Sept. 23, 2024
Beyond the Pretty: Understanding the True Value of PR
The player is loading ...
That Solo Life, Episode 267: Beyond the Pretty: Understanding the True Value of PRIn this Episode
In this episode of That Solo Life, co-hosts Karen Swim, APR and Michelle Kane dive into the evolving landscape of public relations and marketing, particularly focusing on the value of strategic thinking in our professions. We kick off the conversation by reflecting on how the perception of PR has shifted over the years—from being seen as mere party planners to now being equated with the creation of visually appealing content, such as social media reels.
Michelle highlights the importance of recognizing the intent and expertise that goes into crafting effective communication strategies, emphasizing that beautiful outputs are often the result of meticulous planning and seasoned thought. Karen adds to this by discussing the challenges faced by PR professionals and marketers in a world where the demand for our skills is being eroded by the rise of multi-hyphenates and the casual approach some take towards our professions.
We explore the implications of this shift, particularly how it affects our livelihoods and the perception of our expertise. Both hosts share personal experiences, noting that many in the field have taken non-traditional paths to their current roles, which adds to the complexity of how our work is valued.
The discussion also touches on the role of AI and the allure of quick fixes in marketing and PR, contrasting these with the deep, analytical work that truly drives outcomes. We acknowledge the frustrations of journalists, especially in the political realm, as they navigate a landscape where content creators are gaining prominence.
As we reflect on the importance of our roles, we emphasize the need for PR professionals and marketers to elevate their own standards and educate others about the true nature of our work. We advocate for a collaborative approach within the industry, aiming to uplift the entire profession rather than create divisions between independents and those in traditional roles.
Throughout the episode, we stress that clients will always need skilled professionals to tell their stories effectively. We highlight the intricate thought processes that go into our work, from crafting headlines to managing crises, and the necessity of being recognized for the value we bring.
In closing, we encourage our listeners to take pride in their profession and to share this episode with others who may benefit from understanding the depth and complexity of what we do. Join us as we continue to champion the importance of strategic thinking in PR and marketing, and strive to preserve the integrity of our professions for future generations.
Episode Timeline:
- 00:00:00 - Introduction to That Solo Life
- 00:00:18 - The Value of PR and Marketing
- 00:00:48 - Misconceptions About PR and Content Creation
- 00:02:05 - The Importance of Expertise in PR and Marketing
- 00:03:43 - The Evolving Landscape of PR and Journalism
- 00:05:00 - The Complexity Behind Simple Outputs
- 00:06:31 - The Role of Independents in the Industry
- 00:08:31 - The Need for Storytelling and Guidance
- 00:09:41 - Raising Standards in PR and Marketing
- 00:10:42 - Job Misconceptions and Industry Challenges
- 00:12:10 - The Value of PR Professionals
- 00:13:01 - Conclusion and Call to Action
Enjoyed the episode?
Please leave a review here - even a sentence helps. Share and tag us (@SoloPR, @SoloPRPro) on social media so that we can thank you personally! Your support helps us keep bringing you insightful content every week. Thank you for tuning in!
That Solo Life, Episode 267: Beyond the Pretty: Understanding the True Value of PR
Michelle Kane [00:18]-[00:32]: Thank you for joining us for this episode of That Solo Life, the podcast for PR pros and marketers who work for themselves. People like me, Michelle Kane with Voice Matters, and my wonderful co-host, Karen Swim of Solo PR Pro. Here we are again, Karen, ready to talk shop.
Karen Swim, APR [00:32]-[00:47]: Isn't it great? It is great. Hi, Michelle. It is really great to be here with you again. Hello, audience. We're so excited. And we are ready to dive into our topic of the day. What are we talking about today, Michelle?
Michelle Kane [00:48]-[02:05]: Some things that kind of relate, you know, we always want to focus on our value as strategic thinkers, as public relations practitioners, some of us as marketers, some of us do both of the things, the integrated route, and just, you know, things that are happening out there, right? I think we've seen them, we've seen it a lot, you know, content creators making gorgeous content, And kind of like back in the day when PR was mistaken as just glorified party throwers, now it's almost like, well, you know, you made a pretty reel, so that's PR. Well, it's a beautiful, shiny tool in our toolbox, but behind that beautiful, shiny video was a lot of intent and precise thinking and seasoned thought of why you need to do that. So, you know, we have that happening. We've seen the butting of heads a bit with the DNC inviting content creators and some political journalists getting a little unhappy about that, hey, you're in my seat kind of thing. So there's, there's some things going on, and they, they kind of align in a way, I think.
Karen Swim, APR [02:05]-[04:19]: I think that they really do, too, because I think this goes back to what we discuss a lot, as you said, is, you know, how our services are valued. And, and that's really important to all of us as professionals, because value also equals demand for your skill set. And demand for your skill set plays into how you're paid and able to make a living. And we have these forces. So we have, you know, our jobs really being eroded, because many of us are, you know, as Kashana Evans often says, multi-hyphenates, you know, I myself worked in marketing prior to actually becoming a PR practitioner. And then, you know, I had already started working in PR when I actually got my APR. And so I know that a lot of other people took that pathway as well, where it wasn't necessarily they went to school and got a degree in it and started and, you know, took a traditional route. Many people did not. And I think it's really important for us, though, to understand that, you know, we know, with marketers, the same things happen. You, people see the pretty side of what we do. They see the outputs. And they don't realize that to get outcomes, it does take expertise. It takes, you know, you can't just craft beautiful marketing materials. You actually have to do some research. You have to do SWOTs. You have to understand the audience. There's so many other steps involved. You have to be able to, you know, measure and make adjustments based upon analytics. Although, I will say that, you know, the barrier to entry for all of our professions as people can just jump in and say whatever they want to say they can call themselves whatever they want to call themselves and some people like tom brady are learning on the job oh that does my my philly eagles heart good Did you like that? Sorry, Brady fans, but it's true. I noticed I did not say anything negative, but he is learning on the job. And I think that other seasoned analysts agree that is the consensus.
Michelle Kane [04:19]-[06:04]: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, with time, with time, he will progress. No, it is so true. Because, I mean, there is the APR, you know, you can pursue graduate degrees in what we do. But for the bulk of it, we are traveling. It's not like being a teacher where you have a certification you can hold up or being a physician where people call you doctor. But we are every bit the professionals in our field because we are the subject matter experts. And I think too, and I think many of our listeners are on the more seasoned end. There is a lot that goes into what we do, but there is also a good portion of that that does come second nature at this stage, right? You can just kind of eyeball something and go, okay, I know what we need to do, but then of course you still have to back that up. So just because it might come a little easier to you does not diminish the value. There's the whole, what's the old fable about chopping down the tree or something, or while I was sharpening my ax, anyway, you can insert an old adage there. But there is something to that. It's like, you're not paying me for the five minutes it took me to do it. You're paying me for all the years and sweat equity and, you know, the pain and suffering that got me here. To be able to do this for you. And there is value in that. And, you know, I think there's room for all of us to work together on these things. But at the end of the day, you know, just speaking to clients, there's no easy fix. There's no quick. quick fix.
Karen Swim, APR [06:04]-[08:31]: They want it to be, right? They do. The easy and the pretty. So, you know, AI, as opposed to, you know, actual human intellect, using AI as a tool, or, you know, pretty, you know, reels that, you know, go viral, or that they think will go viral, or things that look nice and look pretty, and not really concerned about, because they don't understand how to really measure the success of that. And And, you know, that's in, not only on the B2C side, that's on the B2B side as well. The only time that, you know, I've seen companies not maybe fall into this trap quite so easily is when it's such a highly technical product or service that they really are looking for people that are super knowledgeable in that particular field. outside of that, you know, companies, you know, fall into the same thing. And I, you know, we feel for the journalists. However, I would say to journalists, particularly political journalists, because some of the best political reporting, in my opinion, these days is really coming out of substack. So these are political, you know, journalists doing their own thing. And, yeah, I could say that about every profession. I have a client that says the best of the best are eventually, if they're not already independent, they're going to go independent. Because why wouldn't you, as a top performer, take your highly specialized and in-demand skills to the open market and leverage them to create exactly what you want to create, work how you want to create, and be authentic. And I think we're seeing a lot of that where independents may stand apart from those people that are in traditional jobs because we have more control over what we do and who we do it for and what we charge for it. And that's not to say there's not a role or value in our in-house friends, but just an interesting observation that I think as a profession, we want to uplift the entire profession and not just say, We're solos and we've got it better than you do, but we want to make sure that we preserve this for the next generation, even as we evolve, because we think, you know, we all know that professions do evolve and grow as times change.
Michelle Kane [08:31]-[08:57]: Absolutely. We do. And clients, they're always going to need someone to tell their story. It doesn't matter. And they're always going to need someone who can, what's the word? I work in words, and I don't have words. Not safeguard, but really just a safeguard, guide that story, really just be the champions of that. Oh, definitely.
Karen Swim, APR [08:57]-[10:42]: You know, the way our minds work, every single thing, from writing a simple headline to creating a campaign, we are running crisis scenarios in our head, without even thinking about it, in addition to thinking about the audience and what's going to resonate with them and thinking about how that aligns back to key messages. And how does that all tie back to the overall objectives? I mean, there are so many things rattling around in our brain. This is why we don't have hobbies. We have time when you have all of these things that are going on in your mind at one time. And, you know, of course, organizations don't always realize that. Because again, they see the outputs And it's up to us to reinforce the outcomes. But I think, you know, I would say, for PR professionals and for journalists, we've got to, we've got to lift ourselves up. We have to really do a better job of standing apart from those who might be casually performing the job. The best of the best of us really need to shine. And we need to be the ones that are the guiding light for those that may be coming into the profession, or those that might be slacking. Again, I do think that it's up to us to raise the tide. And, and that's why, you know, being our best and really educating what true journalism is, what true PR is, what true marketing is. We're not leaving out our colleagues in marketing, because you suffer from that same false view about your job. And it's not about just pretty marketing materials. It's so much more rich and complex than that.
Michelle Kane [10:42]-[11:35]: It is. It is. And I'm sure you scan job listings here and there, and it's still something that's running rampant. It's something that I see on two fronts. In fact, it's benefited me because sometimes I get work out of it. The company's trying to tough it out and add marketing and PR onto existing positions. Well, we're trying to do it ourselves. I always say in a kind way, I say, well, you already have a job and you don't expect the rest of us to do what you do ourselves. There's a place for everyone and why are you making life so hard for yourself? Then there are those who I'm sure we've all seen those administrative assistant job listings where 30 percent of your job will be social media marketing, creating flyers. I'm like, really?
Karen Swim, APR [11:37]-[12:49]: Yeah. Companies definitely are trying to save money and not hire people, but you still have to make smart decisions. And I know that our social media marketers in the group cringe because your jobs definitely are misperceived. It takes more than knowing how to use a platform. That's not social media marketing. That's not hiring a social media professional. So Yeah, you know, it's, it's wild that there are certain positions, and, and we all fall into this realm, where it's wildly misunderstood what we do, the nuances of what it takes to really do the job, the complexities, and then the value that it really delivers that you never see. You know, the fact that you are not on the nightly news, the fact that your company is not in headlines, you know, thank your PR professionals for thinking through things, because companies can come up with things and they just don't think in the same way that we do. I'm not saying that they're not smart, but they see what they see from the lens of how they view business. And they might miss things that we see as a headline, basically.
Michelle Kane [12:50]-[13:16]: Right, right. We are the ultimate in troubleshooting. That's our job. Well, we hope this has been enlightening for you, and we hope this has built you up and is getting you ready for your day, and you just want to go out there and go, yeah, our profession's amazing. And if you do, please share this around. Please check us out at soloprpro.com. And until next time, thanks for listening to That Solo Life.
Michelle Kane [00:18]-[00:32]: Thank you for joining us for this episode of That Solo Life, the podcast for PR pros and marketers who work for themselves. People like me, Michelle Kane with Voice Matters, and my wonderful co-host, Karen Swim of Solo PR Pro. Here we are again, Karen, ready to talk shop.
Karen Swim, APR [00:32]-[00:47]: Isn't it great? It is great. Hi, Michelle. It is really great to be here with you again. Hello, audience. We're so excited. And we are ready to dive into our topic of the day. What are we talking about today, Michelle?
Michelle Kane [00:48]-[02:05]: Some things that kind of relate, you know, we always want to focus on our value as strategic thinkers, as public relations practitioners, some of us as marketers, some of us do both of the things, the integrated route, and just, you know, things that are happening out there, right? I think we've seen them, we've seen it a lot, you know, content creators making gorgeous content, And kind of like back in the day when PR was mistaken as just glorified party throwers, now it's almost like, well, you know, you made a pretty reel, so that's PR. Well, it's a beautiful, shiny tool in our toolbox, but behind that beautiful, shiny video was a lot of intent and precise thinking and seasoned thought of why you need to do that. So, you know, we have that happening. We've seen the butting of heads a bit with the DNC inviting content creators and some political journalists getting a little unhappy about that, hey, you're in my seat kind of thing. So there's, there's some things going on, and they, they kind of align in a way, I think.
Karen Swim, APR [02:05]-[04:19]: I think that they really do, too, because I think this goes back to what we discuss a lot, as you said, is, you know, how our services are valued. And, and that's really important to all of us as professionals, because value also equals demand for your skill set. And demand for your skill set plays into how you're paid and able to make a living. And we have these forces. So we have, you know, our jobs really being eroded, because many of us are, you know, as Kashana Evans often says, multi-hyphenates, you know, I myself worked in marketing prior to actually becoming a PR practitioner. And then, you know, I had already started working in PR when I actually got my APR. And so I know that a lot of other people took that pathway as well, where it wasn't necessarily they went to school and got a degree in it and started and, you know, took a traditional route. Many people did not. And I think it's really important for us, though, to understand that, you know, we know, with marketers, the same things happen. You, people see the pretty side of what we do. They see the outputs. And they don't realize that to get outcomes, it does take expertise. It takes, you know, you can't just craft beautiful marketing materials. You actually have to do some research. You have to do SWOTs. You have to understand the audience. There's so many other steps involved. You have to be able to, you know, measure and make adjustments based upon analytics. Although, I will say that, you know, the barrier to entry for all of our professions as people can just jump in and say whatever they want to say they can call themselves whatever they want to call themselves and some people like tom brady are learning on the job oh that does my my philly eagles heart good Did you like that? Sorry, Brady fans, but it's true. I noticed I did not say anything negative, but he is learning on the job. And I think that other seasoned analysts agree that is the consensus.
Michelle Kane [04:19]-[06:04]: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, with time, with time, he will progress. No, it is so true. Because, I mean, there is the APR, you know, you can pursue graduate degrees in what we do. But for the bulk of it, we are traveling. It's not like being a teacher where you have a certification you can hold up or being a physician where people call you doctor. But we are every bit the professionals in our field because we are the subject matter experts. And I think too, and I think many of our listeners are on the more seasoned end. There is a lot that goes into what we do, but there is also a good portion of that that does come second nature at this stage, right? You can just kind of eyeball something and go, okay, I know what we need to do, but then of course you still have to back that up. So just because it might come a little easier to you does not diminish the value. There's the whole, what's the old fable about chopping down the tree or something, or while I was sharpening my ax, anyway, you can insert an old adage there. But there is something to that. It's like, you're not paying me for the five minutes it took me to do it. You're paying me for all the years and sweat equity and, you know, the pain and suffering that got me here. To be able to do this for you. And there is value in that. And, you know, I think there's room for all of us to work together on these things. But at the end of the day, you know, just speaking to clients, there's no easy fix. There's no quick. quick fix.
Karen Swim, APR [06:04]-[08:31]: They want it to be, right? They do. The easy and the pretty. So, you know, AI, as opposed to, you know, actual human intellect, using AI as a tool, or, you know, pretty, you know, reels that, you know, go viral, or that they think will go viral, or things that look nice and look pretty, and not really concerned about, because they don't understand how to really measure the success of that. And And, you know, that's in, not only on the B2C side, that's on the B2B side as well. The only time that, you know, I've seen companies not maybe fall into this trap quite so easily is when it's such a highly technical product or service that they really are looking for people that are super knowledgeable in that particular field. outside of that, you know, companies, you know, fall into the same thing. And I, you know, we feel for the journalists. However, I would say to journalists, particularly political journalists, because some of the best political reporting, in my opinion, these days is really coming out of substack. So these are political, you know, journalists doing their own thing. And, yeah, I could say that about every profession. I have a client that says the best of the best are eventually, if they're not already independent, they're going to go independent. Because why wouldn't you, as a top performer, take your highly specialized and in-demand skills to the open market and leverage them to create exactly what you want to create, work how you want to create, and be authentic. And I think we're seeing a lot of that where independents may stand apart from those people that are in traditional jobs because we have more control over what we do and who we do it for and what we charge for it. And that's not to say there's not a role or value in our in-house friends, but just an interesting observation that I think as a profession, we want to uplift the entire profession and not just say, We're solos and we've got it better than you do, but we want to make sure that we preserve this for the next generation, even as we evolve, because we think, you know, we all know that professions do evolve and grow as times change.
Michelle Kane [08:31]-[08:57]: Absolutely. We do. And clients, they're always going to need someone to tell their story. It doesn't matter. And they're always going to need someone who can, what's the word? I work in words, and I don't have words. Not safeguard, but really just a safeguard, guide that story, really just be the champions of that. Oh, definitely.
Karen Swim, APR [08:57]-[10:42]: You know, the way our minds work, every single thing, from writing a simple headline to creating a campaign, we are running crisis scenarios in our head, without even thinking about it, in addition to thinking about the audience and what's going to resonate with them and thinking about how that aligns back to key messages. And how does that all tie back to the overall objectives? I mean, there are so many things rattling around in our brain. This is why we don't have hobbies. We have time when you have all of these things that are going on in your mind at one time. And, you know, of course, organizations don't always realize that. Because again, they see the outputs And it's up to us to reinforce the outcomes. But I think, you know, I would say, for PR professionals and for journalists, we've got to, we've got to lift ourselves up. We have to really do a better job of standing apart from those who might be casually performing the job. The best of the best of us really need to shine. And we need to be the ones that are the guiding light for those that may be coming into the profession, or those that might be slacking. Again, I do think that it's up to us to raise the tide. And, and that's why, you know, being our best and really educating what true journalism is, what true PR is, what true marketing is. We're not leaving out our colleagues in marketing, because you suffer from that same false view about your job. And it's not about just pretty marketing materials. It's so much more rich and complex than that.
Michelle Kane [10:42]-[11:35]: It is. It is. And I'm sure you scan job listings here and there, and it's still something that's running rampant. It's something that I see on two fronts. In fact, it's benefited me because sometimes I get work out of it. The company's trying to tough it out and add marketing and PR onto existing positions. Well, we're trying to do it ourselves. I always say in a kind way, I say, well, you already have a job and you don't expect the rest of us to do what you do ourselves. There's a place for everyone and why are you making life so hard for yourself? Then there are those who I'm sure we've all seen those administrative assistant job listings where 30 percent of your job will be social media marketing, creating flyers. I'm like, really?
Karen Swim, APR [11:37]-[12:49]: Yeah. Companies definitely are trying to save money and not hire people, but you still have to make smart decisions. And I know that our social media marketers in the group cringe because your jobs definitely are misperceived. It takes more than knowing how to use a platform. That's not social media marketing. That's not hiring a social media professional. So Yeah, you know, it's, it's wild that there are certain positions, and, and we all fall into this realm, where it's wildly misunderstood what we do, the nuances of what it takes to really do the job, the complexities, and then the value that it really delivers that you never see. You know, the fact that you are not on the nightly news, the fact that your company is not in headlines, you know, thank your PR professionals for thinking through things, because companies can come up with things and they just don't think in the same way that we do. I'm not saying that they're not smart, but they see what they see from the lens of how they view business. And they might miss things that we see as a headline, basically.
Michelle Kane [12:50]-[13:16]: Right, right. We are the ultimate in troubleshooting. That's our job. Well, we hope this has been enlightening for you, and we hope this has built you up and is getting you ready for your day, and you just want to go out there and go, yeah, our profession's amazing. And if you do, please share this around. Please check us out at soloprpro.com. And until next time, thanks for listening to That Solo Life.