PR language and colloquialisms?

October 7, 2005 2:27 PM

Anyone work in the wild and wooly world of Public Relations? I'm curious about industry-specific lingo and utterances. What do people in the public relations industry call it when a Press Release/Video News Release, etc. gets picked up in the media just as they'd hoped? Is it a success? A hit? A what? What are the commonly used terms of success or failure? Are there differences between terms used in public and the ones used near the water cooler? Are there any specific pieces of vocabulary, and what do they mean? Any PR lingo is much appreciated....
posted by kahboom to writing & language (6 comments total)

It's a "hit". (I'm not in that world myself but I've dated one of its residents.)
posted by nicwolff at 2:56 PM on October 7, 2005

I am a Public Relations pro and yes, media coverage is called a hit. There are different kinds of hits (print media, broadcast media, online media, blogs) but they're all collectively referred to as hits.

Traction - used when a press release has gotten widespread pickup by the media.
Buzz - what's making news.
Spin - taking what's probably bad news and sugarcoating it so it looks like good news.
Leveraging - using press hits to drive sales.
Branding - using a consistent phrase to describe your company in a very concise way (i.e. ESPN - The Sports Leader, Disney - The Happiest Place on Earth, etc).
I'm sure there are dozens of other terms I use every day that I don't consider lingo but they are. If I remember anymore I'll drop back in and add them.
posted by fenriq at 3:26 PM on October 7, 2005

Just be sure to refer to any city as a "market", no matter what the context.
For example, "I grew up in the Orlando market." You'll fit right in.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:20 PM on October 7, 2005

(some of this is lingo, but some of these are also things I first-and only-experienced when working in PR. fenriq already covered the basic stuff anyway.)

Pitching means to present an idea to someone in hopes of convincing them to cover your client/choose your agency to represent them/actually read your press release, etc.

B-roll is background video provided to news outlets to run when they cover your story, which is useful when you can't get a cameraman from the station to film whatever it is you want him to film. News stations love it because it's less work for them, and we love it because we get to prepare all the shots to our liking.

Editorial calendars are schedules that magazines and other publications will distribute a year in advance going over what each issue is going to cover. For a magazine like Cosmo, for example, obviously there'll be a "Spring Fashion" and "Fall Fashion" edition, but they'll also let you know that in February they will include features on cosmetic surgery; testimonials, some horror stories, the different options, etc. So, if your client uses some really innovative procedure, you can pitch someone at Cosmo your story and if they decide to include your client as one of their "recommended" procedures, it's a hit. I know that's not lingo, but it is something not well known outside of PR/marketing.

Clippings are news stories re: an PR agencies clients. Depending on the client, they may want you to collect them in a binder/scan them for posterity, or just to prive that you've been actually getting them hits. There are certain agencies that will comb the newspapers and clip any mentions of your client.

Bacon's is a popular service (and ridiculously expensive) that allows you to search for members of the media and their contact information.

Publicity is NOT PR, and the terms are definitely not interchangable. Shows like Lizzie Grubman's on MTV pretend they're doing PR, but that's all publicity. You'll draw the ire of many PR people if you even bring her up, btw.

Media contacts have a special place in PR...many job listings will even require that you have them. After pitching numerous stories, attending networking functions and working with the media long enough, you being to develop relationshops and trust with journalists, and that's important, because even if you switch jobs and/or clients, you can still call up a journalist you knew and they'll be willing to hear out your pitch or read your press release a little bit longer because they know you'll have something of quality to offer them.

And finally, PR is the overarching term, but there are a ton of components of PR...media relations, community relations, public affairs, consumer relations, employee relations, etc.
posted by apple scruff at 6:55 PM on October 7, 2005

Wild. Wooly. I knew it! Good stuff, thanks for helping! Some of it is very similar to business consulting and web design.
posted by kahboom at 10:11 PM on October 7, 2005

In the newspaper world, we call PR people "flacks." When they are trying to get us to promote some cheesy product or interview the author of a silly new book we wish they would leave us alone. When we are trying to extract the corporation's response to the latest scandal, we wish they would call us back.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 8:31 PM on October 10, 2005