I recently wrote about earning my Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) credential for the Public Relations Society’s ComPRehension blog. As Mid-Atlantic District Chair, I continue to remain active in PRSA and will be supporting the APR Boot Camp process to be held during the International Conference in Washington, DC, in October.

Chances are you missed this week’s other bi-partisan round table — Cyber Shockwave “We Were Warned” — a war game hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center and broadcast on CNN Feb. 20 and 21. It was compelling television.

This crisis simulation of a cyber warfare attack that cripples telecommunications, air travel and countless other activities that we take for granted was expertly executed. Participants — former national security officials and advisers from the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations — gathered in a mock White House war room to work through the scenario and prepare a briefing for the President.

Former press secretary Joe Lockhart role played the president’s adviser. His participation was critical to the success of the simulation. His counsel throughout the exercise illustrated the balancing act of sharing timely and accurate information with the public without causing panic. Lockhart’s focus on the effect of both the problem (an act of war by an unknown country, terrorist group or individual) and the recommendations for action (e.g. shut down the cell phone network) were poignant.

The communications/PR function must be at the table to recommend and help formulate policy and protocols as well as plan for information dissemination.

To view the simulation on You Tube, search”cyber shockwave”. If you’ve never been involved in table top crisis exercise, this is an excellent example of a crisis scenario.

The week started with Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter and end with a blizzard in the Mid-Atlantic.

Throughout the week, I’ve had numerous conversations about public relations and the necessity of relationship building for successful media relations programs. Discussing the challenges of demonstrating PR value to executives concerned with outputs (those dreaded activity reports and hit counts). How to set expectations and establish meaningful and analytic measurements of media relations outcomes. The importance of reading or watching the media and knowing the reporter’s bio before making a pitch.

Then I watched An Inconvenient PR Truth produced by a news release distribution service in the UK called RealWire. The campaign is designed to end the practice of “PR Spam,” sending unsolicited news releases to countless journalists on a media list — many of whom are unlikely to write a story. The solution? An American-style “Bill of Rights” — 10 tips to approaching reporters and bloggers. (e.g. be targeted and knowledgeable and no attachments.)

The inconvenient reality, however, is that such Smile and Dial or Spray and Pray practices will not be abandoned. Unfortunately, there will often be pressure to report that 50 reporters were contacted. A young PR newbie will triumpantly confirm that the reporters on the list got the news release. Why?  Because some manager or executive will cling to foolish expectations that such activity will produce media coverage.

I do believe that most PR professionals focus their media efforts on the key reporters and producers who likely to write a story as a result of a targeted and well-crafted pitch (email, call or tweet). The goal is to produce quality stories or bylined articles that help achieve a strategic goal.  Not to produce a call log.

While I applaud RealWire for a clever twist on this perennial blemish, I think the video and blog chatter miss the point. PR professionals need to work with management to set expectations about realistic outcomes (vs. outputs) and educate leadership on how to build relationships with key media critical to business success. This is a key management function of public relations.

Also, news releases do play a necessary role in the public relations process and become part of the historic record. And not everyone spams reporters.

Effective public relations is about the relationships and the story telling ability that generates media coverage. And more importantly, the trust between a reporter and a PR contact that can more positively affect reporting. Being responsive and providing timely background is critical to the success of the PR operations of any company or organization.

Frances Stead Sellers, deputy national editor of health and science at The Washington Post, spoke earlier this week to PRSA members. While much of her advice mirrors the “Bill of Rights” and best practices in media relations, she stressed the importance of context in pitching.

You can have a newsworthy topic, but you need to put it in context (e.g. largest gift of its kind, first discovery, contrary finding).  Even the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation needs to explain “why” a $10 billion grant for global vaccine research and delivery is important and how the financial commitment compares to previous investments.

Thus, getting a reporter’s attention isn’t about the press release. It’s about relationships, trust and having a news worthy story to tell or comment to share about current events and trends.

If you need a good primer on this process and how to communicate with management, please read How Come No One Knows About Us. In addition, recent research by Cision and Don Bates with GW’s Strategic Public Relations program provides insight on working with the media.

When the Pope encourages the priesthood to proselytize the “Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) alongside traditional means,” you have to ask yourself:  What Am I Waiting For?

Three years ago, if you were using social media, you would have been an earlier adopter. Today Facebook, YouTube, Text Messages, Blogs and Twitter are required channels for establishing an open connection to customers and talking with journalists. If you aren’t using them today, you could be considered a laggard.

It doesn’t matter if you are in a business, government or non-profit environment. It’s time to take action and begin planning your social media strategy.  Whether you form a social media council to gather organization-wide input or you collaborate with a small group of leadership, make a plan to embrace these powerful new channels as part of your public relations plan and marketing mix.

A few tips as you prepare.

• Research.  What are your competitors doing? Who are the thought leaders on Twitter? Should you offer a tool box of share tools (del.icio.us, Yahoo! Buzz, Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Flickr, email, etc.) or only a select few?  Understand what your options are. Learn what your key audience/s will use most.
• Define your audience.  Are they internal? External? If both, do they have the same needs?
• Define your goals. Are you seeking to create a community? Solicit feedback? Offer an opportunity to share and distribute information? Understanding what you want to accomplish will help you select the most appropriate toolset. For those that merely wish to distribute information, you could be missing a great opportunity to engage in a two-way conversation with your target audience.
• Visuals. If you elect to set up a YouTube Channel or Twitter, for example, be sure to personalize the page.  It may seem like wallpaper, but it’s an important branding opportunity. Also, incorporate short video (30 seconds to 2 minutes) to illustrate key initiatives and news announcements.
• Integrate. Once you implement your social media strategy, integrate with existing PR and marketing initiatives to build your social network.
• Measure. Define metrics that are tied to your goals and objectives to evaluate if your strategy is working. Measurement guru Katie Payne has created a social media checklist that is an excellent starting point.

Above all, you need to create a social media policy for your organization. Employees are the ambassadors for your company’s product or service. However, they can also create significant corporate headaches. Just ask Dominos.  Make sure your employees know what is expected of them in the online world when representing the company.