Today’s digitized landscape gives you several channels for outreach, providing you with a variety of options when it comes to communications and public relations. Among other strategies, you can tell your story by executing strategies for public relations and stakeholder management.

What is public relations?

Ask a team member or a client to define ‘public relations,’ and you may hear something like ‘people who write press releases, sell stuff or plan events.’  Others may say, “It’s another form of advertising.” One person we asked said, “We think public relations people write press releases as a form of ‘spray and pray’ communication.” Ouch! The PR industry needs better public relations efforts.

We start our explanation of public relations and stakeholder management by contrasting it with the more readily understood medium of advertising. Think about advertising as a presentation that you pay to deliver. It’s a one-way form of communication with your audience. Ideally, your advertising messages will align with your audience’s needs and communication style. But advertising is a monologue.

In contrast, public relations efforts and stakeholder management are conversations. You have dialogues with people to explain your brand’s value, address questions, and encourage them to engage with you. You don’t pay for those conversations; if your content is compelling, people will share it with others because they believe your message and your brand are worthwhile.

The CIPR Communications team examines the scope of public relations and offers guidance about how PR can be used to create connections. We also outline strategies for effectively collaborating with stakeholders who can help you build your brand’s value. From our perspective, public relations and stakeholder management are essential activities for fostering trust in your brand and ensuring its longevity. For more information on public relations and stakeholder, management, contact us.