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The perfect PR plan – as much about attitude as content

October 19, 2018/Rachel Hargrave
When it comes to an effective PR plan the difference between success or failure may be just as much to do with attitude as content.

Now, you may think that’s a strange comment to come from a PR specialist like us, and there may be a small degree of ‘tongue in cheek’ when we say it, but in truth we have seen some really fabulous campaigns fail to hit their anticipated mark because there simply wasn’t a high enough level of support being received from the top.

So why does there need to be 100% buy-in from the board of any company who want to undertake PR?  Well, the planning of a sustained campaign may just be Stage 1, but it is of tantamount importance.  In putting together the very best PR plan there are actions to be agreed and assigned – if there are stakeholders within that process who aren’t fully committed to the part they have to play, or indeed are reluctant to provide their valuable time when it is needed, then the campaign loses momentum just at the time it is needed most.

Now, it’s not that we are saying that there’s magic in PR and it won’t work if people don’t believe in it, but if a business owner or senior manager doesn’t see how the plan is going to come together then their individual actions may not be quite as ‘on message’ as they could otherwise be.  Worst still, if the audience can detect that the voice they are hearing is not one which comes from the heart of the business it will fail to achieve the kind of impact it might otherwise have done.

As the individual actions within the PR plan start to come together and reach the desired audience that audience then starts to look that little bit closer at the company who have all of a sudden come onto their radar.  As they start to engage they expect everything they see and feel to match the PR message which first pricked their attention.  If, upon this further scrutiny there is even just a suspicion that the business behind the hype doesn’t match their expectations, then the buzz which has been created will slowly fade away without really achieving much in the way of tangible benefits.

At RDZ we have a huge amount of experience when it comes to PR success.  We will, of course, lead our clients through their PR journey, but we do also make it quite clear right from the start that true impact, and therefore results, come when everyone is not only on board but are enthusiastic participants throughout.  Of course, this also means that we all tend to have just that bit more fun as we go along and, whilst not essential, we’re sure our clients will agree that it can be a very welcomed distraction from the other stresses and strains of day-to-day business life.

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Rachel Hargrave

Rachel has over 30 years of local, regional, national and international communications experience and expertise across a wide variety of clients including FTSE 100 companies, SMEs, micro businesses and start-ups. She also has extensive charity, Not-For-Profit and Community Interest Company experience and happily offers clients working in these areas a 50% discount on all RDZ PR rates.

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