How to Give Your Organization What It Needs to Succeed in Today’s Competitive PR Environment

In my years of experience in branding and communication, I’ve identified some key approaches crucial for overcoming challenges in the increasingly volatile and competitive workplace. Today, it is important to keep in mind the challenges that PR professionals face, evaluate the current landscape, learn how to succeed in the workplace and understand how professionals can support their organization’s success.

These are the four pillars that form the basis of effective public relations:

• Identify the action to take and the message to share
• Determine when to execute
• Decide how to craft the message and which medium is best used to spread awareness
• Clarify the target audience and execute the type of communication that best serves them

To build upon this foundation, PR professionals should keep the following best practices top of mind:

Know what your organization wants from you, how you can deliver and what your company really needs.

The key to delivering is to be sure you don’t try to carry out more projects than you can accomplish. Do one thing at a time and do it right. In addition, professionals should understand how their company operates and be able to support all the different working parts.

Discover what skills you truly require in your organization.

Some of the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace; being analytical, a good communicator, a strong writer, strength in networking and being able to collaborate. It is also important to give credit where it is due and being able to fail fast and learn from mistakes with grace.

Finally, professionals must be able to go beyond these PR skills and have superb knowledge of their company’s business. Being able to understand what your organization needs and having the right skills will guarantee success in today’s competitive environment while helping you gain a seat at the table.

Furthermore, it is important to understand how to handle bias, fake news, cancel culture, and other media trends. Right now, sensitive topics are becoming more prominent in society’s climate, and professionals must be equipped to effectively work through these conditions. Executives are under pressure to become more outspoken about company policies. With all the problems in society and the growing exigence of transparency and honesty, PR professionals need to understand how to effectively guide clients.

Figure out how to get a seat at the table and gain your organization’s trust.

To acquire your organization’s trust, you cannot solely rely on your experience; you must earn trust through recognized action. Professionals must ask themselves how they add value for both their company and their clients. There is great importance in how you position yourself in your company and getting to know those you work with.

But remember that everyone must start slowly—it takes time to gain trust and credibility. Do not come in as a big wheel, but rather as a person who wants to help.

Conclusion

In the current landscape, PR has never been more important. We are currently dealing with misinformation, Meta, Facebook, TikTok, spying, lying and other factors that make public relations both crucial and challenging for PR professionals. News media is fading, and other platforms are instead taking over. In today’s environment, it is important that professionals understand how to add value to their organization, whether on the agency side or the client side.

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This blog post was based on a talk Terry presented to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) – Houston chapter in February titled “Strategies for Overcoming PR Challenges in the Workplace.” 

Terry has over 40 years of branding and communications experience, from advising two U.S. presidents to working in top management in several high-profile companies. He is also on the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin and Rice Business teaching Communication Strategies and Crisis Management.

This article was researched and supported by our intern Daisy Martinez.