PR can be intimidating to someone with no experience, which is exactly why we’re here to help. PR can build amazing connections, expand awareness of your brand and increase business sales, so it’s essential that you dabble in it when it comes to marketing your business.
Read on to find out our tips and tricks within the PR industry…
WHAT IS PR?
Public Relations is the link between organisation and businesses, directly to the public, and is used as a form of communication to create a positive relationship between the public and said organisation.
With successful PR comes increased business sales and networking opportunities, it also raises brand awareness and is usually what makes specific products or companies ‘trending’. By using PR, you and your business can be seen by more people and hopefully build reliable connections which then interact with the services or products you provide.
PR comes in different types such as media relations, public affairs, social media, crisis management and more, with most PR now being in digital formats such as features in a magazine, influencer reposts on social media and online papers.
ADVANTAGES OF PR
As previously mentioned, if PR is done correctly, it should bring more customers and clients and notify the wider audience of your business, improving brand awareness.
PR is a great way of building trust with an audience, if reputable outlets and influencers are using your services, that makes their following and potential clients see that your business is exactly what you promise, and is being used by real people.
Also, PR brings your business in front of a wider audience, one which you might not have reached before, as influencers may have a larger following on social media channels than you, and magazine/news outlets have daily readers that may not have come across your brand before.
All in all, PR is what you need to make your business boom, establish connections and get your services in front of people.
DEVELOPING CONTACT LISTS
Media lists or contact lists are especially important when it comes to PR as they will direct your PR piece to the relevant outlet or organisation.
Firstly, you need to establish your target audience. If you want to advertise locally, then research journalists, editors, influencers or producers within your area. If you’d rather advertise through someone that is specific to your sector (food, fashion, IT etc.) then research people within that.
Find specific contacts from the publications that you want to contact, avoid generic emails and target editors/journalists directly on their personal email. Doing so will increase your chances of the piece getting posted or picked up by the publication.
HOW TO REACH OUT
Reaching out can sometimes be the most difficult part – what do you say, how do you say it and how do you know that the contact will even respond?
The answer is, you don’t know if they’re going to respond, and more times than others, it’s a case of trial and error.
It goes without saying that you need to reach out in a respectful and professional manner, then include the details of your PR piece whether that be an article, blog post, or a proposal for an influencer. If you’re targeting a journalist, newspaper or magazine, ensure that your PR piece is newsworthy, such as a ‘reopening’ or occasion, to maximise your chances of the piece being printed. Make sure to add contact details in case they have any further questions and specify exactly what you’d like published.
Well, that’s a quick guide to PR! Finding the correct contacts, pulling together a publishable piece and ensuring that you specify what you’d like printing, are all essential to a successful PR campaign.
We know that PR can be tricky, so we’re here to help!
If you need any PR help or just have some questions, email us at hello@getaudience.co.uk.
