PR News posed the following question: “What’s the one PR misconception you’d like to clear up?”
Some of the most common answers included:
- That if you’re a people person, that you’d be good at PR.
- That we’re still just ‘spin doctors’ trying to deceive everyone.
The misconception that I’d like to clear up is when I tell people that I want to work in public relations they go: “Oh, so you want to plan events and work with celebrities?”
Um, hello, public relations is more than planning events. Public relations professionals are some of the strongest writers and communicators. Yes, sometimes we plan events, but we also are advocates for our clients and their brands, managers of crises, media relations builders and we must keep track of emerging trends in technology and social media. Finally, entertainment is one industry that uses public relations, but you will also find our specialization in business, agency, nonprofit, health care and sports.
So I pose the question to you, what’s the one PR misconception you’d like to clear up?