Valentina Salsabila Putriardita’s Post

Here's a lesson in Public Relations and Media Relations 101. Applicable to both people who have PR teams reporting into them and young associates who have joined a Communications or PR team. For almost two decades now, ever since I started writing on food and on pop culture and my byline was visible in popular sites such as Firstpost, Mint, Economic Times etc, I have been plagued by unsolicited calls from PR teams asking if I would like to write on some random development in a company or some restaurant opening. Neither of which I have ever written on, based off a press release. This experience of receiving unsolicited calls is not unique to me, every columnist and journalist I know faces this problem of unsolicited and ill-informed calls for coverage. During my time heading various teams at Perfect Relations, IPAN – Hill & Knowlton and genesis Burson Marsteller and then advising teams at Apollo Tyres, Meta and with Hyatt and even now when I advise companies across industries, I have never asked the PR team to randomly pick up the phone and call up a columnist/journalist and tell them that we are launching either a hotel or a new brand of almonds or starting an IPO – and asked them to write about it. And definitely never reached out to anyone who doesn’t write on the industry we are doing PR for. Basic professional etiquette requires you as a team leader to advise your team to, and you as a PR associate to do the following (if you don’t want your number or your PR agency to be blocked and blacklisted): 1. Do some basic research on whether a journalist/columnist writes on your specific industry 2. Google is your friend – do a quick check on whether the person is an Opinion writer or do they interview people or review products or write news reports on company developments. If someone writes on history of food, they’re not going to write on your new restaurant or hotel opening. If someone writes on politics or gender, just because they write in a mainline newspaper, it doesn’t mean they will write on any press release you send them. 3. Do not address everyone as Mister, or women as Sir. 4. Get the person’s name and surname right. 5. First inform yourself on the person’s focus areas and then have an informed discussion if you manage to reach the right person. 6. And update your media lists – how difficult can it possibly be? This is as much a commentary on people leading PR teams as it is on their teams. I’ve seen a lot of team leaders and clients pressurizing junior associates on their teams to call everyone on a media list – whether relevant or not. It’s bad enough we are spammed by calls from banks and so on, without dealing with this intrusion as well. You not only end up making a nuisance of your team, but of the company you are representing and communicating on behalf of. Be informed and be professional, it really works wonders.        #PublicRelations101 #mediarelations

Five Things Everyone Should Know About Public Relations (PR) I have always dreamt of writing this piece, thanks to author Robert Wynne and Forbes for this piece. Throughout my 20+ years in PR, there have been brow raising moments on the understanding of PR. Here are some I had encountered: 1. "You are learning public" - a fellow university student asked me this, while I was a dreamy eyed PR student. Maybe it was merely a language barrier. 2. Also in my early days, friends commenting that HR was a good career choice, despite them having my business card and listen to what I did at work. 3. When I was recruiting for PR staff, it was common to hear from job applicants during interviews say that they choose PR because they like to/want to meet people. 4. More recently, aspiring PR personnel have said, I am good at social media and I think I can be an influencer one day. 5. During my uni days, when I was a part time receptionist at an international oil & gas company, I found the cheat sheet 'If you don't know how to deal with the call or whom to transfer it to, transfer the call to the PR department, they always know what to do' Sure there is more and I am glad (relieved even) that the awareness on PR has grown over the years. Here is what this article on Forbes cover: 1. What is PR (not HR)? 2. PR vs advertising? 3. What is news? 4. Can social media replace traditional media? 5. Can PR be measured? Forbes #prforpr #prexplained #prandcommunicationsexpert

I celebrate twenty years in communications and PR this year. I still remember when I first began my journey, back home in Bombay, as a young agency Account Executive, struggling to pitch stories and follow up on press releases. It was all overwhelming at first. We used fax machines for mass distribution of material, and I have also hand delivered some of them - through the sveltering heat and torrential rains, in non-air conditioned taxis and trains ! We called them the “media rounds”. I met some fabulous journalists around then, who were kind and generous with their time, often over a cutting chai. Some were very rude and detested the sight of a PR person. But we remained persistent, as did so many of us in the industry, we had learnt to develop a thick skin. Some of those journos switched over to comms roles later, and finally understood what it meant to be in our shoes. The joy of cracking a front page story in The Economic Times, and later The Financial Times for our clients, was a thing that kept us going then. And bumping into fellow colleagues at the Times of India building reception, made us all feel like we are all in the same boat. Trying to stay afloat. We used to show up early to office to read around 20 news papers a day, English and Hindi as well as Marathi for me. That’s how we kept abreast and made notes of the bylines and editorial styling of these papers. It helped us pitch our stories better. Print continued to grow in India and the numbers increased as we progressed. So much has changed since, we now have tools for tracking news coverage, writing press releases, pitch notes and content, some even to develop databases of journalists for easier mass distribution of content. But what remains unchanged is the fact that our business is heavily reliant on - media relations. As young PR professionals do not think that you can outsource this through your media relations expert in the team. Become one yourself ! Make the effort to track the latest on your client’s business, invest your energy in connecting with the beat journalist, often over a non-agenda meeting, you’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn in the bargain. Those conversations will be different and those relationships if cultivated right, will be invaluable. Journalists are looking for exclusive stories, you need to be always prepared with notes that help them with that. Talk to your clients, delve deeper into their businesses, find your story so you can pitch it to the journalist. Be prepared to be rejected too. Not everything you think is juicy will be accepted, but that’ll be a lesson too. Repeat this till you get it right. I’ve always believed that this business is not for the faint hearted. On most days it’s thankless and very much behind the scenes. My mum still doesn’t understand why it’s not my byline that appears in the papers, but would I trade it for anything else!? Hell No ! #lifeofaPRpro #PR #MediaRelations #Comms

When PRCAI ( Public Relations Consultants Association of India) reached out to me, to be a part of their Writing Pen program, which focuses on building content skills for young PR professionals. I immediately agreed. For a reputation management or public policy professional, being able to write is a vital skill. Be it an oped, or a note for an industry body or a government, a speech for a CEO or a pitch note for clients, you need understanding of the landscape, the messaging pillars, the appropriate style and of course, an ability to deliver on time, without the need for too many alterations. And the candid person that I am, I must say that content skills among younger professionals today, are woefully inadequate. Most of my journalist friends would agree, and so would a few sensible industry folks. The bunch of 50-odd professionals that I talked was bright and enthusiastic. So, what was my advice to them? 1. Please read. Fiction, non fiction, good news content, columns, opeds, basically whatever you can get your hands on. If you don't read, how will you develop your vocabulary and style? 2. Please understand the brief. Is it for a product / service/ innovation/ milestone/ personality. What are you highlighting? Each of these needs to be written differently. There's no generic formula and not even AI would help, after a point. 3. Research. Read up before pitching or putting something together .Find out about the people before you write something for them. This is as true for writing for an internal client or for a journalist. My journalist friends continually lament the quality of pitches that they get. BTW, I learnt most of my skills from a particularly difficult and demanding CEO I wrote for :) 4. Please set up information channels within the organisation to access relevant data and information. Build relationships to get access to collateral. No point in reinventing wheels over and over again. 5. For internal corp. comm folks, understand the style, values, ethos of the CEO/ CXOs and the organisation and those of the client. You cannot write for a tech client in the same way as a music company CXO. Understand and tweak. 6. Finally, please , please check your spelling, grammar, syntax and run through for typos, even if you are doing something on the go. Incorrect is off-putting. And try to develop your own voice and tone. Be yourself. Authenticity, along with a measure of skill, is the best gift you can give yourself and others. Thank you Sunayna Malik and Deeptie Sethi for inviting me. I really enjoyed it and would do this again happily :)

When PRCAI ( Public Relations Consultants Association of India) reached out to me, to be part of their Writing Pen program, which focuses on building content skills for young PR professionals. I immediately agreed. For a reputation management or public policy professional, being able to write is a vital skill. Be it an oped, or a note for an industry body or a government, a speech for a CEO or a pitch note for clients, you need understanding of the landscape, the messaging pillars, the appropriate style and of course, an ability to deliver on time, without the need for too many alterations. And the candid person that I am, I must say that content skills among younger professionals today, are woefully inadequate. Most of my journalist friends would agree, and so would a few sensible industry folks. The bunch of 50-odd professionals that I talked was bright and enthusiastic. So, what was my advice to them? 1. Please read. Fiction, non fiction, good news content, columns, opeds, basically whatever you can get your hands on. If you don't read, how will you develop your vocabulary and style? 2. Please understand the brief. Is it for a product / service/ innovation/ milestone/ personality. What are you highlighting? Each of these need to be written differently. There's no generic formula and not even AI would help, after a point. 3. Research. Read up before pitching or putting something together .Find out about the people before you write something for them. This is as true for writing for an internal client or for a journalist. My journalist friends continually lament the quality of pitches that they get. BTW, I learnt most of my skills from a particularly difficult and demanding CEO I wrote for :) 4. Please set up information channels within the organisation to access relevant data and information. Build relationships to get access to collateral. No point in reinventing wheels over and over again. 5. For internal corp. comm folks, understand the style, values, ethos of the CEO/ CXOs and the organisation and those of the client. You cannot write for a tech client in the same way as a music company CXO. Understand and tweak. 6. Finally, please , please check your spelling, grammar, syntax and run through for typos, even if you are doing something on the go. Incorrect is off-putting. And try to develop your own voice and tone. Be yourself. Authenticity, along with a measure of skill, is the best gift you can give yourself and others. Thank you Sunayna Malik and Deeptie Sethi for inviting me. I really enjoyed it and would do this again happily :)

What Is Public Relations (PR)? Public relations (PR) is the set of techniques and strategies related to managing how information about an individual or company are disseminated to the public, and especially the media. Its primary goals is to disseminate important company news or events, maintain a brand image, and put a positive spin on negative events to minimize their fallout. PR may occur in the form of a company press release, news conference, and interviews with journalists, social media posting, or other venues.

Whether you're in Analyst Relations (AR) or Public Relations (PR), one of the most persistent challenges is managing people’s expectations. These expectations often stem from a misunderstanding of how media, analysts, and industry relations work. The requests can sometimes feel overwhelming and frustrating, particularly when people don't fully understand the complexities of these industries. 1. "Can we get featured in a particular publication?" This is one of the most frequent asks. Securing a feature often depends on timing, relationships, the quality of the story, and how well it aligns with the publication’s editorial calendar. 2. "Can they get us a speaker slot at that event?" Many senior leaders assume that PR or AR professionals can easily secure speaking opportunities at high-profile industry events. In reality, speaker slots are highly competitive, and getting one often requires a compelling pitch, a solid track record, and, sometimes, sponsorship. 3. "Can we tweak the headline?" It’s common for executives to want to change headlines to make them flashier or more aligned with internal messaging. However, media outlets and journalists have their own editorial standards and styles. 4. "Can they include our product description in the story?" Another request AR and PR pros often get is to have specific product descriptions included in articles. While this might work in some cases, media outlets are typically hesitant to publish overly promotional content. 5. "Can they position us as industry leaders?" Positioning a company as an industry leader is the ultimate goal for many AR pros. However, this doesn’t happen overnight. It requires consistent relationship-building with analysts. 6. "Can they create a report on this specific area we're focusing on?" Analyst firms are valuable partners in shaping market perceptions. While you can influence their understanding of your business, expecting them to write a report solely centered around your niche may be asking too much. 7. "Can they recommend us to a few end-users?" While analysts have valuable relationships with end-users and industry leaders, it's not their role to pass on leads or directly recommend companies for business. Relying on analysts as a direct sales channel is unrealistic and outside the scope of their responsibilities. 8. "We know them well—can they pass on some leads to us?" In AR, personal connections matter, but even a close relationship with an analyst doesn’t mean they will break professional protocol. Asking someone to pass on leads or offer preferential treatment risks damaging the trust and credibility you’ve built with them. It's essential to respect their role and understand the boundaries of professional relationships. Success in AR and PR isn’t about instant results; it’s about building relationships, credibility, and a long-term strategy that delivers value to both the brand and the external stakeholders. #analystrelations, #ar #publicrelations, #pr

UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC RELATIONS AS THE WORLD CELEBRATES! Yesterday was World Public Relations Day - WPRD! As a Proud practitioner of this noble profession for about Two and Half Decades and still counting, let me use the opportunity of the global celebration to educate my friends and others about Public Relations! Years ago, I was part of a budget review meeting in a group where I spotted PR as a cost. To the person who prepared the budget, all expenses that cannot be expressly explained represents PR. I used the opportunity to explain why such is not and cannot be termed PR. I have also worked with a marketing manager who said he didn't understand what public relations represents until our working relationships. ▪︎ Public Relations is not the inducement you give to have your way. ▪︎ Public Relations is not appreciation for work done. ▪︎ Public Relations is not protocol. ▪︎ Public Relations is not about distorting the truth or manipulating information to deceive the public. ▪︎ Public Relations is not about buying space or airtime to promote a product or service. ▪︎ Public Relations is not directly about selling products or services. ▪︎ Public Relations is not about gimmicks or stunts without strategic value. ▪︎ Public Relations is not media relations, it is broader, wider and deeper. ▪︎ Public Relations is not just about speaking English WHAT THEN IS PUBLIC RELATIONS? ■ Public Relations involves managing and disseminating information from an organization to the public to shape public perception and maintain a positive image. ■ Public Relations focuses on building and maintaining relationships between an organization and its various publics. ■ Public Relations aims for ethical and transparent communication, and not lies and distortion. ■ Public Relations professionals handle and mitigate crises to protect and restore an organization’s reputation ■ Public Relations involves creative tactics to gain attention, build and sustain brands awareness. ■ Public Relations involves organising events that promote organization’s brand and foster good relations with stakeholders. ■ Public Relations involve interacting with journalists, crafting press releases, and organizing press conferences to get favorable media coverage. ■Public Relations involves managing an organization's social media presence to engage with the public and promote the organization's message. ■ Public Relations aims to create a favorable environment that can indirectly support sales efforts. ■ Public Relations focuses on managing the overall image and relationships of the organization, it is broader than marketing but provide support for it.

Public Relations is a whole lot more than just writing press releases and getting you interviews… Public Relations is often misunderstood. Here are a few truths that can help shine a light on this dynamic field and the value that Public Relations professionals bring to businesses and individuals: 1️⃣ It's Not Just About Writing Press Releases: PR isn't solely about churning out press releases. It's about developing and implementing effective strategies that align with the brand’s objectives, fostering relationships, managing reputations, being proactive, and strategically communicating with various stakeholders in a way that resonates with them. 2️⃣ Measurement Can Be Tricky: Unlike some fields with clear-cut metrics, measuring PR success isn't always straightforward. It involves analyzing data from multiple sources and interpreting it to gauge impact accurately. This is why it’s also important to work with a PR team that understands how to analyze and measure the performance of a campaign. 3️⃣ Adaptability is Key: PR strategies must evolve with the times. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. Adapting to change be it in media landscapes, audience behaviors, or sometimes “things just not going according to plan” is crucial for achieving success. 4️⃣ It's a Two-Way Street: Effective PR isn't just about broadcasting messages; it's about engaging in meaningful conversations and interactions with your target audience. Listening to feedback and responding appropriately can make or break a campaign. Understanding these nuanced aspects of PR can help organizations and professionals in navigating this ever-evolving field more effectively. If you would like to find out more about how Public Relations can help your business or personal brand, get in touch with our world-class team at Coral Communications. 📽️ video credit: “Public Relations” (Kathreen McPhee | SMASH (TV Series) | TUNE #PublicRelations #PRInsights #Communications #business

Ek Din ka Public Relations...... I recently spoke with a Bhumika Rawal at Mrig Sight Media , and their story perfectly captures the essence of a PR professional's day. The morning news was like a treasure map. Every story held a hidden clue, a chance to weave a client's narrative into the media landscape. Forget fancy parties – PR was all about getting good news out there, meeting deadlines, and spinning a good yarn. Unlike the pretty pictures on social media, PR was a world of hard work. This professional thrived in the fast pace, starting each day with a hot cup of chai and figuring out how to get their clients noticed. It wasn't a desk job for lazy folks. Chances to get in the news were like buses – you miss one, you gotta wait for the next. For them, it was like a detective game, always searching for the perfect spot to place a client's story. But PR wasn't just about being quick. It was about building bridges. They spent hours crafting compelling narratives, each one tailored to the specific journalist they contacted. Rejection was a familiar sting, but it never deterred them. A true PR pro knew persistence was key, and they wouldn't rest until they found the perfect home for a client's story. The ultimate reward? Seeing a client's name splashed across a major publication. The thrill was unmatched, even if nobody knew they did it. PR was like writing a secret message – nobody sees who wrote it, but you know you did a good job. So, is PR a good fit for you? Love a Challenge: If you like puzzles and the feeling of solving a problem, PR is like a daily adventure. Good Talker: Are you a natural storyteller who makes friends easily? PR is all about telling interesting stories and getting to know reporters. Always on the Go: Do you like things to be different every day? PR is a whirlwind of deadlines, new chances, and keeping up with the ever-changing news world. But hold on, PR isn't for everyone. Tough Skin: People will say "no" a lot. But a real PR pro just gets back up and tries again, stronger than before. Behind the Scenes: The client gets the credit, not the PR person who made it happen. If you like to be the center of attention, PR might not be the best choice. Long Hours: Deadlines wait for no one, and neither does a dedicated PR pro. Be prepared to work extra hard to make sure your client shines. If you're a good thinker who likes challenges and enjoys talking to people, then PR might be your dream job.