How to Optimize Your ROI Through PR

There is so much talk about the importance of Public Relations, but what exactly is PR? The Public Relations Society of America defines it as: “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

While this definition gives a great overarching definition, it doesn’t tell much about exactly what an excellent public relations specialist actually does. To help us understand the process better, we asked GEM’s own Director of Public Relations, Janel Noblin, to break down the major components of her field:

1. Strategizing: In today’s global world, a PR campaign goes well beyond sending out a press release; it is all about strategizing. The specialist must:

1. Know the brand inside and out
2. Know the brand’s competitors—what they are doing/talking about
3. Set goals: both long-term and short-term
4. Position the brand: focus on what makes it stand out (e.g., a specific platform or agenda)
5. Identify the target audience
6. Identify the target media
7. Monitor the media — what people are talking about, what’s trending, and how to incorporate that into the brand’s PR strategy
8. Consistently monitor the ROI and adjust strategy as needed

2. Media Relations: A PR specialist must be confident when reaching out and engaging with the media. This outreach requires a very specific skill set:

1. Thorough understanding of different media (i.e., local, national, global, online, print, broadcast [TV, radio, podcasts, videos], etc.)
2. Perseverance
3. Ability to express thoughts clearly and succinctly — media folks don’t have a lot of time on their hands
4. Ability to take rejection — not everyone’s going to be into or ready for your story idea
5. Positive ongoing relationships with media outlets
6. Ability to work under pressure and react professionally in a negative situation
7. Reliability — no media professional is going to work with a PR specialist if he or she doesn’t provide them with what was promised and on time

3. Content Creation: PRDaily.com explains, “At the very minimum, PR practitioners should be able to write content in a variety of formats including news style, first-person blogs and listicles. More important, they should know how to produce rich multimedia content—such as photos, videos and graphics—so their content stands out in the age of scrolling social media feeds.” Therefore the specialist must be:

1. A story teller
2. Persuasive
3. A strong written and verbal communicator

Our PR guru Janel explains, “The role of a Public Relations specialist is varied and changes from day to day. However, the specific skills mentioned above are essential in achieving a high ROI and overall success for your brand.”

With the right PR specialists, you can watch your brand grow in more ways than you thought possible. So if you are ready to have your brand’s story told by an award-winning Public Relations team, reach out to us at GEM, and watch your publicity skyrocket.

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• Public Relations
• Analysis
• Strategy
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