I've been working in public relations for nearly 13 years and I still get asked that question on a semi-regular basis by friends, family, countrymen, and every so often...myself. So, I figured now was as good a time as any to attempt to explain my occupation. Plus, I was struggling to come up with a good blog topic this week. So, today's blog becomes a giant plug for me and my clients.
I was going to post the definition of PR as adopted by the Public Relations Society of America, which is the world's largest organization of spin doctors. The PRSA is the grand poobah of our profession, comprised of the "best of the best" collection of "professional communicators" who can easily take a ridiculously complicated story and boil it down into a format that everyone can understand. And their definition is 378 words.
Here it is in a nutshell: I get paid to persuade all types of journalists (newspaper, magazines, online, TV, radio, etc) to write or report on my client or their product/service.
At least that is what we do at Schwartz Communications. My actual job is split between speaking with reporters, managing the five teams that I am a part of, and communicating with my clients.
A lot of people wonder if PR is similar to advertising. Not at all, but both functions have the same purpose: to communicate some type of message - "Our software is the best!" "This book will change your life!" "Eli Manning is the Antichrist!" - to the public.
With advertising, that message is completely controlled and paid for: through either an ad in the paper, a commercial on TV or radio, or a banner ad on the internet. It is a direct attempt to sell you something and you know it.
With PR, that message is delivered to the public through a journalist in the form of a story in the paper or on TV. Because reporters are supposed to be impartial folks who are interested only in news that benefits their particular audience, these stories are perceived as significantly more credible than advertising. Although a company's message cannot be completely controlled this way, the way in which it is delivered more than makes up for the loss of total control.
Simply put, ask yourself this: What is going to resonate more?
- A full page ad in the paper from Store X that says, "Our prices are the best around!"
- A half page article in the same paper by a reporter who analyzed all the stores in the area and concluded that Store X's prices are the best around.
And yes, it is frustrating being repeatedly turned down, although my dating life prepared me for a steady onslaught of rejections.
On the flip side, it is not easy being a reporter, as they are deluged with e-mail and phone calls from PR folks all day, and most of what they get is pure crap. However, from my perspective, it is incredibly annoying when I provide a reporter with a legitimate story idea that is not responded to or taken seriously. What do I mean? Glad you asked. Here are the 5 things I am currently working on:
Prostate cancer #1
WHAT IS IT? One of my clients makes a test that can help figure out if a person's prostate cancer is one of the majority that will grow slowly and likely never pose a serious threat or whether it is one of the few that will grow quickly and could result in death.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because this information, which until now had not been possible to come by, helps doctors figure out if patients need to undergo treatment, which almost always results in really nasty and sometimes permanent side-effects (like impotence and incontinence). Then again, if you're a guy and don't care about having sex and being able to pee without a catheter, you probably don't care.
REPORTER RESPONSE: Reporters who cover prostate cancer consistently talk about the need to tell the difference between benign and aggressive disease, which is exactly what this test does. However, because this test has not yet been the topic of a paper in a leading medical journal, reporters pay it no attention. Despite the fact that we have papers from the same journals proving the science behind the tests works AND there are docs around the country who are currently using it.
Dental impressions
WHAT IS IT? A very cool technology that produces a 3-D digital dental impression by allowing dentists to scan the inside of a person's mouth with a small camera.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Ever have a traditional dental impression taken? It's disgusting: a liquid goop is squirted into your mouth (hey, get your mind out of the gutter) and over the course of 5 minutes, hardens into a putty that is yanked out. Impressions are taken for anyone who needs a crown or bridge, but because the impression is made of putty, it is usually flawed and the resulting crown or bridge almost never fits right, meaning patients have to go back to the dentist all the time for adjustments and/or replacements.
But a digital impression is done in half the time, without the goop and the crown or bridge fits perfectly.
REPORTER RESPONSE: Many TV reporters like this story, because it is extremely visual and easy to tell on television. As for everyone else? Forget it. Know why? Because health reporters typically don't care about dental stories, which are not a matter of "life or death."
Instead of a story on advances in dentistry, which affects just about everyone, reporters write story after story about the rising number of obese people in the world. OK. We get it. Obesity is a problem. Thank you.
Prostate cancer #2
WHAT IS IT? A system that uses technology similar to the GPS in your car to deliver a more accurate burst of radiation treatment in men with prostate cancer.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? It is normal for the prostate to move a few millimeters in different directions due to normal physiological functions (coughing, breathing, etc.). When this happens, the radiation beam can end up hitting some healthy tissue or organs right next next to the prostate, leading to some unpleasant side-effects. With this new technology, the exact location of the prostate is known at all times, so if it moves, the radiation beam can be adjusted. A more accurate dose of radiation is delivered and the irradiation of healthy tissue can be avoided.
REPORTER RESPONSE: A slightly diminished argument here. Most of our efforts are focused on working with reporters in cities where this technology is located. For the most part, reporters are eating this story up. However, national reporters tend to avoid stories on specific products because they feel like it basically serves as a commercial for said product. Never mind that it actually, you know, helps people...
Airplane airbags
WHAT IS IT? It's an airbag, rolled up into the seatbelt you wear around your lap. In the event of an impact, it deploys and fills the space between you and whatever is in front of you (seatback, bulkhead, etc).
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because contrary to public perception, most (about 80%) airplane accidents are survivable, as they happen during takeoff or landing, when the plane is closest to the ground and flying at relatively low speeds. In many of these cases, people who die aren't killed by the impact, but by an inability to get out of the plane before they are overcome by smoke and fire, which generally happens after about 90 seconds. Why are they unable to get out of the plane in time? Because they are often knocked unconscious by the impact. The airbag is designed to prevent that from happening.
REPORTER RESPONSE: The airbag has been on the market for 8 years. Because it is not new, most reporters are not in a rush to cover it. This despite the fact that there is just about zero level of awareness in the general public. Does this make any sense to you? However more and more airlines are starting to put these on planes, so to their credit, reporters are at least paying attention.
OSA
WHAT IS IT? OSA stands for obstructive sleep apnea, a disorder that officially affects 18 million Americans (unofficial estimates peg that number between 20-40 million). OSA is a silent killer - most people don't know they have it and up to 90% of those who have it aren't diagnosed or treated.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? Because if you have it and don't treat it, you will probably develop other conditions that can shorten your life: heart attacks, strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, etc. In addition, those with OSA may suffer from sexual dysfunction, depression, migraines and are significantly more likely to cause a car accident, due to driving while barely being able to keep their eyes open.
REPORTER RESPONSE: Generally pretty good. Our campaign has facilitated more than 2,000 stories in just about 5 years. However, once a reporter writes about OSA, they generally don't want to cover it again for a long, long time. This despite the fact that new discoveries are made about the seriousness of the condition all the time - links to other diseases, etc. One of the most common things we hear from reporters is, "I already wrote about it, so I'll need at least a year before I cover it again." Of course, the same reporter writes about breast cancer or obesity every other week. In fact, the USA Today has a reporter who only covers obesity and weight loss regimens. It makes no sense: as a nation, we are bigger than ever. But because "weight loss" is a hot topic with health reporters, it will be written about ad nauseum.
Of course, I admit that the examples above are written with bias, as it is my job to promote them. Still, ask yourself: are any of these 5 things so trivial or useless that you wouldn't want to know about them?
Oh, while you are at it, ask yourself one more question: are you still awake?
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