Not all stories are worth telling in public relations

Going into 2015, you may be asking yourself, “Does my company really need public relations?” The answer is, truthfully, that an organization of any size cannot hope to thrive in any market without engaging its publics. Likewise, it is just as important to know when public relations efforts would be appropriate and when they would not be.

A major goal of public relations is to keep audiences aware of an organization’s recent developments. Communications professionals use PR tools to connect this information with the media, who hopefully want to investigate the topic further. These efforts generate greater brand awareness by expanding visibility and reach; however, they can backfire if not done with the appropriate information.

When deciding whether or not to share your information with the media or your publics, consider the following:

1)   What is the newsworthy aspect of your story?

2)   What about the story would engage your publics or maintain the attention of the media?

3)   Would the information be interesting to anyone outside of your industry?

4)   Would anyone actually care?

While these questions may seem harsh, they are all important to answer before using public relations tactics. You will always be excited about a new development, event or product launch, but would anyone else be? If the answer is no, you may need to wait until a more newsworthy story comes about.