The power of PR (and why I love it)

By Lindsay Baldry, Head of Campaign Quality 

What is public relations? And what does it mean to me?

Well, by definition public relations is “the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behavior.” Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

Having worked in PR for the last 15 years (eek!), I can say in my own words that it is the art of engagement – whether that’s reaching a new external audience to build your brand presence, communicating internally to ensure an aligned, motivated team, or engaging with existing stakeholders (be that customers, investors or partners) to maintain and enhance reputation. PR is all of these things and so much more. That’s why it’s kept me engaged for all these years! 

As I reflect on World PR Day and the reasons I love public relations, I can say with pride that PR is a powerful tool and here’s why:

1. Credibility

PR is unmatched in its ability to generate credible, third-party endorsements for your brand. Whether this is a piece of thought leadership content in a leading industry publication, a speaking slot for your SME (subject matter expert) within a panel discussion or a successful award entry, there’s nothing like PR to showcase your expertise and credibility in a sector. 

2. Shareability 

The credible content I mentioned above is a dream for any marketer. The opportunities created for sharing and repurposing are immense. A PR campaign alone creates enough content to fuel all your brand awareness efforts across marketing channels (website, social, email etc). 

PR is so much more than the magazine coverage itself. It’s only when you share it via your owned channels and use it to spark conversations with your audience (think sales enablement) that you realize the true power of PR within the marketing mix. 

3. Online Visibility

As I touch on above, PR is just one part of the marketing toolkit and there are ways it can complement your digital efforts. PR coverage can fuel your social content and can be repurposed into owned content for your website. Not only that, media relations (or should I say outreach) can be used to secure backlinks to your own website. As well as generating obvious referral traffic, these links can also enhance the domain authority of your own website, increasing its chances of ranking in the search engines. If optimized for relevant keywords, PR coverage can also rank well organically in search, providing another means for your audience to find you. 

Reflecting on World PR Day

If the above reasons aren’t enough – there are many more reasons why I love PR. For a start, PR has taken me to some wonderful places – from beautiful Switzerland (possibly my favorite location!) to the bright lights of New York and the streets of Slovakia. It has also taken me to some less glamorous locations – National Bus conference in Birmingham anyone? 

In the process, I have met some wonderful people and made friends for life. Which brings me on to my final sentimental point…the truly loveable team I work with today at ramarketing. As I read the blogs of my fabulous colleagues in celebration of World PR Day, I feel thankful for the time I get to spend with such a passionate, super canny, supportive, talented, fun (I could go on…) bunch.

That’s the wonderful world of PR.  

Happy World PR Day!

Lindsay Baldry
Head of Campaign Quality