At Communiqué PR we are on a quest to be the strongest PR agency in Seattle – in more ways than one. How? By challenging ourselves to do 100 consecutive push-ups, which we referenced in Monday’s post on sparking creative culture.

For this challenge, we’re talking real, on-your-toes-not-on-your-knees push-ups. Our training began a few weeks ago and almost immediately, all of us saw improvement in the number of push-ups we could do. It will still take some time before we can do 100 consecutive push-ups, but we’re well on our way.

Our push-ups challenge got me thinking that there are a few connections between building a solid PR program and working toward 100 consecutive push-ups:

PR, like push-ups, requires discipline and commitment. You can’t get to 100 push-ups through slipshod or one-off training. Despite deadlines, meetings and other potential conflicts, we’re following an ambitious training program and have set aside 15 minutes three times a week to train together to meet our common goal. Similarly, an effective PR program requires buy-in and commitment from all levels of the organization. And, a press release or a tweet here and there does not a PR program make. In order to build awareness for your brand, company or product, you need a solid story, a steady drum beat of news/content, and proactive media outreach. You also need to be tenacious and be creative in working around challenges that might keep you from meeting your objectives.

PR, like push-ups, takes time. Just like getting to 100 consecutive push-ups isn’t going to happen overnight, it takes time to nurture an effective PR program. In our experience, clients who view PR as a long-term commitment versus a one-project activity see the best results. Just as building up the muscles in your arms, shoulders and chest happen over time, building relationships with the media and industry analysts, and securing articles require a commitment of time. A single PR activity, like a press release, will garner results in the short-term. However, if you want to stay top-of-mind with the media and key audiences over the long haul, you need to string together a series of PR activities, press outreach and campaigns.

PR, like push-ups, should be part of an integrated program. Push-ups will strengthen your upper body and your core, but if you want to improve your overall fitness, you need to incorporate other exercises as well. Similarly, to effectively generate awareness and recognition for your company, brand or product, PR should be part of a comprehensive communications strategy which may also include search engine optimization (SEO), social media and marketing communications. Depending on your industry and target customer, an analyst-relations program should also be part of the mix.

Just as we believe that sticking to our program and training together will enable us to meet our goal of doing 100 consecutive push-ups, we also believe that engaging a trusted PR partner, investing in PR and executing against a strategic PR plan will garner results.

For more on perfecting your push-ups, check out Man Vs. Weight’s 113 Killer Push Up Variations and Exercises.