Public relations does not equate to a press release. For many this is a hard concept to wrap ones head around, but it’s a key principle to understand. Why open with this?

It’s been a busy week publicity wise for PR. A recent article in the New York Times Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley has caught the attention of many of us that practice public relations as a profession and got me thinking. We may not be in Silicon Valley, however I think the topic and article are reflective of perceptions in many industries.

I found the article interesting and somewhat amusing. I also found it to be narrowly focused and a poor representation of the actual craft of public relations. Sadly, many, many companies miss that PR is/can be the quiet powerhouse of a sustainable marketing plan if understood and used well.

In sitting down to write about PR I happened across one of my favorite industry blogs PR 2.0 via a Twitter feed. Instead of recreating the ‘spin’ on what PR is and can be, again. I won’t. I encourage you to read Brian’s blog post PR does not stand for press release. In my humble opinion it’s well done and dead on.

As you develop a marketing plan I encourage you to include PR in the mix. I think you’ll find that you can build a solid and powerful plan whereby PR can help you sustain relationships with your audience during dips and valley’s brought on by new line introduction, launches and events.

Until next week.