As a mom, the one question I have heard from the time my kids could speak until they left home, was “What’s for dinner?”  Sometimes they were happy with my culinary creations and sometimes they weren’t.  Being that I’ve done more than my share of both cooking and public relations work, it got me thinking about how PR is like cooking. 

Let’s explore this further…

Putting together all the ingredients and getting a great result

There is nothing more satisfying than a good meal.  Even if the ingredients aren’t fancy, such as chicken and rice or spaghetti and meatballs, the end result can still be delicious. The same can be said about public relations.  Crafting a well-written press release or pitch and sending it to reporters can lead to high quality media coverage for a client. Even if it isn’t anything fancy or earth shattering, it still may hit the spot with a journalist or news outlet just the same.

Leftovers!

Some people love leftovers since it gives people a chance to revisit a delicious meal, not to mention it gives Mom a break from cooking a meal from scratch. Some people hate leftovers since to them the food doesn’t taste as good the second time around.  Since I’m a Mom, I like leftovers. Like a leftover meal, a written press release can be repurposed many different ways. It can go on the company website as is. Portions of the press release can be used for social media posts or in a company newsletter. It can be repurposed as a blog entry.  Like chicken, a press release can be “cooked” many ways.  It can be more than just a message to the media. 

Sometimes things don’t work out

The steak is tough. The cookies burned. The turkey is dry. The taco falls apart.  You don’t know why those things happened. You followed the recipe to the letter. Yet, it didn’t turn out as well as you expected.  The same holds true in public relations. Despite doing your due diligence, a reporter may exclude key information you provided or breaking news such as tragedy, severe weather or the death of prominent people, can overshadow your news.  It can even be a case of a client micromanaging the process and that can make it harder to do the necessary work to get that person media coverage.  With food you can cut around the burned area, use lots of gravy, or make soup or chef’s salad with the less than perfect food item. In public relations, you can contact the media when things get quiet, repurpose the press release as a blog entry or explore other ways to get your client publicity.

Granted not everyone is a good cook, yet like a satisfying meal, public relations is made of many ingredients. Individually, the parts don’t do much. But when you bring them together, you can score a great media hit or make a great meal. Either way, it’s a win, especially when paired with a great glass of wine!