PR Squared: Everything is Important

IStock_000005805325XSmall Like Morgan McLintic’s recent (excellent) post about “Timesheets,” this post may be a bit too much “inside baseball” for most readers – but hey, this is a PR blog after all.

I recently overheard a junior staffer complain that “Briefing docs are boring.”

Briefing documents are what we use to inform a client executive about their media appointments: the who/what/where/why stuff, including basic info on the publication, background on the writer, the pitch we used to secure their interest, personal details, etc. (For a juicy tale about these “secret dossiers,” check out this year-old kerfuffle.)

It’s true that it can be boring to create a briefing sheet. It’s tedious. But I urge our staff to put themselves in the shoes of a busy client executive:

She’s harried – too many meetings, too many emails, too many deadlines, too many distractions.

She’s anxious – what if the article reflects poorly on the company or her? what’s the reporter’s agenda?

This exec is about to support and defend her company’s precious reputation in the marketplace. She needs to be well-armed!

Enter the humble, boring Briefing Document. It’s often the client executive’s only way to gird for the meeting. Our careful preparation of this document – and the client’s willingness to make the time to read it in advance – can all too often lead to the success (or failure) of a media briefing.

There are a fair number of boring things to do at a PR firm – even one as “cool” as our shop. In addition to Briefing Docs, we need fresh & relevant databases … we need to monitor mainstream and new media for issues and client mentions … we need to attend umpteen meetings … we need to prepare umpteen reports about those umpteen meetings, and about our workaday milestones. It can be a snooze.

But each of those “boring” tasks need to be assigned and viewed in a larger context.

The “boring” Briefing Document can make or break a client’s reputation.
The “boring” database can head-off a poorly-targeted outreach effort (and the ensuing storm of complaints).
The “boring” monitoring of the blogosphere can help us identify and respond to potential memes, which are crucial to protecting our clients’ interests.
The “boring” meetings offer a chance to learn and interact with smart, successful, interesting people – and to learn from the process of seeing senior managers interact with clients and media.
The “boring” reports are critical to ensuring that our value is accurately communicated to our client contacts (and their CEOs and Boards of Directors).

Ironically, people say, “Think Big Picture” when they want to coax you to forget about the details. But the more you think about The Big Picture, the more you realize: Everything’s Important.

Comments

Todd,

I agree with you that the small stuff is important. I tend to be a detail oriented person and when looking at a task, I'll break it down to all the little bits and pieces. The hardest part for me is when I need to then share the importance of the little pieces for peers and colleagues that do no necessarily "work" the same way I do.

Managerial or corporate leadership comes from the ability to motivate others. In this case, it would be the ability to motivate the junior staffer to see the bigger picture and therefore the value of small Briefing Documents. If someone can see the why, they usually find their answer to "how come?"

James Connors

Posted by: James Connors | May 5, 2008 10:42 AM

It's the same where I work. You just have to find a way to make those things fun. Break out the ipod and listen to some music. Figure out how to pawn the boring stuff onto the interns. You know, the classics.

Posted by: Brian Block | May 5, 2008 11:00 AM

Thanks for the kind words Todd. These tasks are the frontline of PR. You must get them right since your credibility stands on them. And if you're not credible, all that creative talent will be discounted.

The best PR people understand the importance of this detail. And they apply their brilliance to getting it done right, quickly and in good humor.

Incorrect dial-in details, wrong address, missed feature - these are the things which can bring a stellar campaign to its knees before the most senior client contact.

That's why it's important and why the team doing them are the most important in the firm.

Posted by: Morgan McLintic | May 5, 2008 01:00 PM

Thank you for this post, I'll share with students. It is these posts about the mundane aspects of PR that help them understand what it's like to work in PR.

Posted by: Mihaela V (prprof_mv) | May 5, 2008 02:21 PM

Me thinks the Defren doth protest to much. Your junior staff simply said, "Briefing docs are boring." She didn't call into question their existence, so why are you? Seems you're going overboard to justify why briefing doc are important, as if to convince YOURSELF. I've met you before and you didn't strike me as someone who could be thrown off-balance so easily. Especially by something a peon said. Sad, really.

Posted by: Connie | May 5, 2008 03:43 PM

You're right, Connie, I am NOT thrown off easily. And in fact I was neither thrown off nor put off by the "Briefing Docs are boring" statement. I just saw it as a "teachable moment" - a reminder to me and my sr staff to be sure to give our junior staff the context/perspective on even the most menial duties.

"The Defren" thinks you may be over-reacting to my so-called over-reaction, Connie. ;)

Posted by: Todd Defren | May 5, 2008 07:02 PM

Briefing docs are not boring to the client (me). Things like this are the reason we pay high fees for a PR firm. Tell the "junior staffer" that clients DO read them, and they are important and things like that are a big reason why PR firms can offer her/him such an exciting job (when not doing briefing docs).

Posted by: Mike Volpe | May 5, 2008 11:25 PM

Mr. Defren,

I am currently a Mass Communication student on the PR track at a university in Maryland. After reading your blog, I must say, you made some very interesting points that I had not thought of before.

I recently finished my second internship, and I remember account execs pushing these "boring" or "little" things to the side. However, after reading your blog, it seems that these "little" and "boring" things are more important than I thought.

I am sure they can get old after a while, but anything can. Because of this blog, I will make sure that in the future, detail is paid close attention too, since that is what seems necessary when working in PR. Every little thing matters.

Lauren

Posted by: Lauren Abramson | May 6, 2008 10:38 AM

I don't have much experience in the PR field. In fact, I am a senior at Towson University in Maryland and I am pursuing my first internship over the summer. As a student, I have been blessed with some professors who really have taught me a lot, but I have also been less than blessed with professors who have managed to teach me nothing in a 15 week period. My take on all these “boring tasks” is a little bit different. I would be honored to watch a senior member brief a client because I have a burning desire t learn all I can. As a young adult making my way into the workforce, it is important that those people who say these tasks are “boring” realize that is how everyone started out and how everyone has learned and that without the bloging and the meetings and the briefings, how would the organization ever communicate?

Posted by: Kerianne Kemmerzell | May 6, 2008 11:40 AM

Any task that is repeated over and over becomes dull after a while. What is important is to remind those who are doing this sort of repetitive work where the value lies in doing it.

You've done just that in this post, and I'm going to share this with our team of analysts who read and monitor blogs/MSM, just to remind them of how important these things are!

Thanks for the reminder. I truly believe that the strongest PR practitioners are the ones who can see the big picture, but never seem to lose track of the minor details. You can't build a strong structure with weak building blocks, after all!

Jen

P.S., I would never call a junior staffer a peon--I'm hoping the above commenter was joking!

Posted by: Jen Zingsheim | May 6, 2008 11:57 AM