Five PR Lessons from The Oprah Winfrey Show

The end of an era. The Oprah Show is done after 25 years. The farewell specials have aired. The tears have been shed and we as human beings are picking up the pieces to move on with our lives. While the show has had an impact on many, I think one of the key influences is how it changed the game of public relations.

Here are five PR lessons we can all take away from the big “O”:

1. Be transparent. When a star or everyday hero was booked on Oprah, you could tell her staff let the PR contact know that they must be willing to share it all and be truthful. In the age of social media and consumers’ demand for “reality”, brands must be willing to be honest, admit failures, say sorry but work to do better and be better – because when you know better, you do better, right?
2. Be relevant. Oprah was always the first to get the hot topic of the day before all the morning shows. This kept her relevant and reliable to her audience. For us, it is critical to keep a pulse on what people want to know about our clients and how they want to receive information.
3. Strive for the gold standard. Oprah set the standard for the industry and stayed in her lane to achieve her success. It’s similar to knowing what your organization’s strengths are and becoming the expert/go-to firm for that work.
4. The power of spokespeople. Gone are the days of paying a celebrity to support a brand for celebrity sake. When choosing a spokesperson for a brand, it must be a strategic fit.
5. Trying new approaches to blaze a trail. In everything Oprah did, she put her own spin on it leaving her contemporaries in the dust. That’s what great, award-winning PR programs accomplish. Even if the program doesn’t win an award, if it’s able to make an impact on the consumer, NGOs, key stakeholders, employees or better yet, a competitor, you have changed the game for your client and for the industry.