Public relations — it’s the darling return-on-investment marketing tool of the recession. Why? It’s measurable — you can track how many pick ups your press releases receive or how popular your blog is. You can interact with a wide variety of audiences on their terms — using language and platforms, like Facebook or email , they’re most comfortable with. And you can engage with people and get their thoughts and feedback — giving you direction that helps you grow your business.

The problem is most people think PR simply consists of press releases. Yes, this “push” tactic still has a valid place in PR, but press releases alone are simply a monologue. You need to start a PR conversation — engaging with your audience by integrating “push” and “pull” PR tactics. Here’s an example.

Push. It started with the client’s business goals — reaching C-level executives. A series of monthly press releases (sent to C-level-specific publications and news sources) were planned, starting with a release concerning the recent in-house personnel promotion that addressed clients’ recession concerns and how this newly promoted person would help address them.

The first release scored. An editor of an online publication asked if the newly promoted person would be interested in submitting an online article that — you guessed it — reached C-level execs. Pull.

That article led to a monthly online column — effectively pulling in readers who could link from the article to the client’s site. Does this happen with every release? No. But if you start with a business goal, carefully select your media outlets and address the concerns of your audience, you at least have a chance.

The “push” press release becomes part of a conversational PR web that allows audiences to “pull” in the information they want. The client’s press release morphs into an article, then a column, a Facebook posting, the inspiration for a blog, the impetus of an online survey, the basis for a white paper, the stimulus for a case study, the conversation piece of a webinar and the theme of a trade show presentation.

It’s all PR — the vital sharing of information — that your audiences can choose from, share and talk about using the platforms they’re most comfortable with. Choice empowers them. And when you give them voice through blogs, forums, online surveys or group pages, it helps empower you. A little push, a lot of pull and — heave ho — you’re engaging in conversations and sharing insights that can help grow your business and brand presence.

Michelle Rothmeyer is the Senior Public Relations Specialist at TMA+Peritus.