Many small businesses come to us with high expectations and no real idea of what PR actually involves. They have a product which they believe in and think the consumer will too. They want to make it visible, but have common misconceptions about the costs and the likely resulting coverage. Here are a few common PR misconceptions explained.Many small businesses come to us with high expectations and no real idea of what PR actually involves. They have a product which they believe in and think the consumer will too. They want to make it visible, but have common misconceptions about the costs and the likely resulting coverage. Here are a few common PR misconceptions explained:

1)     “Editorial is free” and the only cost for PR is the fees Unfortunately there are always costs of doing PR, which depends on using specialist services such as media information services, press release distribution services, and coverage clipping services amongst other things. For a small product company however the most significant cost can be that of providing samples to media, which they often fail to plan for. If you want to promote your product via editorial most journalists will want to see it, try it out and compare it against others. Whether it is the latest gadget or a new collection of chocolates the best way to get the media’s attention is to send them a sample to try which you will usually not get back. Some clients find this a little hard to stomach however it needs to be looked on as an investment; when one piece of coverage in a national newspaper can reach over a million potential customers the cost of issuing a sample is a calculated risk which can have huge return.

2)     “Giving a sample guarantees coverage.” Another misconception is that once a journalist requests a sample they will definitely cover it – wrong again. Until the journalist has a product in their hands and has tried it out they cannot decide whether it fits with their feature, whether the product will look good on the page, whether it is the best of the selection of similar products they have been sent and, ultimately, whether they like it or not. Being open and offering samples to the media does not mean instant coverage but unless they have the product they cannot cover it at all!

3)     “PRs have editorial control.” PR’s are only your gatekeepers. We have the media contacts, we have the resources to build relationships with the press and we have the know-how to get their attention – but editorial control rests with the journalist. This extends to whether they cover a story and how they cover it. As longs as they have the facts straight they can interpret it as they wish and can have an opinion (including disliking a product and saying so).

4)     “A press release equals coverage.” PR does not stand for press release. A press release is simply a tool which details the key points of a story. Journalists get hundreds of press releases each day so the key is writing a succinct press release so they understand the story quickly. Journalism is a time sensitive job, and hitting delete is quicker than wading through lots of irrelevant information. Press releases very rarely amount to coverage on their own and it is building relationships with journalists that really pays dividends in the long run. For that reason it is NOT good practice to follow up releases with phone calls unless we are able to add more to the story, personalise it better to a publication, offer a value-added or information-added element to the story for them. Press releases can still be useful even if they do not create coverage though, because they put your story or product launch ‘on the record’ online, which can be very useful as your company story develops.

5)     “Once I have a PR agency my product/service will become a national news story.” Newspapers are not promotional vehicles for businesses. Their job is to report news and not products – although some consumer features can be a way in if you really have a significant, unique, revolutionary product the competition is incredible and a small company can easily be drowned out.