Over the weekend, I went to the closing performance of A Steady Rain starring Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. The show consists of essentially two talented actors, one silly mustache (sorry Daniel), two chairs with the occasional back-drop change and an amazingly written script. It was simple, yet gripping. I started to think that this play was much like many of the really good public relations efforts we see every day.

In many ways, PR is “a steady rain” in that there is always something happening and always some type of an opportunity. In some spheres the 24/7 news cycle and the continuing growth of social media means unlimited potential. So why are some organizations thriving while others struggle to get their footing? One reason: some organizations are solely focused on the hype and the medium instead of focusing on the overall strategy. This tactical approach resets focus every time a new communication medium is identified. Others simply do not have a product or service that translates effectively to their audience in this space (e.g., Aerospace). While there may be active conversations going on in social media, the aerospace section, for example, is not influenced as much by public opinion as it is on science.

The second reason (although not the second most important reason) is good writing. Clear concise writing is vital since we have less time to capture the reader and engage them in our message. At BurrellesLuce we have a team of amazing editors that take the time to review copy for both content and context. This is an invaluable resource to an effective communication team.

I often say “good communications is the key to any good relationship” and public relations is no exception to this rule. While we all must advocate evolving media in order to be good counselors to our client we must also think strategically and know the difference between an exciting new buzz driven forum and a target market for our stakeholders. We should always be listening, but remember if your stakeholder is not there then what’s the business-purpose to allocate any resources?

Since the run of A Steady Rain is over I can tell you it ends in a death. I worry that without ongoing focus on quality communication many careers of my peers in PR and social media will have the same ending. What is your secret to ensure quality of your outreach? Do you write for the reader first or SEO?