When training for a race, whether a 5K, half marathon or full marathon, you know how long the race is before you sign up and typically set a goal about finishing that will make you feel successful at the end. In the running world, we call it a “PR,” or personal record. As a runner, you set a training program to meet your desired goal and prepare for the race. You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to run a full marathon. This action of training and setting an expectation to ensure success is the same in public relations, the other “PR.”
During the beginning of a campaign, PR engagement or product launch, it is important to ensure that all parties are on the same page. To help guide you, consider the following tips:
- Build Consensus. Building consensus and shared expectations is key to a successful PR campaign. Success can mean different things to different people, so you want to make sure that everyone has the same vision. Additionally, setting expectations around roles, responsibilities and action items is crucial. This makes it clear who will own what.
- Consider Timing. As a best practice, set expectations around results and what success looks like in the planning phase. This will ensure that there are no surprises. As in running, you don’t want to prepare for a 5K, yet end up running a full marathon.
- Capture Expectations in Writing. Your specific communication method may vary based on the situation. But if you have a conversation on the phone, for example, it makes sense to send a recap of the conversation in email to have the expectations in writing if you need to refer back. In a fast-paced world, we are all juggling a lot of information, so it is helpful to have a record of commitments and deliverables.
As PR professionals, we all want to achieve success. But what we see as success may not be the same for our clients, so it is important to have the conversation early on to make sure everyone is working toward the same goal. Crossing the finish line is not enough.
Any tips you have for setting shared expectations?