Kris Ruby digs into the truth of PR for Journalism 470 students via Facebook Live

By: ​Johan Alfaro 

​Kris Ruby, CEO and owner of Ruby Media Group, delivered a masterclass to Prof. Newton’s Digital Public Relations Toolbox class via Facebook live this past Wednesday. Ruby is one of America’s pre-eminent social media professionals and is a frequent on-air TV contributor and expert on social media, tech trends and crisis communications.
Ruby dropped priceless knowledge to the class through a Q&A format, allowing students to ask any questions they had about PR misconceptions, career advice and the future of the field. The first major topic she touched on was the misunderstandings people have about PR. She mentioned that the number one misconception is the belief that PR officials control what the media reports, when what they really do is package, pitch, and promote what the media decides to run through.

“No matter how great our package is, if we look at the impeachment hearings right now, 4pm is not the ideal time to be pitching the media about someone winning an award, because I know the media cycle is going to be focusing on the impeachment hearings,” Ruby explained.

Strategizing was a topic that Ruby emphasized throughout the conversation. She advised that as a publicist and PR official, one needs to constantly strategize when and where we are going to push our messages.

When asked about what she reads to stay informed, she stated that she has Google alerts set up for various parts of the industry, plus her client’s industries. She advised that learning and becoming an expert on your client’s industries is key, and that she enjoys getting new information about SEO, algorithms, and social media changes on a daily basis.

“I feel that those are the things that I really need to read to actually be informed about PR strategies for clients,” Ruby said. She recommended the class listen to her podcast with Inbound Success about who should consider using PR, when to use it, how much you should expect to pay, and what kinds of results you should expect.

Another topic that Ruby touched was on understanding the truth and ethics. As the middleman between clients and the media, PR professionals have the ethical responsibility to make sure the truth is being sent to the media.

“You need to have a solid understanding of ethics in PR,” Ruby advised. “I think that if you have that, then it can drive everything else that you do. The truthful way is the best way for longevity as a public relations professional.”.

She concluded by telling the class her thoughts on where the media is growing the most in PR and what online platform she believes will be the next big thing. She sees podcasts as the most evolving media tool in PR, which she believes is helping educate and combat stereotypes about the field. Ruby sees sites like Ancestry.com and family tree sites becoming the next big popular platform.

​If you missed the Facebook Live chat with Kris Ruby and want to hear everything she had to say about the realities of PR, you can still watch it on the Ruby Media Group Facebook page.