Fluffy “PR Bunny” Style PR vs. an Industry with Pride
PR professionals work long and hard every day, fighting for mindshare in a crowded marketplace – on behalf of their Clients in a targeted and well thought-out manner. This does not involve the blanket sending out of news announcements to every media contact they have (a frequent mistake PR bunnies would make), or agreeing to hold a press conference for a Client when there is no real news as that’s what was asked of them. Another big “no no” is calling up media contacts they are friendly with and asking them to publish an editorial, news story, or interview for their Clients as a favour . This is just outright poor behavior, to be avoided like the plague. A story, pitch, campaign and more needs to stand out on its own merits. A true PR professional adding value to his/her Clients understands this and always works on creating communications and opportunities that are relevant, impactful and of value to the target audiences no matter who they are whilst being in line with the PR campaigns objectives.
The “PR Bunny” stereotype is one that often casts a shadow on the PR industry and the professionals who work hard and smart every day, driving strategic communication campaigns for their Clients. This is not to say that PR bunnies don’t exist, but they are too often hyped up and used to beat their more serious counterparts on the head with, perhaps influencing colleagues to push a weak story to the media, making something out of nothing and hence jeopardizing the Client’s credibility as well as the PR Agency’s.
PR professionals who are successful and happy in their career are passionate about the industry and what they do every minute of the day, staying tuned into the news or other mediums related to PR, not restricting themselves to working hours — basically staying up-to-date with their fingers on the pulse 24/7. They also need to constantly brush up on many skills that are key, including writing, pitching (master the elevator pitch), strategic planning, creative thinking and application, media training, key messaging, crisis management handling, social media — and more. As you can see, being a true PR professional is no easy feat. They operate in the field of reputation management — a very sensitive field. No room for PR bunnies in it.