Many organisations believe that well-defined Public Relations (PR) is defined in the back bone of the company. They describe it as the practice of managing and disseminating information from an organisation to the public, in order to affect their public perception. In business, PR is defined as the practice and techniques and strategies of managing and guiding perception of your business to attract new customers and strengthen the loyalty of existing customers Whereas some may dismiss their duties, specialists say that public relation practitioners have various duties but foremost work so hard to build the brand’s reputation and the image of the organisation in a certain industry. “Public relations practitioners are the company’s image both internally and externally. They should manage how others see and feel about the brand or company and focus on maintaining a positive corporate image while handling media requests and shareholder inquiries” James Kisakye, managing director of KISA ltd says. He adds that advertising is the controlled use of media ensuring that your message reaches your audience in exactly the same form and time you intend as a public relation. Advertising can be print, broadcast, or web-based. Gaelle Gikundiro, a private consultant says, annual reports not only provide information on the organisation’s financial situation but also act as a vehicle for enhancing corporate image among its various internal publics. She adds that the internet has increasingly become one of the most important communications tools available in public relations. “Writing for the web is challenging and exciting and can garner results often more quickly than any other format” As far as writing is concerned in media, these are legal pitfalls to avoid as a public relation practitioner. Poor timing and choice of language According to Gikundiro, jargons and buzzwords do not impress editors who have little time to read all of the press releases that flow across their desks. Get to the point in plain and simple language. Poorly written press releases Errors, omissions, poorly worded sentences, lengthy copy, and poor structure are all pitfalls that land press releases in the trash. You need to grab the reader’s attention, get quickly to the point, and follow up with information about the event or activity. Keep it concise and include all pertinent details. Too much hype If you desire superlatives and get tedious you can arouse suspicion in readers. Remember that you’re appealing to the news media, so supply them with supported facts, and avoid generalizations and exaggerations. Press releases without purpose Like the boy who cried wolf, if you send out press releases every time there is a minor development in your business, people will stop listening. And when something really important occurs, editors will already be in the habit of hitting delete when they see a press release from your business. Do not try to make stories where they do not exist. Some publicists actually do this to look busy and justify their billing. No newspaper knowledge Too many people attempt a public relations campaign in a vacuum. Reading the papers keeps you abreast of what is going on in the world. This benefits you in two ways. First, you can use local and even world events as tie-ins to your news. Secondly, you can avoid poorly timed media releases. Lack of plan You cannot do public relations by winging it. It is hard to know what to do next if you have no plan of action. You need to determine where, when, and how you are going to proceed. You also need to be flexible and have backup plans should all else fail. Staying inside the box You should explore all the social media networks and use them if possible. All businesses stick with the same newspaper and radio plugs. There are many other means to reach out and generate attention. In fact, some publicists now use pitch letters to suggest stories, rather than sending the overused press and media releases.
