Public relations should inform the public or stakeholders, build trust between companies and their audiences, and build and maintain a positive reputation for an organization.
That means being transparent, honest, and authentic about an organization -- as in, not engaging in “spin.”
There, I said it.
So, what’s wrong with spin?
The practice of public relations is one way in which organizations market themselves and shape their messaging and image. No question there. But spinning a story—while a tactic to shape public perception for some in our profession —is really manipulation about the news, quote, or event in question, often with a bias toward a specific outcome. It is NOT about transparency. Spin doesn’t build solid relationships based on trust; rather, it suggests that something strange or unusual is going on and in today’s online world, where news stories can be researched and information is relatively easy to find, all those spin doctors are going to be found out soon enough.
It’s why our firm is a no-spin zone. Spin has no place in PR. It’s misleading, deceptive, and not 100% truthful. It’s about crafting a narrative the organization (or PR firm) wants the public to swallow. And if not the public, the media—and believe me when I say that the savvy journalists we work with on behalf of our clients can smell spin a mile away—and they won’t have any of it.
Spin disrupts credibility and trust
PR pros work hard to build good relationships with the media, so that when opportunities arise for clients to participate in the news cycle or contribute meaningful information about industry subject matter, we can represent those clients in the best light—and garner the right kind of attention for them from the press. The stories we tell, the articles we pitch, the media appearances we secure for our clients help them show up in the right way, the authentic way—not based on some manufactured image we hope people will buy.
Ultimately, spin is not only deceptive; to varying degrees, it is counterproductive. It damages those hard-won relationships because what’s being shared is not necessarily based on what’s real. Of course, we want to highlight the positives, what’s best and true about the brand/company/nonprofit. But as PR professionals, we also must present accurate information—even when it’s somewhat challenging—because trust and credibility are at the core of what we are continually building with the media, and more broadly, the public.
Truth for the win!
If your organization is in the middle of a crisis or challenge, be truthful; get out in front of the story and talk about steps leadership is taking to ameliorate the situation. Apologize rather than deflect or obfuscate the truth and communicate how you plan to address or correct the issue. Let stakeholders know what’s going on. Is the company seeing employees leave for greener pastures? Own it. Does your new software have a glitch that is disrupting customers’ workflow? Let your customers know you are looking into making changes.
The spin zone is a short-term fix…but your long-term reputation is on the line.