Public Relations Services, Tools and Techniques

A PR specialist communicates with the public and media in their behalf in order to present them in the best light. This helps their clients create and maintain a good reputation. But it also helps them stand out from the crowd and attract attention of both the public and media.

By helping create and maintain a good reputation in the public, PR specialists and firms play an important role in the overall success of their clients. For example, an effective presentation of the products/service significantly increases the sales by presenting them in a consumer-attractive way. Politicians, on the other hand, can count on support of their voters only if they have a good reputation.

The Usual PR Clients

The most frequent clients of PR firms include: 

1. Businesses

They utilise PR services to present their products/services and the way their firms work and create a strong relationship with the customers and reach more potential buyers 

2. Non-Profit Organisations

Examples include charity organisations, schools, hospitals, etc. who use PR services as a part of fund-raising events and promotion campaigns 

3. Notable Individuals

Examples include celebrities who use PR services to communicate in their behalf with the media and their fans but PR specialists are also highly sought after by politicians who can succeed only if they have a good public reputation.

Common PR Tools and Techniques 

In order to build a relationship with the target audience and maintain it on a high level, PR specialists use a variety of tools and techniques. Some of the most common ones include:

1. Attendance at Public Events

In order to attract public attention and keep it engaged with a particular organisation or an individual, PR specialists take an advantage of every public event and the opportunity to speak publicly. This enables them to directly reach the public attending the event and indirectly, a much larger audience.

2. Press Releases

Information that is communicated as a part of the regular TV or radio programme, newspapers, and magazines achieves a much bigger impact than advertisements. This is due to the fact that most people consider such information more trustworthy and meaningful than paid adds. Press release is therefore one of the oldest and most effective PR tools.

3. Newsletters

Sending newsletters that contain relevant information about the organisation or/and its products/services directly to the target audience is also a common method to create and maintain a strong relationship with the public. PR specialists use it to share news and general information that may be of interest to the target audience rather than merely promoting products/services.

4. Blogging

To reach the online audience, PR specialists use the digital forms of press releases and newsletters but they also use a variety of other tools such as blogging and recently, microblogging. It allows them to create and maintain a relationship with the target audience as well as establish a two-way communication.

5. Social Media Marketing

Social media networks are utilised by a growing number of PR specialists to establish a direct communication with the public, consumers, investors and other target groups.

Read more: Public Relations vs Advertising

Edited by: 浪子

Bibliography

Who Needs PR Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ipr.org.uk/who-needs-pr-services.html

PR Tools and Techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ipr.org.uk/pr-tools-and-techniques.html