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The Bad PR Strategy

How to write a 1-page strategy instead.

Jerry Silfwer
by Jerry Silfwer

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

Table of contents

A bad PR strategy won’t help you win.

“Strategy” is over­used and inflated — espe­cially in pub­lic rela­tions (PR) and marketing. 

Many con­flate strategies with spe­cif­ic plans, codes of con­duct, mis­sion state­ments, vis­ions and val­ues, etc. 

Those are the hall­marks of a bad PR strategy.

Here we go:

The Bad PR Strategy

Many PR strategies are just doc­u­ments and present­a­tion slides filled with plat­it­udes and cor­por­ate cringe.

A good PR strategy should out­line how you expect to out­per­form your com­pet­it­ors. (Most of everything else should go into your PR plan instead.)

A strategy is how you win at some­thing. Nothing more, noth­ing less. Otherwise, it’s a bad PR strategy.

To put it bluntly:

  • The heart of a sol­id PR strategy beats not with loud bells and whistles but with the quiet resolve of sub­stance and clarity.

Many pub­lic rela­tions strategies and present­a­tions are filled with any­thing but the essen­tial parts needed to make the PR strategy work.

The why, where, when, how and what are import­ant ques­tions to answer, but they are not enough for a good PR strategy. Many people talk about “strategies” when they mean “plans” — and vice versa.

Pitfalls of a Bad PR Strategy

Having a bad PR strategy can lead to sev­er­al pit­falls, including:

  • Damaged repu­ta­tion. A bad PR strategy can res­ult in neg­at­ive pub­li­city, mis­com­mu­nic­a­tion, or mis­handled crises, lead­ing to a tar­nished repu­ta­tion for the organ­isa­tion or indi­vidu­al. This can erode trust among stake­hold­ers, includ­ing cus­tom­ers, investors, and the pub­lic, ulti­mately harm­ing the brand’s cred­ib­il­ity and long-term success.
  • Loss of trust and cred­ib­il­ity. Bad PR strategies may fail to address issues trans­par­ently or authen­tic­ally, lead­ing to a loss of trust and cred­ib­il­ity with stake­hold­ers, influ­en­cers, and pub­lics. Without trust, it becomes dif­fi­cult to main­tain pos­it­ive rela­tion­ships and influ­ence opin­ions, hinder­ing the organisation’s abil­ity to attract cus­tom­ers, part­ners, and talent.
  • Missed oppor­tun­it­ies. A bad PR strategy may res­ult in missed oppor­tun­it­ies to cap­it­al­ise on pos­it­ive news, lever­age industry trends, or engage with audi­ences effect­ively. Without a trans­par­ent and pro­act­ive approach to pub­lic rela­tions, organ­isa­tions risk being over­shad­owed by com­pet­it­ors, fail­ing to seize growth oppor­tun­it­ies, and fall­ing behind in their industry.

The Magical PR Strategy Question

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The Magical PR Strategy Question

Your PR strategy should answer one simple question:

  • Does this strategy provide a guid­ing prin­ciple for how your organ­isa­tion should defeat com­pet­it­ors in the battle for atten­tion, trust, and support?

Whenever your PR strategy fails to answer this ques­tion, it also fails to provide a roadmap to success.

“Competitiveness is derived from per­man­ent infra­struc­tur­al char­ac­ter­ist­ics of organ­iz­a­tion­al design, rather than just rely­ing on tem­por­ary stra­tegic assets.”
Source: Strategic Change 1Connor, T. (2007). A con­sid­er­a­tion of stra­tegic assets and the organ­iz­a­tion­al sources of com­pet­it­ive­ness. Strategic Change, 16, 127 – 136. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​0​2​/​J​S​C​.​789

Learn more: The Magical PR Strategy Question

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The 1‑Page PR Strategy

“If you can­’t explain it simply, you don’t under­stand it well enough.”
— Albert Einstein

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How to Write a 1‑Page PR Strategy

My inspir­a­tion for writ­ing “no-bull­shit” strategies comes from the clas­sic “Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters” by Richard Rumelt. The 1‑Page PR Strategy focuses on how to win. 2Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.

“The most basic idea of strategy is the applic­a­tion of strength against weak­ness. Or, if you prefer, strength applied to the most prom­ising oppor­tun­ity.”
Source: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters 3Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.

Here’s how you can write a 1‑Page PR Strategy that fits one page — using the myth­ic­al battle between David and Goliath as an analogy:

1. Analysis

  • David can­’t beat Goliath using his size or raw strength, but he has an advant­age in speed and accur­acy from a distance.

2. Guiding Principle

  • David should­n’t engage in close com­bat but rather use tools that will allow him to strike from a distance.

3. Coherent Actions

  • David should­n’t use any heavy armour because that would slow him down.
  • David should use a sling­shot, a weapon he is famil­i­ar with and can strike from a distance.
  • David should lever­age the sur­prise ele­ment and not advert­ise his advant­age beforehand.

If you write 1 – 2 clear sen­tences per bul­let, your strategy should fit nicely on one page.

Read also: The Easy Street PR Strategy: Keep It Simple To Win

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Thanks for read­ing. Please sup­port my blog by shar­ing art­icles with oth­er com­mu­nic­a­tions and mar­ket­ing pro­fes­sion­als. You might also con­sider my PR ser­vices or speak­ing engage­ments.

PR Resource: Free Strategy PR Course

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Free strategy PR course.
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Doctor Spin’s PR School: Free Strategy PR Course

Unlock the power of stra­tegic pub­lic rela­tions with this free Strategy PR Course. Elevate your skills and boost your career today.

Public Relations Strategy 101

Public Relations Strategies

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ANNOTATIONS
ANNOTATIONS
1 Connor, T. (2007). A con­sid­er­a­tion of stra­tegic assets and the organ­iz­a­tion­al sources of com­pet­it­ive­ness. Strategic Change, 16, 127 – 136. https://​doi​.org/​1​0​.​1​0​0​2​/​J​S​C​.​789
2, 3 Rumelt, R. P. (2011). Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters. Crown Business.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.
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