The Public Relations Process

Throughout history, corporations have used public relations as “free publicity” to market goods and services. While this tactic, remains the media channels have evolved. One of the first media channels used where newspapers. Nowadays, There are numerous outlets to garner publicity and sway public opinion on goods and services such as Internet, radio, television, magazines and social media among others. Public relations, as defined by PRSA, is “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics” (2015, P.3). It basically helps build positive dialogue between the company and the public. This paper will elaborate on the public relations process from the earliest form up to the present. The “old way” of doing public relations (PR) predominantly involves press releases, which are statements issued to newspapers or media outlets. Organizations use these statements to update the public on current developments within the company such as new products and corporate news. Other “old school” examples involve faxes, mail, phone interviews and “sitting down with a reporter face-to-face to tell them about your client’s news rather than through an email response” (onechocolatecomms.com, 2012, P. 5). While these

The main methods of PR involved releasing statements through the newspaper, press releases and radio spots. With technological innovations becoming present the television has become a major presence in the field of public relations. But the biggest trend that helped changed the landscape of PR was the birth of the Internet and Social Media. The Internet has made PR cost effective while reaching millions, if not billions, simultaneously. This technological shift has become beneficial to Corporations since they no longer have to seek out PR firms, for they can save time and effort by doing it