Credibility is incredibly important in the field of public relations.
Anyone in the public eye lives and dies by their reputation.
You could argue that's true for politicians and business leaders, but that actors and professional athletes need only focus on how they perform on the field. Except that's not true. Actors and athletes get much of their income -- sometimes the majority of it -- from endorsements.
If you're a public figure, your reputation and credibility are the biggest assets you have. Even actors and athletes who aren't selling watches or handbags need to build up and protect their credibility. What director wants to hire an actress who's quite talented and quite drunk all the time? What car manufacturer wants to spend hundreds of millions on an ad campaign featuring a famous athlete with a squeaky clean image, only to watch in agony as that athlete self-destructs?
Credibility matters in public relations, from the CEOs and the celebrities to the people in the media shop talking to reporters and putting together press packets.
So how can you build credibility with the press and public?
Here are three ways:
1) Deflect praise and embrace blame.
It's incredibly common to see a public figure sending out a press release after they won an award. Don't toot your own horn. If a group gave you or your organization an award, let them send a press release.
If you're asked about something good your organization did, deflect the praise. Thank the hard-working citizens who made it happen, the season ticket holders who supported the baseball team, the front-line police officers who brought crime to a record low.
When there's a problem, own it. Don't pass the buck or pass the blame to others. That gives a story legs, because then the press has to go talk to whoever got blamed, and they'll point the finger at somebody else, and the press goes to talk to THEM, and three weeks later, they talk to you again asking to explain away a Gordian knot of blame and finger-pointing that nobody can untangle.
2) Help out when you don't need to.
Don't only call reporters when you need coverage. Journalists need to produce stories every day. If you know of great leads that have nothing to do with your organization, share it. Volunteer some of your time a non-profit or a good cause.
Reach out, because it gets you out there, meeting new people, and keep your from only popping your head out of the foxhole when there's a press conference to flog.
Reporters notice these things. There's nothing they hate more than a cheesy publicist calling for the first time in six months to ask about the wife and kids before wondering why their press release got ignored, or a public figure talking to a journalism for the first an only time because they're flogging something or doing damage control. Show up when you don't need anything. Help out when you don't need to and people will help you when you need it.
3) Work hard to be right and admit errors without shame.
In public relations, you're only as good as your reputation. The facts and quotes you give to reporters will wind up in the newspaper, on the radio and on TV, and it better be right. They have other options. You aren't the only source of information in the world. You want to be their BEST source of information.
If you make a mistake and give them bad facts, don't make the mistake of hoping nobody notices. Tell reporters right away, hopefully before newspapers go to bed and TV stories hit the airwaves. Send a corrected release, make phone calls, zap out e-mails -- do whatever it takes to make sure the right facts get out there.
There's no shame in making a mistake. Every journalist has mangled a number or messed up a quote. The shame is in pretending nothing happened, and getting caught days or weeks after the fact. The media hates having to run a correction and apologize to readers. The longer you let an error sit, the worse it smells to the press. Correct it quickly and without shifting blame.