As a former agency man, clients viewing comms as a mysterious dark art was sometimes convenient. But as an in-house communicator, should I set my colleagues straight on what is and is not part of the secret recipe of PR?
What are these dark arts I speak of? There are a handful that crop up regularly. And perhaps in-house, where there are fewer comms experts, they’re more exaggerated.
A classic idiom, and one that’s certainly a myth, is the ‘little black book’ of good contacts, which is the route to securing success. This stereotype has the corporate comms director drinking (or golfing) with journalists too – and this is the route to favourable write-ups.
In my view this has never been the case. The story is always paramount.
Of course, all myths have a hint of truth. Good relationships with the right journalists – often built over many years by being honest, responsive and helpful – can get your foot in the door. Conversely, the act of pitching a sub-standard story can damage that relationship and set you back in future. So you have to be selective.
Related is the idea that you can ‘call in favours’ to get a story into the media. Or to keep one out. There is the rare occasion when you can promise something juicier to a journalist, or, for negative stories, you can legitimately point out factual errors or give key context to help redress the balance.
But the idea of horse-trading favours is certainly for the birds. Similarly, the typical comms director knowing hundreds of journalists (we don’t have time), or being able to ‘spin’ a bad news story… both baloney. You can also replace journalists for politicians and coverage for ‘access’ where public affairs is concerned. I’m sure you, the reader, will have your own examples of how our fine profession is misunderstood. Please do share.
To debunk or not to debunk?
So should we use energy to debunk these myths and educate the business on the real state of play in comms? Surely having your colleagues see you as a master manipulator or Mr Wolf-style fixer could only be a good thing?
The mystique around PR and media operators implies that it’s a risky and tricky craft (which it is). This has the positive effect of dissuading colleagues from engaging directly with media themselves – a recipe for disaster when the comms teams aren’t looped in.
And in a world where some companies don’t have communications represented at the highest levels, maybe we comms folk should take all the kudos we can get – whether myth or reality – when it comes to how we’re viewed in the boardroom? If ‘fake it till you make it’ holds any water, then maybe it helps to let convenient untruths persist?
But on balance, I do think that greater transparency is a better long-term plan, because so much of communications is hard graft rather than flair. Being clear on what happens behind the PR curtain simply serves to illustrate that, rather than maintaining that there are some clever shortcuts being used to game the system.
Foundations built on sand
Plus, who wants to have expectations placed on them that aren’t built on firm foundations? I might have leant into some of these stereotypes in the past (earlier in my career, of course), and it only takes one unreasonable ask that you can’t fulfil to expose you.
Being clear about the real process behind the magic also lets the true ‘stereotypes’ shine through; that you’re often the person telling the hard truths to the higher-ups, that your role is both strategic and creative, and that strong communications is central to good company culture and shapes how the world sees your organisation. That is exactly why comms directors are now relied on for broader strategic counsel, not just as media spin doctors.
Finally, I think this type of myth-busting is important if you’re going to live your own values as a communicator. Socrates put it well: “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear.”
I guess that’s an Ancient Greek way of counselling against ‘fake it till you make it’ and instead recommending ‘be it till you are it’. Which I think sounds rather philosophical.
Chris Blackwood is head of comms at Border to Coast Pensions Partnership