What is PR Voice? | Why Voice in Public Relations Matters
There are very few things that get my heart beating faster than sounding off a turkey call just before daylight and hearing the thunderous bellow of a gobble echo through the woods in response. Missouri spring turkey season recently came to a close and I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time in the woods turkey hunting.
Turkey calling has always intrigued me. It is an art that takes strategy, skill and great execution to be able to effectively call in those long-bearded birds. It’s an art I have not mastered yet, but I have friends that are really close, so I always try to hunt with them! Sitting in the woods over the last few weeks, listening to my turkey-callin’ friends work their magic, made me think about the similarities between turkey calling and the importance of voice in Public Relations.
An effective PR program has a voice that is strategic, skillfully crafted and communicated consistently. Your brand’s voice goes way beyond what you say in your PR communications. The voice of your PR program is a direct representation of your brand’s personality, culture and values. What you say is important, but so is how you say it.
Consistent Public Relations Voice Builds Trust
When you’re turkey hunting and you open a line of communication with a group of Toms or Jakes, there’s a certain level of trust that needs to be achieved to get them started on their journey heading your way and to keep them moving in your direction. At any point throughout the series of exchanges, if the birds feel something is not just right, they can go quiet, or worse, decide to move on.
A similar situation can happen with potential customers. They may read something about your company that really grabs their interest. As a result, they do a quick Google search, follow you on social media and pay attention when they see or hear your brand’s name. If your brand’s voice isn’t authentic and consistent across these channels and others, they may lose interest and decide to move on.
Voice of PR Communicates Brand Personality, Culture and Values
The voice you leverage through your PR program tells people who you are and what you stand for without always having to say it directly. It reinforces who you say you are and adds to your brand’s authenticity. Your PR voice personifies your brand, gives readers an insight into your company culture and exemplifies your core values.
Customers want to interact and do business with companies they know, like and trust. Letting your brand’s personality shine through in your communications will create a genuine feeling around your brand. It will help customers feel like they know you better and give them a more personal connection to your brand.
Unique Voice in Public Relations Differentiates Your Brand
A vital component of a successful PR program is content distribution. You want to get your content in front of as many relevant news outlets, publications and channels as you possibly can. Getting the content to these outlets is important, but you also need to give them a reason to want to share your content with their readers, viewers and followers.
Leveraging a unique voice in your PR communications will not only help differentiate your brand from competitive brands at the customer level, but it also differentiates your brand from others at the media level. Think about some of the key media on your PR distribution list and what their email inboxes may look like. In most cases, they will be full of news releases, new product and service info and a variety of other content that is all essentially competing against each other for potential coverage. A unique voice in your PR communications can help you stand out in those inboxes, leading to more coverage, a greater impact and better results.
In the woods, you can yelp, putt, purr and cackle, but if you don’t make those calls in an authentic and consistent way, they rarely achieve the results you hope for. Successfully communicating your brand’s voice through the messaging of your Public Relations program can build trust with your brand and boost the results you’re able to achieve.
