5 ways PR is like Masterchef
Well, you can't fault my commitment to the cause. Yes, I am about to compare the recipe for running a great PR campaign to a winning three-course meal on Masterchef. So let's just get straight to it—assuming I haven't lost you already.
1) Preparation
“Do or die” cooking, as Gregg Wallace describes it, requires meticulous preparation. Anything can go wrong at any time (now you see where I’m going with this!).
Launching a company, a new product, or even a social media campaign can take weeks of groundwork. It’s up to your PR agency to help you obtain buy-in from other decision-makers in the business.
Before diving in headfirst, consider whether you have clear messaging around your company and the services it provides. Involve people from other areas of the business so they can feed into the messaging process and tell you what results would benefit them.
Like any recipe, having a clear idea of what results you want to achieve is fundamental to success.
2) Ingredients
John and Gregg are looking for flavours that “knock their socks off.” It’s got to be a lot more than home cooking to get the nod.
Given the modern media landscape, it’s not just chefs that are finding it hard to stand out from the crowd. The days of pumping out press releases and hitting the phones are—let’s face it—probably not over. However, brands now have to create content that impresses as well as informs.
PR agencies are constantly adding to their skills in design and increasing their knowledge of internet culture. Most campaigns we work on involve SlideShares, infographics, industry reports, videos, and anything just a little bit different.
In the same way that using fresh, carefully sourced ingredients brings a meal to life, telling a story in a new way is key to raising awareness more effectively.
3) Timing
The margin for error when cooking a Beef Wellington medium-rare versus setting the perfect panna cotta is almost non-existent.
Similarly, in today’s post-recession economy, clients demand more for their money when hiring a PR agency. And given the variety of content being produced, you need to know that everything will be ready on time.
Just like a chef notes timings to the second, using a PR timeline is a reliable way to track activity—from announcing your report findings to sending that perfectly timed tweet. This gives clients visibility, peace of mind, and leaves no excuse for missing a deadline.
4) Judging
It’s no holds barred in the world of haute cuisine. We’ve seen contestants reduced to tears by the scathing remarks of food critics.
PR is all about knowing your audience.
Having met a fair few journalists in my time, there are two things most will tell you:
They want stories, not promotion.
They want content that’s tailored to their readers, not vague messaging for “industry decision makers.”
They also need everything at their fingertips—photos, videos, background info. A story without these extras is like an unseasoned main course: disappointing.
5) Presentation
It’s a joyous moment when Dave the builder from Wolverhampton turns his enormous, clumsy hands into an instrument capable of creating an exquisite dessert. That’s usually when the tears start.
Similarly, in a PR campaign, sometimes you need to present results and feedback in a way that resonates with people across your client’s business—especially those with different interpretations of what success looks like.
Agencies should consult with clients on how success is measured and how to present it to the wider business in a way that sticks.
Well, if you’ve made it this far—congratulations. I’m sure that you, like me, will never see Masterchef the same way again.
