Identifying and Prioritizing Stakeholders and Publics

An important part of communication strategy is identifying types of stakeholders and publics (as opposed to the "general public", which as a designation is usually too broad and unhelpful in a public relations context). This chapter will go through definitions of stakeholders and publics and the general categories of each. Knowing this helps develop appropriate approaches to communicate your message more effectively.

Introduction

One of the most important steps in strategic and effective public relations is accurately identifying the publics with which you want to build mutually beneficial relationships. A popular axiom for public relations is that there is no such thing as a "general public". In other words, an organization has a variety of key groups who bring different expectations for their relationship with the organization. These differences help an organization segment its publics into groups with similar values and expectations and to focus communication strategies.

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