The PR Journey: What all should you know about Public Relations?

What is Public Relations (PR)?

Thus far, we are acquainted with the concept of Public Relations, or PR. Maintaining regular contact with clients, waiting for their responses, and then waiting for clearance has always been a taxing task for the company’s talent as well as an expensive one. However, we might also ignore the fact that correlative work contributes to public relations.

What is Public Relation?

Managing and distributing information from a person or an organisation to the public with the goal of achieving awareness and credibility for the party while communicating their objective to the audience is known as public relations. The distinction between publicity and public relations is that the former is contributed to and controlled by outside sources, while the latter is not. In any organisation, the concept of public relations is essential

Public relations’s mission is to enlighten and convince the general public, potential clients, partners, investors, employees, and other stakeholders of the organisation, its leadership, its offerings, and its political decisions.

When and how did public relations become a thing?

In 1900, public relations, often known as the publicity bureau, became a recognized profession in modern PR. Established in 1924 by Basil Clarke, who founded Editorial Services, the PR profession in Britain is credited to him. Though it has been around for more than a century, its origins can be traced back to India in the 1950s, when a group of public relations professionals led by Kali H. Mody founded the PR Society of India in 1958 in Bombay. He was the body’s leader until 1960, when Arthashastra S took over.

Press releases and media relations constituted the majority of PR in India in the past. However, PR has evolved into a more strategic and diverse field as a result of the rise of digital media and the growing significance of reputation management.

Different types of Public Relations:

1. Media relations

One facet of public relations is media relations, which include cultivating good working relationships with journalists, reporters, broadcasters, and other media personnel. The aim of public relations is to strengthen a business’s reputation by obtaining favourable media attention.

2. Strategic Communication

In order to continue having good client communications, this kind of PR is crucial. For improved results By planning each individual public relations effort, this kind of PR can assist organisations in better achieving their objectives and strategic aspirations. To create a coherent strategy, the PR team needs to be aware of the organisation’s strategic interests.

3. Public affair

Public affairs is a form of public relations that involves efforts to lobby or persuade government officials to enact certain policies or pass legislation. It might also focus on enacting public change through efforts to build relationships with politicians and other decision-makers.

4. Internal communications

Building a strong rapport between a company and its staff is the main goal of this kind of PR. It assists in bringing executives’ and workers’ interests into alignment in order to lower turnover and boost satisfaction. Organisations that have good internal communications can also boost productivity by streamlining internal procedures and increasing efficiency.

5. Online and social media communications

PR teams on a tight budget may find online and social media communications helpful since they offer the opportunity to reach a large audience at a fraction of the price of traditional media.

4 steps in PR Process: ‘’The RACE Concept’’

1. Research

Research is one of the most important steps while functioning for public relations operations. Public relations is a true management function that uses research to identify problems and solve them, prevent and manage crises, improve organisational policies, make organisations more accountable to their publics, and establish and maintain long-term relationships with them.

2. Action

It also entails intricate tasks like action monitoring and verification. An organisation can better grasp its position in the market and choose its course of action with the aid of these actions. In the corporate sector, public relations is crucial for drawing in new clients and keeping hold of current ones.

3. Communications & Planning

To achieve your desired goals, planning is important for every aspect. What to do, how to do, when to do, it is a pack of concepts that efficiently fulfil your desired task.

It is important to communicate clearly, effectively, and seamlessly between the organisation and its stakeholders. If done correctly it helps bridge the gap, build brand awareness and manage reputation for the organisation.

4. Evaluation

In public relations, evaluation is the process of determining whether a PR team, campaigns, or projects were successful in order to properly plan for the future. It is evaluating the success of campaigns and utilising data to assess whether a strategy needs to be modified or replaced completely.

A Brief History of PR

Before the 18th Century

Saint Augustine served the imperial court in 394 AD as what is now known as a public relations director. To help the church, he would frequently give eulogies to the emperor and the general public. Looking back, we would consider what Saint Augustine did to be a press conference.

Public relations’ original purpose was to control and influence public opinion through mass psychology and sociology, however its actual inventor is still up for question. Nevertheless, in its early days, PR was criticised for occasionally being a significant kind of propaganda.

18th Century the age of print

With the development of the printing press, propaganda became widely used. Many people used public relations at this time to promote a variety of causes. Benjamin Franklin, for example, used the printing press to advance education, strengthen national security, and oppose slavery.

20th Century the age of Mass Media

For the past few centuries, people have turned to public relations to forge lasting bonds and uphold a favourable public perception.

Public relations expanded in tandem with technology. The development of mass media, such as radio and television, allowed for the global dissemination of ideas and opened the door for some of the most successful public relations efforts in history.

Public Relations’s Place in the Current Environment

These days, public relations (PR) in India encompasses a broad range of tasks like influencer marketing, digital PR, event planning, and crisis communication. The current state of PR agencies in India is highly dynamic; the PR sector has expanded dramatically as a result of the growing use of digital and social media platforms.

The current state of PR agencies in India is highly dynamic; the PR sector has expanded dramatically as a result of the growing use of digital and social media platforms. Additionally, as PR specialists are in charge of upholding their clients’ reputations, their work is now more crucial than ever in the present climate of false information and fake news.

Some blazing Public Relations Trends 2024

• Authenticity

Genuineness is a vital industry trend and a crucial success factor for brands.

Public relations experts need to make sure that brands have a true voice and a sincere conviction in their values.

• Social media growth

Social media will begin to be seen as a useful support tool by public relations methods that have historically placed a high emphasis on coverage in traditional tier 1 media, such as the Financial Times or Wall Street Journal. This dynamic will start to change thanks to PR experts who are skilled in managing social media and the media.

• Influencer marketing

In 2024, influencer marketing is going to be a major PR trend, whether we like it or not. Among the many different kinds of influencers that are appearing online are accounts with millions of followers on Instagram and micro-influencers on TikTok.

• Personal connections with the brands

Consumers hold brands in high regard. Consumers expect brands and leaders to be connectors, whether it’s bringing customers and various viewpoints together or connecting individuals. How can a brand establish a connection with its audience? Trust is crucial. It’s also crucial that the ideals of the brand line up.

• Industry collaboration

In the tech sector, this is particularly true. Technology is designed to make people’s lives better. Its goal, it may be said, is to innovate as a society — not simply as an individual or a single company. Recognizing this is a trend for 2024.

Conclusion

So far we have observed that the new and emerging trends for the concept of public relation has increased in a favourable way till 2024. Help in maintaining relationships with the clients internally as well as externally for better growth of any organisation.

To remain in the forefront of public relations. You need to adopt new and materialise trends of public relations.