7 element of good PRO

Over this past weekend, dozens of people forwarded the NYTimes article on “PR in Silicon Valley” (and Arrington’s snarly response) to me in emails freighted with opinons and questions.

“Is this good PR? … Is this what you do? … Do you agree with Hammerling or Arrington? … This is bullshit! … This is awesome! … Would you have ignored the tech bloggers like the PR pro in this example? … Do you know Larry Ellison, too?”

First off, you should know that a deep and thoughtful response to this latest flap can be found on Brian Solis’s blog.  My own take is simplistic by comparison.

What is good PR?

1. Good PR is telling the client what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear.  Good PR recognizes that the best “PR strategy” needs to be followed-up with the client’s good products/services or else it’s all a vain and wasted effort that harms everyone’s reputation.
2. Good PR is not just about the over-glorified launch.  Good PR helps build and sustain a groundswell of brand support — incrementally changing consumer behaviors via a steady stream of relevant and candid communication to both “media” and “consumers.”
3. Good PR celebrates the client’s customers in an inclusive, non-exploitive way.  And, good PR welcomes the input of “neutrals” and especially “critics,” and adapts strategy accordingly.
4. Good PR is proactive in idea generation and responsive in a crisis.  Good PR finds the balance.
5. Good PR is measurable.  (And yet also hard to measure, since most clients want to measure different things.)
6. Good PR leverages pre-existing relationships with influential people — relationships built on trust and credibility earned over years of service.
7. Good PR doesn’t need to know Larry Ellison or Kevin Rose or anyone in particular in the media, either.  Even though such relationships can come in handy, good PR almost always “gets ink” because a good story has been well-told to the right people.

These “7 Elements of Good PR” may seem simplistic and high-falutin’, yet they sum up 17 years’ worth of hard lessons in this industry.  PR is hard work, strategic work, underpromoted and infinitely interesting work —  hard to describe or appreciate until you’re in the trenches.

If you’ve been in these trenches — think carefully — what am I missing?