We’ve all seen the memes depicting what the general public thinks folks in Public Relations do versus what we actually do. Every time I tell my friends I have a work event, they think I’m attending a glamorous gala. My mom tells her co-workers I’m in advertising. Cool, mom. But we in the biz know the truth: there is no job description better than Jack-of-All- Trades. Want us to write a speech for you? OK. Call a reporter and ask her to reprint a story because you’re not happy with how you were quoted? Sure. Assemble swag bags to be handed out at the event that I’m working (working, friends. Not attending). Not a problem. We can, and often times do, do it all. But among the many similarities all publicists share, there are differences. Especially when it comes to franchise Public Relations. There are a few distinctions that set working in franchise Public Relations apart from consumer Public Relations. What are they, you ask?
The list, in no particular order, of top ways you know you work in franchise Public Relations:
- Your browsing history. It’s expected that publicists stay up-to-date on the latest news. All news. From the Presidential debates to who Bradley Cooper is currently dating. So it’s natural to see websites like CNN, People and even Facebook on browsing histories. But franchise publicists? You’ll find us scrolling Entrepreneur.com. It’s like our Bible. That and IFA.org.
- You know that Discovery Day isn’t a field trip for science class. You don’t get to miss a day of school to learn about a T-Rex at your local museum. You’re usually in a conference room learning about investment opportunities for a brand. But don’t worry, snacks are typically provided.
- You know what FDD, IFE, IFA and SBA stand for. For those that are wondering: Franchise Disclosure Documents, International Franchise Expo, International Franchise Association and Small Business Administration.
- “It’s in the Item 19” is the answer to many questions. Prospects want to know how much money they can make by becoming a franchisee with a company. The Item 19 answers all those questions and more. Want to find out about costs? Item 19. What’s required to achieve success? Item 19. Who is Bradley Cooper currently dating? OK, fine. The Item 19 doesn’t have all the answers, but refer to item No. 1 on my list.
- Franchise Slang. No one has time to type out multi-unit operator. It’s MU operator. And franchisee is too long of a word. We sub it with ‘zee.’
- All ads are franchise ads. You know those banner ads you see at the top of every website you visit? They’re retargeted ads that track your browsing history to pop up on other sites you visit. When you work in franchise Public Relations, all those ads are franchise companies whose sites you’ve visited. How do we know all of this? Because we do it, too.
