The great news for the PR industry is that there are still many people that are either unaware of PR or unaware of its potential.
I volunteered to help a friend to publicise a new service that he was launching as part of his busness and having submitted a draft release he wanted to know how much the target publication would charge. I explained that they don't charge, but equally we cannot guarantee coverage. But by making the story as relevant as possible to the publication's readership and ensuring that it is genuinely newsworthy then there is a good possibility of coverage.
Many people still see PR as something that is 'free', or related to advertising; both of which are incorrect. If clients are paying for a PR company to help communicate their news then the publicity generated isn't free, by definition, and shouldn't be seen as being something of little value.
The challenge is to continue to demonstrate the value of PR and to show that we're much more than press release machines; our remit should encompass every aspect of how a company or organisation relates to its all of its publics (including staff, customers, suppliers, shareholders, local community, government agencies).
There are a number of mainly trade titles that make charges for "colour separation" (charging for content) and they are the ones that I steer clear of. Not only are they doing a disservice to their readers because editorial and advertising has effectively been merged, but they are missing the point of journalism and PR.
Have a great day.
