin a yarn,” which isn’t a bad reference if you think about it. Public relations today is largely about storytelling. In a 1996 Esquire magazine article, “The Age of Spin,” ad critic Randall Rothenberg notes how the meaning of “spin” morphed from a synonym for “deceptive” to something more respectable with the rise of what he calls the political “media spindustrial complex.”
For most public relations professionals, though, the word is distinctly negative. More important, it mischaracterizes the job. The truth about the typical PR engagement is far more ordinary and more complicated that the word implies. Most PR pros work hard to advance a position or point of view, and we usually succeed without any compromise of integrity. In the end, it’s more about solid research, a dash of inspiration and honest negotiation than legerdemain.
2. PR is about whom you know. Not really, or at least not entirely. When it comes to the media relations piece of communications, having the right journalist contacts is useful. It helps to gain a fair hearing for your pitch, and even a negative response can offer insight on how to make a weak pitch better. Having friends in the fourth estate won’t get you very far unless the idea is solid, and currying favors doesn’t make a career.
The relentlessly networking name-dropper is a pretty dated trope in PR, particularly these days. The more important set of contacts, at least among agency pros, may be the client types who remain loyal to a PR professional even as they change careers.
3. PR professionals are “people persons.” This stereotype represents a fundamental misunderstanding of PR. It’s not the kind of customer-facing position that takes a specific kind of personality (although perseverance helps.) A successful campaign is often a collaboration—requiring relationship skills like any other—and a top PR agency executive must be able to sell ideas.
There are, however, plenty of introverts in this business. Minutes before I was set to post this, I ran across this piece by Nicole Laoutaris about why introverts actually make superior PR people. Well said, Nicole.
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4. PR people are failed journalists. It’s true that many journalists have crossed over into PR as the news media industry has contracted, but the business is neither a dumping ground nor a haven for sellouts—and there are huge differences in the skills required.
Check out Michelle’s post about the transition between journalism and PR if you don’t believe me. There’s a huge distinction between running down stories for a news outlet and advising a corporate client.
5. PR is about parties and special events . This one’s silly. Of course public relations work can involve special events, like red-carpet premieres or elaborately staged technology product launches. But those happenings are in service of a strategy, and the amount of preparation and planning far exceeds the hours spent flirting and partying.
When it comes to stereotypes, the Samantha Jones persona dies hard, but the truth is that although most people working in PR love the variety and find it fun and even inspiring, we tend to take the job pretty seriously.
Dorothy Crenshaw is CEO and creative director of Crenshaw Communications. She has been named one of the public relations industry’s 100 Most Powerful Women by PR Week. A version of this story originally appeared on her agency's blog.
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