Cohn Inducted as Brattleboro Rotary Club President

The Brattleboro Rotary Club recently inducted Newfane resident Martin Cohn as its 63^rd club president for the 2012-2013 year.  Cohn is president of Cohn Public Relations, a full service public relations firm based in Brattleboro.

Rotary club members serving as officers with Cohn this year are President-Elect Stacy Kristas of Stacy Automotive Center, Secretary Jeff Hagstrom of Newton Business Supplies, Treasurer Jolene Belair of Hampton Inn, Vice President June Howe of Raptor Trading and Immediate Past President Liz Harrison of Nutrition Education Services.

Cohn has been active in the Brattleboro Rotary Club since August of 2005, serving on the board for the last 4 years.  Last year, he was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Brattleboro Rotary Club. The Paul Harris Fellowship Award, named after the founder of Rotary International, is one of the highest honors Rotary can bestow upon a person. Recipients exemplify the highest ideal in Rotary in placing "Service above self."  He produces the Club's annual film festival, which raises funds for international projects, as well as chair the Annual Indoor Mini Golf Tournament.

Martin has been practicing public relations for over 35 years for a wide variety of clients. Martin received his BA in psychology and MS in public relations from Boston University. He is immediate past president of the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community and served on the board of the Arts County of Windham County.

Martin is married to his wife of thirty-four years, Yael, and has two daughters, Rachel and Jessica. 

                         PHOTO: Martin Cohn (left); Immediate Past President Liz Harrison

Why Public Relations for Non-Profits?

What comes to mind when you hear the term “public relations?”

I have been a public relations practitioner for over 35 years, yet I’m still surprised that most clients think of public relations in the same outmoded way: merely old-fashioned publicity or, even worse, contrived sham “stunts.” I hear the term misused as a catch-all for anything from marketing and advertising to surveys and free samples. And, folks still think that a public relations campaign requires a big budget agency.

None of these perceptions are even remotely accurate.  Yes, public relations does focus on publicity, but it includes community relations, media relations, and government relations.  And, it strives to develop good professional corporate citizenship.

These elements of public relations can be particularly effective at local and regional levels.  Therefore, they are especially useful to non-profit organizations. However, good public relations is still an art form of sorts and requires some research and planning.

Let’s start with a good, clear definition: public relations is accurate, consistent and timely communications that convey the right message to the right organization.

When beginning a public relations effort, there are three simple steps.

1. 1.     Identify your audiences. An audience is an individual or group which has any interest or stake in the activities of your organization. Beyond your “customers”, audiences can include but not be limited to your employees, vendors, regulators, legislators, neighbors and local media. Remember, in today’s communications environment, audiences have the ability to get and communicate information about you.
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3. 2.     Create a public relations plan. Identify your goals and decide how you want to be perceived by your audiences. Also, you need to prioritize the most important facts about your organization.  Then, you determine a strategy for accomplishing your goals using the available communication tools, such as articles, presentations or special events.
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5. 3.     Develop a good relationship with local media. Local media need to cover local organizations and always need fresh stories. However, they don’t work for you and are not required to cover your organization.  Get to know your local media so that they get to know you.

Public relations is all about building relationships with your audiences. Effective public relations must be consistent and ongoing. And, it takes time to establish and maintain.

Finally, be enthusiastic and passionate about your cause and organization. Don’t just focus on the how you do public relations but always remember the why.

George Orwell is wrong

The following picture is circulating on the Internet.

As a seasoned public relations practitioner, I adhere to the rule not to lie.  However, this is different than being obligated to tell the truth.

Former President Clinton White House spokesman Mike McCurry once described his job as “telling the truth slowly” and I suppose that aptly describes what I do.

Obviously, I have an obligation to my client – and disclosing the unvarnished truth is rarely the first consideration in a crisis. The obligation to the media and public is simply that you never say anything knowingly false. However, there is no obligation to do the job of the media for them by proactively exposing the truth.

That said, I often counsel my clients that the best strategy is to reveal the whole truth sooner rather than later when the facts are embarrassing or incriminating.  Postponing the inevitable rarely works as a viable option.

What do you think?