The Internet has changed the way PR operates, but it has not eliminated the importance of traditional media: the broadcast networks and print publications that continue to trumpet the nation’s business and public policy agenda. While e-mail may now be the first line of contact between journalists and PR pros, the real work (as noted above) happens on the phone.  

The new curve ball in this game is the blogosphere­the informal but vast community of online commentators and opinion makers­that is increasingly influencing what the mainstream media considers news. These quasi-journalists are playing more of a role, even if they lack proper credentials, because traditional media is now reading them. As the lines separating mainstream and Internet media continue to blur, it becomes more complicated to determine how to reach people who matter to clients. 

For instance, we still follow the tradition that it is best to put news out at the beginning of the week, but that is really more habit than necessity. The tradition stems from when weeklies went to press, but that is less critical now to disseminating a message. As if to underscore this flux, we are watching rates for TV and radio advertising go down and rates for online advertising go up.   

One problem with the Internet is that it publishes corporate news verbatim. That may seem like a strange complaint coming from a PR person. We certainly appreciate the direct channel to various audiences, and we relish the ability to provide content to various sites on a regular basis­a practice that was less common when a printing press or broadcast outlet figured into the equation. But unfiltered corporate news can diminish the importance of the editorial function. If stories lose the credibility/reliability that independent journalism provides, who is to say what’s newsworthy? Editors play an important role in creating an informed society, and it’s vital that journalism retain its place in this culture. That said, journalism as we have known it is changing. Not to sound anachronistic, but I believe PR as a discipline is very much invested in a system that has worked well for years. 

The most important role of the PR firm CEO is choosing the right people to be on a given client team. I’m looking for a match in terms of team member experience, expertise, and­always­chemistry. In my firm, I write plans as a means of securing new business, with the help of strategic staff members and support staff. What’s interesting is that even though we do a good deal of homework, we still feel like we’re in a vacuum when we craft these plans; at best, we’ve had a briefing or two before developing a detailed plan of action. It’s a snapshot of our thinking, and that’s often enough to give clients a sense of comfort. Prospective team members contribute to this process.

Our client base tends to consist of young companies just starting to develop a brand identity. Typically, they call us in to launch a company or move a product. Some have worked with agencies before­at least in previous positions­and some are on the rebound from an unsuccessful experience. 

PR firms generally work with a liaison in the client’s marketing department, although they also sometimes work with the client company’s CEO. PR is much more effective when the CEO is highly engaged in the communications process. I think about two recent clients. One company was just starting out online. The CEO was a brilliant idea guy with no real concept of the online world. He essentially threw out his ideas and let the marketing people clean up the mess. The lack of direction -­ which started at the top and flowed throughout his organization and into ours -­ severely hampered our collective efforts. This back-and-forth, start-and-stop style of management simply isn’t conducive to formulating and conveying a clear, powerful company message.

At the same time, we began working with another company whose CEO had extensive, high-level experience with online companies. He came up with a vision and is working with us and his own internal PR team to refine and implement that vision. We obtain real-time feedback and work in an atmosphere of collaboration. That is the right way to lay the groundwork for a successful PR campaign.

It’s traditional in the PR business for relationships to endure -- ideally, for years at a stretch. While many agencies do some project work, typically they hope to keep their clients indefinitely. Most focus on their clients and the goals articulated throughout the PR planning process. Companies realize that PR firms are performing a function that is necessary in the business world -- they absolutely must communicate with their various external constituencies (and a host of internal audiences as well). How they communicate -- via the news media, via analysts and pundits, via the emerging community of bloggers, via customers and partners --- varies widely, but communication itself is not an option.

Public relations isn’t advertising. It cannot be evaluated using the metrics that advertisers require to support their expenditures, whether promoting a brand or a product. There are “ad equivalency” measures in PR, but they don’t reflect the inherent power of editorial -­ which, after all, isn’t for sale at any price. Most CEOs would agree that nothing matters more than corporate reputation. It is that power and credibility that make public relations so challenging for PR professionals and clients alike. Clients need to have a somewhat longer time horizon and appreciate that it’s precisely the lack of control we all have over the editorial product that makes it so valuable.

All of this isn’t to say that success can’t be measured -- only that PR metrics tend to be qualitative and strategic rather than quantitative and tactical.