7 Elements of “Good” PR

While the communications industry constantly evolves alongside new technologies, channels and tactics, some things will always remain. What does “good” PR look like, then? Here are some of the cornerstones of what SHIFT considers a strong communications program:

1. Good PR is telling stakeholders what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear. Good PR recognizes that the best “PR strategy” needs to be followed-up with good products/services or else it’s all a vain and wasted effort that harms everyone’s reputation.
2. Good PR is not just about the over-glorified launch. Good PR helps build and sustain a groundswell of brand support — incrementally changing consumer behaviors via a steady stream of relevant and candid communication to both “media” and “consumers.”
3. Good PR celebrates customers in an inclusive, non-exploitive way.  And, good PR welcomes the input of “neutrals” and especially “critics,” and adapts strategy accordingly.
4. Good PR is proactive in idea generation and responsive in a crisis. Good PR finds the balance.
5. Good PR is measurable. (And yet also hard to measure, since most businesses want to measure different things.)
6. Good PR leverages pre-existing relationships with influential people — relationships built on trust and credibility earned over years of service.
7. Good PR doesn’t need to know Larry Ellison or Mark Zuckerberg or anyone in particular in the media, either. Even though such relationships can come in handy, good PR almost always “gets ink” because a good story has been well-told to the right people.

Though our strategies and tactics continuously evolve, the fundamentals of good PR have not changed and will not change.