media update’s Taylor Goodman and Nakedi Phala spoke to Bonnie Robinson, who runs The Reputationalist, about the importance of authenticity and transparency in PR.

You have been quoted as saying “PR is about transparency and facts. It is not flowery, nor is it about sugar coating.” What are some of the ways PR agencies can implement elements of transparency in their own firms?

First and foremost, PR agencies need to communicate with their staff. Often, PR agencies are ‘communicating’ everywhere else about everything else while, ‘back at the ranch’, they’re leaving their teams in the dark. Bridging the gap between employees and executives is also imperative. 

In today’s world, leaders gain respect and followers by being human, not through titles. Yes, a certain level of hierarchy needs to be in place in order for leaders to lead and mentor their teams, but this will come naturally when team members feel valued for the work they deliver and for the person they are. 

Make time to get to know your team, greet them and ask them how they are. Most importantly, if your team shows up for you by putting in the long hours, adding that extra finesse to a client’s presentation and taking on extra workload to ensure best client service, make sure you show up for them too. Ensure that you are approachable and that you’re not the reason they lie awake at night in bed, worrying about how you’re going to react when they ask you if they can take time off slightly earlier for something personal. 

Trust your team and, as a leader, understand that yes, your team learns from you, but you can learn a heck of a lot from them too! 

Finally, be ethical. The minute you ask your team to be unethical by, for example, being dishonest with a client about something (it can be as simple as the reason for missing a deadline), you are encouraging a culture of dishonesty and you are creating a crack in the trust and respect between you and your team.

The team builds and nurtures the relationship with the client every day. They are working hard to earn that trust. So, asking them to breach it, places them in a predicament to ‘choose’ between their leader or their client – an absolute ‘no-no’. All relationships should be built on honesty and integrity.

Do you think transparency and sensitivity can coexist in a PR professional’s relationships with their client base?

Yes, absolutely! In fact, transparency cannot exist without sensitivity and visa versa. This is something I have experienced and is something I practice. PR is about people. If you are not a people’s person, you should not be in PR. 

Clients rely on you — they trust you. This [trust] comes from hard work and spending time with them, caring about them as people, [whilst] also not letting them down as a business partner. 

Clients need to know they can call on you and trust you to handle things on their behalf if they’re not around — to support them and offer strategic counsel or advise on matters they are unsure of and to be their anchor at times of crisis. 

Clients entrust you, their PR agency, with their entire reputation — that is massive!

Consumers have become hyper-aware of how brands treat them. Do you think the rise of social media and technology is responsible for this?
 
Social media and technology are largely responsible for consumers having become hyper-aware of how brands treat them. Consumers, however, have also become more confident within themselves and have embraced the vulnerability of being human. 

They want to know that their input, feelings and needs are heard and appreciated by the brands they choose to associate with. They identify with brands that they relate to — brands that depict who they are and what they stand for as well as what is important to them; they want what’s real. 

They either resonate with a brand’s story or they don’t, but once they trust a brand with their loyalty, they expect honesty. 

Back in the day, if brands let consumers down, it wasn’t a biggie. Consumers didn’t have the choice they have now. But now, the market is flooded with brands and innovation, and it has become super competitive. In order to protect consumer loyalty to your brand, you need to know them, and you need to know what they want and how to deliver it. 

If a brand lets consumers down nowadays, it’s taken personally because of the emotional attachment, the trust. What has taken decades to build, takes seconds to crush, especially when it comes to social media.

What elements should PR practitioners include in press statements in order to build trust with their audience?
 
There are four main elements that should be the foundation of any press statement: facts, the human voice, authenticity and consistency. 

Consumers and the general public don’t want to be lied to; they don’t want to be taken for fools. Furthermore, they want to know that the brand or company making the statement cares about what is happening or what has happened. 

Stick to the facts, show care and sincerity towards the situation at hand. Never try to wing a media statement with false or unverified information — it’s going to come back and bite you! 

If PR practitioners aren’t able to gather the facts in time for an initial statement, usually in the event of a crisis, they should acknowledge being aware of the situation, share only the facts they do know and assure the audience of their client’s full commitment to investigating the instance. 

Use simple, relatable language. Stay away from acronyms, jargon and fancy, fluffy words. You want the message being conveyed to easily and effectively be received by the audience. Also have an online version ready. Finally, if you promise the audience an update, make sure you follow through! Consistency and reliability are key. 

With the circulation of fake news popping up, what measures can a PR practitioner take to ensure that they use authentic information? 

There are certain news channels and online media platforms that are known for their reliability. The media, press and PR practitioners are governed by one or other industry-related code of conduct to ensure ethical and regulated practice. 

The toughest challenge, however, is social media. A lot of content is shared — in seconds. Many people just hit the share button before reading through the article or checking the source and whether it’s reliable. 

As a PR practitioner, always do your research and verify the information you are about to share before making it viral. Differentiate between opinion and fact and credit the source of the information you are publishing. 

Also, be incredibly careful about what you share on your personal platforms and the opinion you express. This is vital, not only for your reputation but also for your clients’. Never share unverified information and always practice self-control when posting or commenting on social media platforms.

Now that you have some insight into the importance of transparency and ethics in the field of PR, what are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.

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