PR myths by Marc Jampole

Many public relations people are headed in the wrong direction, says Marc Jampole of Jampole Communications.

In an article in post-gazette.com, he says, "Every profession has its myths that are eradicated through time and advances in knowledge. In the 17th century, physicians thought they could break fevers by opening a vein and letting the patient's blood flow out. And in the 1920s, some prominent physicians prescribed deadly radiation treatments to promote longevity. In the medical profession, these and many other myths have long ago given ground to rational, scientific analysis. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for public relations. To an alarming degree, public relations practitioners, especially at agencies, continue to make important strategic decisions based on myths developed in long-dead eras."

The myths in PR, Marc Jampole says, are: 1. Always release bad news, and never release good news on Friday afternoon.
2. You have to write long case histories to attract feature coverage
3. I have friends in the media who will cover the story

I frankly do not know whether these are real myths abroad. In Indian PR, however, I believe the last two may be two abiding myths.

Read the entire article here