{"id":6154,"date":"2019-08-16T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T05:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gtm360.com\/blog\/?p=6154"},"modified":"2022-03-09T14:44:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T09:14:13","slug":"pr-not-free-but-delivers-more-bang-for-less-buck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gtm360.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/16\/pr-not-free-but-delivers-more-bang-for-less-buck\/","title":{"rendered":"PR – Not Free But Delivers More Bang For Less Buck"},"content":{"rendered":"

After reading this half page article on Dunzo in ET PRIME<\/strong><\/a>, a customer,\u00a0Anshuman Shrivastava<\/a>, Director Toptier Energy Services and ex-Banker,\u00a0commented that PR is free, unlike advertising.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Not true. Even if it appears that way at first blush.<\/p>\n

You pay for both PR and Advertising, just to different people.<\/p>\n

In Advertising, you pay an ad agency and for media. In PR, you pay a PR agency and for sponsored media – and, in addition, incur opportunity costs.<\/p>\n

Before I deep dive into the costs of PR, here’s a quick primer on how the industry works. (While this post is baselined on print media, almost everything I’ve written here is also applicable to blogs and other digital media.)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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PR PRIMER<\/a><\/h5>\n
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  1. Supply of editorial content far exceeds demand for it<\/li>\n
  2. You can\u2019t dictate the content of an article<\/li>\n
  3. Articles may deviate from the topic of your discussions with the reporter<\/li>\n
  4. A journalist won’t run an article past you before filing it<\/li>\n
  5. Headlines may bear a quirky relationship with what you discussed with the reporter<\/li>\n
  6. PR has strict deadlines not set by you<\/li>\n
  7. You can\u2019t decide when your article will appear on print.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    PS: Notwithstanding its print-oriented title, this primer is equally suitable for digital media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    These characteristics of the media industry introduce many costs that are often overlooked.<\/p>\n

    #1. PR AGENCY<\/strong><\/p>\n

    In a mainstream publication, supply of editorial content far exceeds demand for it. According to anecdotal evidence, the mismatch can be as high as 5X i.e. if a newspaper prints 20 pages of editorial content, there are at least 100 pages of content vying for that space.<\/p>\n

    Therefore, you just can’t release an article and expect a newspaper to print it. Editors decide what goes in and what goes out on the basis of newsworthiness, topicality, and many other factors. They’re also not accountable to contributors (or the public) for their decisions.<\/p>\n

    As a result, PR is a quagmire. To navigate through it and earn press coverage on a consistent and scaleable basis, you need a PR agency. That could mean pricey retainers.<\/p>\n

    #2. FIREFIGHTING<\/strong><\/p>\n

    You can\u2019t dictate the content of an article – even when it’s about you, your company or your products.<\/p>\n

    A lot of industry people think that they alone know the subject matter and expect a reporter to just print whatever they say. Sadly, media doesn\u2019t work like that.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    https:\/\/twitter.com\/AngelaDSaini\/status\/1130101237049974785<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    What @AngelaDSaini says about scientists is true of journalists in every field. Including IT.<\/p>\n

    In a previous life as head of marketing in an ERP company, I was responsible for media relations. I certainly knew a lot about ERP but most of the mediapersons I interacted with at the time were equipped adequately to probe my claims, challenge me with counterclaims and, sometimes, throw curveballs at me.<\/p>\n

    The way journalism works, the information you supply to a journalist is only one of the many inputs collected by him or her. They take what you give, ask you questions, consult others including your competitors, find out a suitable angle that they believe will resonate with the reader, and pen the article accordingly. Published articles may often cover a different – albeit related – topic than the one you discussed with the reporter. Everything you said in your one hour 1-on-1 meeting with the reporter may be condensed to just one or two quotes in the article, which may also have quotes from your competitors, customers, partners, and other stakeholders in the overall ecosystem.<\/p>\n

    No journalist worth their salt will run an article past you before filing it. So you won\u2019t get to weigh in on an article before it appears on print. The article-as-published may even mention you in a not-so-positive light.<\/p>\n

    You can\u2019t do much about it other than write a rebuttal letter to the editor. There’s no guarantee that your letter will get published. Even if it’s published, it won’t get the same visibility as the original article that carried the negative mention. As the old saying about newspapers goes, “Accusations appear on the front page, denials on the fourteenth page and apologies on the last page between salami ads”.<\/p>\n

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    Further proof that the old adage about newspapers – "Accusations appear on 1st page, denials on 14th page, & apologies on last page between salami ads" – is still valid.
    https:\/\/t.co\/QzqKlE306l<\/a><\/p>\n

    — Ketharaman Swaminathan (@s_ketharaman) January 20, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n