As we see on a cyclical basis, public relations pros take a beating. While many are sticking up for their profession, we don’t always help ourselves. So, in the spirit of a PSA, have a look at the below words and phrases that should be banned from every PR pros’ vocabulary and branding brainstorm session.
Buzz: What are you a bee? Buzz implies short-attention-span, fleeting. What about generating conversations, talk, exposure, etc.
Spin: Tops spin, I don’t. Being a “spin doctor” or other usage of the word implies you’re not being straight, avoiding the truth.
Flack: Like spin, it sounds flaky, sounds too much like plaque and just sounds derogatory.
Hits: When talking about the success of a news release (see next) or story pitch, we often talk about the hits or number of media placements it received. (Guess, if you’re going to pitch, you want hits?) In some cases, hits is a good term, but there are better terms. Particularly, in social media, you’re dealing with people. Not hits. So, keep that in mind and don’t dehumanize your media audience.
Press Release: Use news release instead. Maybe I’m picky, but we don’t deal with just newspapers (as in printing presses!). It’s a news release. It’s about news, not a press. I’ll accept media release if you want to be PC. Same goes for press conferences. They’re news conferences, please.
Now that I got that off my chest, what words and terms did I miss that we should ban?
-Mike
How about honest?
Maybe truth?
There wouldn’t be words like spin if companies were honest and truthful - 100 percent.
And really news release?
Honestly, are a majority of releases news as we would have considered them news sitting in a Journalism 101 class. Probably not. Just publicity. Maybe publicity releases?
So and so appointed to VP of some position in a company. Is that really news? Does anyone care outside his family?
Was he appointed to change the direction of the company? Was he appointed because the last person screwed up? Maybe made some legal or ethical violation?
I would run a company appointment position as news if it were honest.
Joe Smith was appointed Vice President of Federal Savings and Loan after the last vice president drew the ire of Federal investigators by using depositors money to charm his girlfriend, the bank’s auditor. Both have been fired. A replacement auditor is expected to be appointed next week.
That would be an honest news release.
Short of that, most of what we read from companies is half-truths designed to sell or increase profits.
Mike
Well, honestly, I’m getting tired of “conversation” mostly because it has lost all meaning. I’d also like to see the whole PR v. Bloggers meme retired.
A quick point about the comment left by Mike Brice: I believe most publicly-traded firms have to send out releases if there are changes at the leadership level, along with a bunch of other regulations of things they have to make public and the news release across the wire services is the quickest/sanest way to comply with these requirements. Government regs probably account for a fairly large number of news-free “news” releases.
Clients who think every minor color change on the gizmos they produce is “newsworthy” also account for a fair number of worthless releases too.
Jen
Jen: Yeah, “conversation” is becoming a bit overused.
Mike: Having sat & practiced on both sides of the journalism-PR (really, media relations) fence, I can see your point — to a point.
Honesty and being truthful should be assumed, but they’re not. In public relations, you may not need to give all viewpoints of an issue (like those of your competitors), but you do have to be accurate, honest and not mislead.
While I hate lawyers who have too much, un-common sense influence in news, there are legit protections a company must take. And, why someone left is rarely included.
Even with newspapers, “news” is a relative term. Think of it — most news in newspapers is negative. Why? Because most of what happens in life is postive or just mundane. What stands out and is different — the news — is negative. Is that really worthwhile all the time?
For media relations, a good PR pro will counsel his/her client or company and use his/her news value judgment to distribute real news. And, yes, real news does include high-level personnel changes.
-Mike
Mike you are not being picky. It’s not a press release. It’s not a media release. It’s a news release.
The local Port Authority is a perfect example of PR gone bad.
PR is being used to cover up mistakes, misdeeds and perhaps illegal activity.
Was public money used to entertain a mistress?
Was the board asleep at the wheel?
How much does the Port Authority really do?
I can see that its efforts at the Toledo airport have really paid off. I bet that within two years there will be no commercial passenger flights there. Currently, there are three flights daily to only two cities.
Maybe if the Port Authority had hired a real lobbyist instead of the director’s girlfriend, the results at the airport would be different.
I want to know before I am voting to give them more of my tax dollars.
Mike
The best of the compilation was “Buzz”!!
Agree with Mike Brice.Here in India, the appointment of any Tom, Dick and Harry ,from a less important post in a bigger firm to a relatively better post, in a nondescript firm elicits a press.. err..news release.:)
Grrr..
It was interesting to read…you have some great information on your blog. Your insight and expertise would be a welcome addition to our new community, i hope you will consider joining
and thanks for sharing!
MikesPoints NOTE: Tim: I removed the URL link as your comment looks like spam or a poor tactic to generate leads to your site. IF I’m wrong, comment again and explain why I should keep your URL link. –Mike