Good PR seems effortless – a viral video, a Facebook post ‘liked’ by thousands, or a well-timed comment in the local paper that increases enquiries and boosts cashflow. But, more often than not, successful campaigns are the result of a carefully planned press strategy.
Without taking time to plan your time wisely, all those hours spent setting up tweets and drafting press releases will go to waste. So to find the best tried-and-tested ways of gaining press coverage, we asked business owners and PR experts what has worked for them. Here’s what they said:
1 Become an expert
Congratulations – you’ve just launched a new product that’s the result of years of hard work. The bad news? “Journalists aren’t going to write about your products or your company, because that’s not what editorial integrity is about,” says Julie Thompson-Dredge, founder of Frame PR.
The answer, if you want your name to appear in print or online, is to jump on the news agenda, add to a debate and become a go-to expert in your field. Journalists won’t consider a story that is a barely concealed advert for your business, but pertinent comments or opinion blogs will help to build your brand.
Thompson-Dredge speaks from experience – she jumped on the news agenda for her client the Business Funding Show, when new government measures were announced. The press release she sent out referencing this news resulted in several opinion pieces in the trade press. “The benefit in the long run is you look like you are an authority on something,” she says. “Every time an investor searches for your name they will see that you have made those comments and a serious news organisation has taken notice of them.”
Thompson-Dredge’s tip for writing the press release? “Reference the news that went out and say three things that you can offer as a spokesperson.”
2 Send products to reviewers
While not relevant for every type of business, more often than not you will have a product or service that can be reviewed. You may feel nervous about a writer saying what they want about your business – but the payoff is more exposure and a recommendation from someone who is not partisan.
Florian Plenge is CEO and co-founder at Skoove, an app that teaches users how to play piano giving real-time feedback. With the help of a media agency Plenge tailored his PR strategy, a key part of which was to lend e-pianos to journalists and bloggers so they can test the product.
“We claim to be “the easiest way to learn piano” and are confident that our product lives up to this fact and have the journalist have this experience first hand,” Plenge says. “Loaning instruments to writers is a really important part of our strategy as it allows them to test our service for themselves, first-hand. Our internal support team is, of course, always on hand to help with any queries or questions.”
3 Draft a knock-out press release
Press releases take time to put together, but news outlets receive hundreds every day. To stand out from the crowd in a journalist’s inbox, there are a few simple questions you can ask yourself, says Alice Regester, CEO and co-founder of PR and social media marketing agency, 33Seconds.
“Ask yourself: what is new, why would anyone care, who is involved, where and when is it happening, and why? If you have a strong answer to each of these then you can build the release from your answers.”
The headline and first paragraph are most important – they need to instantly grab your attention and concisely get across all the key information. “The important thing to note is that first communication should take the form of a concise and compelling email pitch. Get the journalist’s interest in the story before sending over more detailed information. Include the topline facts in the pitch email – the what, who, why and when – and make sure you’ve done your research into the person you’re sending it to, to feel as confident as possible that it’s relevant to them.”
If you’re pitching your story to several different publications, then do your research and tailor your press release accordingly. “There’s clearly going to be a significant difference between the angle a trade outlet is interested in versus a lifestyle magazine, so you need to address them accordingly and in the language they’re familiar with,” says Regester.
4 Use social media
The good news is that effective PR doesn’t have to cost anything at all. Social media is a free tool that small business owners need to embrace – and using it well could be your ticket to press coverage, says Evelina Jankauskyte, digital PR executive at Branded3.
One of the best direct channels for businesses is Twitter, according to Jankauskyte, as you can target specific media publications and keep a close eye on what news they cover through their feed. “It is 140 characters, very short and snappy and it draws their attention more. They don’t have a long message to respond to. I find personally my response rate is high.”
When you’ve picked your publication, think carefully about who to contact. “You are not just going to send a tweet to an editor, they are most likely not going to respond. You need to understand who is in charge of the section,” says Jankauskyte.
Once you’ve made contact with a journalist, they are more likely to respond to a subsequent email or phone call. Just make sure you avoid their deadline.
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