What is "public relations," anyway?

PR Toolkit for Clubs

 

What PR is:

The Public Relations Society of American defines Public Relations as, “s strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” That’s it. Not so scary. PR is not marketing because  you’re not “selling” anything – PR is about getting people to notice you, to Imagewant to learn more about you. It’s about building and sustaining public interest. 

 

What PR is not:

  • PR is not bragging, it is sharing your story so that others will want to learn more.

  • PR is not necessarily immediate. You won’t always see a huge membership spike after you run a newspaper ad, your Facebook page may not get 100 Likes in the first week and you might have your first 10 story pitches to local media rejected. But hang in there – PR is a long-term project, not a quick fix. Think of it as planting seeds: you don't see any immediate result, but if you tend to your efforts properly, excitement about your club will eventually begin to bloom. 

  • PR is not a one-time deal. Building relationships and “buzz” takes time and consistency. And once you've built those relationships, they need to be maintained--the public might not be interested in what your club did in 1985, so you have to keep people constantly updated on your current projects and needs. 

 

Why is PR important?

  • Club Growth: How can we attract new members if no one knows what Rotary is? The days of begging our friends and family to join are over – we need to reach a new, young, busy audience.

  • Building Public Support and Goodwill: Rotary does a lot for our local communities—so why doesn’t the general public understand what Rotary is? PR is not about getting credit for our good deeds, it’s about building credibility. We want to build a strong reputation so that the public will want to partner with and support us.