I don’t like euphemisms.

And we have so many to contend with whether it’s jargon at work, legalese, political correctness or just plain obfuscation. We hide behind words for many reasons. Sometimes we’re scared, other times it’s to make us feel smarter or make what we do sound more important.

In any event, all a euphemism does is muck up communications between people. That’s one of the things I like about social media; it lets us be more direct when we talk to folks. Sure we can be stylish, educate and entertain, but by being understandable and honest, we’re able to build credibility and trust.  

I started out in my PR career as a publicist and was proud of the term.  I worked in entertainment and was hired to get the word out about a film, book, TV show, comedian… And I did it by knowing how to tell my client’s story, delivering on what I promised and not badgering people.

I was just doing what came naturally to me – trying to connect people and help them out. And though I didn’t think of it at the time, I was building relationships.

When I moved into corporate PR, we had a fancier word for publicity: media relations.  So I started calling it that.  Media relations looked down on publicity, which is silly because that’s essentially what it is. Media relations pretended it was a lot more hifalutin. By doing that, it was hoping to get closer to the grownup’s table.

But all it did was contribute to the fog of words.

I think it’s time we get off our media relations high horse. Let’s return to calling publicity – publicity, that is making something public whether in MSM or on blogs.  We should go back to basics to ensure we do it right.

Here are my publicity 10 commandments:

1. Don’t lie.
2. Don’t spam.
3. Don’t overpromise.
4. Don’t pretend something is what it isn’t.
5. Be creative and tell as good a story as you can.
6. Remember yours isn’t the only story out there and others may be a lot better.
7. Know where you stand in the grand scheme of things. Tragedy trumps products every time.
8. Do what you say. As quickly as you can.
9. Smile.
10. Say thanks.

Do you think you can help me publicize this?

About Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, teaches digital strategy and social media at McMaster University, the Schulich School of Business, University of Toronto SCS and Seneca College. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.

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