Public Relations can be tedious and overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like an attempt to have hundreds of conversations at the same time with hundreds of different people who have hundreds of different personalities – and trying to please them all. At least on some days, that’s what it feels like.

As a PR professional, I’m required to get a message or information about a product out to the right people – and usually a lot of them. And to each of these people, relevant and streamlined material must be provided. This takes time, attention to detail and research. The most effective and successful PR efforts are usually the result of:

a.) A perfect fit between the content provided and the content the media outlet is looking for
b.) A connection that is made with a member of the media, often the result of a somewhat personal conversation or business-minded exchange, or both.

Since a.) is difficult to rely on entirely, PR practitioners turn to b.) as a way to get their “foot in the door” and build a relationship that benefits both parties. Because after all, this isn’t a one-way street. If you’re benefiting from media coverage, media is most likely benefiting from it as well.

So in PR, we relationship build. We network. And we don’t just do this to secure coverage. We do this for several other reasons, most notably:

• To become a trusted source of content; aka a go-to contact for members of the media
• To become more familiar with editors, writers, their publications, and the sector they work in
• To become part of the dialogue, so as to refine our knowledge and more effectively plan future PR opportunities
• To show our personality and discover the personalities of members of the media

There’s no more logistically simple and cost-effective way right now to network and build relationships than through new online media channels (I don’t use the term “social media.” I find it redundant. Media is defined as a means of communication, and therefore is inherently social) like Twitter, Facebook, etc. It offers PR professionals a glimpse into just about any segment of the population, and it offers them the chance to join in on the discussion and start contributing, without being invasive.

It’s like learning a new language – the best thing to do is to throw yourself directly into a situation where you need to use it. You learn the most about an environment when you become part of that environment and when you’ve had to adapt to it. In PR, we throw ourselves into the community that we are trying to reach. We adapt to that community, and that makes us better communicators. It’s easy, because online media gives us that community right at our fingertips.

Having experienced and contributed to these communities even for a short period of time, I feel more in-the-know, more aware of personalities and issues and more confident in my abilities to provide media with exactly what they want or need.

Certainly, not everyone is participating in online media, and certainly this is not the end-all be-all of PR networking. I wish it was that simple. But online media gives us tools that make it much easier to connect with the right people. With a little effort, a little time and a lot of interest in specific media populations, PR professionals can build and manage new networks and see first-hand what important people in those networks are saying. Of course, then you have to act on it.

And that’s just good old-fashioned PR.