When is a PR specialist not a PR specialist?

Last week I was invited as a guest speaker to Wisetribe, a wonderful all-women networking event in Derbyshire. I was asked to talk a bit about PR, bust a few myths about what it is (and what it isn’t) and show what good PR can do for small businesses, charities and solopreneurs.

It was a really lovely group to be part of and there was a lot of interest in how it all works. There were some really insightful questions and I had great feedback on the day, with a number of meetings secured on the back of it. But it did get me thinking about something quite fundamental to my business; is PR actually a helpful way to describe what I do?

That might seem like an odd statement for someone who sells herself as a PR specialist. Possibly even drifting into identity crisis territory. (Although I’ll do my best to avoid that. It would clash horribly with the midlife crisis that I’m pretty sure is just around the corner.) But the more I chatted to the group last week, the more I started to think that the phrase ‘public relations’ might be more of a hindrance than a help to me, and more importantly to the clients I want to work with.

Why? Because most of the people I was speaking to thought of PR purely as news releases and media coverage. And partly because of that it was something they thought wasn’t for them. Either because they don’t think they have a story to tell, or they’re nervous about putting themselves out there, or it seems too expensive or frivolous when there is so much else to deal with day to day.

What seemed to resonate more was when I spoke about what I do in terms of communication, connection and engagement. When I talked about how I work with clients to improve the way they engage with their key audiences, whoever they are. How I help them find and tell their stories and share them with the right people, at the right time, in the right way. Does that include news releases and media? It might do. But it could also be a dozen other things - blogs, social media, events, exhibitions, to name just a few. And by framing what I do in those terms, I could see that it started to feel more relevant and more achievable to everyone in the room.

Classic PR will always remain part of what I offer but last week’s discussion really got me thinking about how I talk about what I do and, importantly, make it relevant to the clients I want to work with. And maybe describing my skills in terms of communication and engagement is something that is inherently more meaningful, and more pertinent.

I would love to know what other people think. Fellow communications professionals, what’s the best way you’ve found of articulating what you do? Is the term 'PR' still an effective way of selling your skills? And for small businesses and others, what do you need to hear from people like me that will make your ears prick up? Let me know your thoughts.