My RANT: Why PR is Technically a Sales Job

Wkipedia defines public relations as “Public relations, abbreviated as PR, primarily concerns enhancing and maintaining the image for businesses, non-profit organizations, events or high-profile people, such as celebrities and politicians. But my definition is a bit different.” But today, PR is technically a sales job.

Just as the role of marketing has been redefined from one that drives awareness to a function that drives revenue, the PR role now needs to be redefined too. Why? Because PR professionals target buyers of all types. Let’s do a back of the napkin analysis of who they target.

• Buyers of your products or services – Customers: No longer  solely for journalists, press releases are now key sources of information for the general public. They not only create awareness of your offerings, but also remain in searchable form for direct buyers of your product/services to learn more about your company. Beyond the press release, PR Pros help distribute key messaging via articles, blogs, reports, social media and speaking engagements, and more. All of these activities can (and will) lead to a sale in a manner that traditional advertising simply can’t touch.
• Buyers of Your Company – Investors. PR is a key component of positioning companies for future growth. Companies seeking investment opportunities, leverage PR to show their value in the marketplace by promoting their thought leadership, highlighting the uniqueness of their products and services, as well as their influence in strengthening the community. Larger companies have an “Investor Relations” department which is a specialty of PR. This role is primarily focused on serving the finance community and handles shareholder briefings, corporate governance, crisis management, press conferences, annual reports and more.   Analyst Relations can also fall in this category.
• Buyers of your news  – Media. In this case, what PR pros are selling must be newsworthy content. “Media Relations” is a subset of PR which focuses on building relationships with the media to consume your stories. Since journalists and bloggers are in constant need of material to share with their readers, it is imperative that PR professionals become familiar with key media influencers and become a valuable resource for them. In the end  payment will take the form of free publicity which has high end value.

In sum, all of these people have to be “sold” something meaningful and relevant to their day to day lives in order for them to become loyal “customers.” And since this is the case, my assessment is that PR professionals are really salesmen in disguise. Now, they just have to figure out a way to measure their impact on the sale. Easier said than done. Stay tuned for a post on PR measurement!