PR grabs your customers’ attention by weaving an exciting story of your business and underscores the necessity of your business in their lives. However, PR goes beyond telling a great story. It positions you as an expert. PR solidifies a bond of trust between you and your customers — and potential customers. What’s not to love about PR?
The price.
PR agencies can run anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousand dollars a month. Finding an agency that produces consistent results is not guaranteed. However, savvy entrepreneurs can begin building their own PR with these 10 secrets that save cash and get the word out about your company.
- Build relationships. Editors and journalists receive hundreds of emails per day. One way to cut through the clutter is to know them before you pitch. Bill Corbett, Jr. of Corbett Public Relations suggests building a personal connection to help get your story out. Engage journalists on social media, comment on their articles, invite them to coffee, and attend events for journalists.
- Send something quirky. Mail an inexpensive item to grab attention. Gene Caballero of GreenPal mails a doggie bone if he knows that the editor has a dog. This tactic has landed him over 30 media mentions. Lori Cheek of Cheekd mailed her business card in a plain envelope to an editor at the New York Times, who in turn featured her business in the Style Section.
- Know your journalists. Perhaps the fastest way to get on an editor’s blacklist is to spam them with a generic pitch. Richard Laermer of RLM PR says “not only will they never talk to you, but they will gossip with other journalists about what an idiot you are.” Read their recent articles to ensure that your pitch aligns with their focus, publication, and readership.
- Be helpful. “Great sources keep self-promotion to an absolute minimum, even if that’s their motivation in the first place,” says Eric Johnson of FeedbackWrench. Start thinking about how to help journalists do their job. Prove that you’re reliable and provide journalists with everything that they need in a timely fashion.
- Make their job easier. Journalists are under tight deadlines. Shruti Shah of Pollock Communications suggests packaging up your pitch with all your media materials — press releases, quotes, images, photo credits, research, and references. For shows, provide producers with the anchor intros, questions, and talking points. Editors and producers are more likely to work with you if you make it easier for them to do their jobs.
- Write a killer subject line. How will you get editors to open your email in the first place? Come up with a creative email subject that compels the recipient to open it. According to Cara Zizzo of DineAmic Group, her subject line “Warning: Mouthwatering Photos Enclosed” received the most responses to date.
- Get to the point. Keep your pitch short and to the point. If editors don’t like the first two sentences, they won’t read the rest. Consider offering several pitch ideas in one email so the editor can get a feel for different ways to include the piece. Be sure to put salient information upfront.
- Follow up. According to PR professionals, many high-profile media mentions came about because of follow-up. Chris Brantner of SleepZoo suggests you “Contact an editor via Twitter DM. Indicate that you sent them an email pitch and that you don’t want it to slip through the cracks.” If you don’t get a response on Twitter, follow up via email. Then, follow up with a call. Be persistent, but polite.
- Target niche publications. Don’t have a “homerun” mentality. Depending on your product or service, Shannon Menard of Power Digital Marketing thinks niche publications can sometimes give you better results than a placement with major media outlets. Niche media have a very specific audience that might align better with your target customer.
- Remember the little things. When pitching interviews, always state that it’s exclusive. Media outlets prefer to have an exclusive story before anyone else. Never pitch on Mondays or Fridays. On Mondays, editors contend with an overstuffed inbox, while on Fridays, they’re thinking about the weekend. Do not pitch to freelancers or contributors. Always pitch to full-time editors who have the authority to accept your pitch.
Serving as your own PR department involves the investment of your time and creativity, but it will pay off in boosting your brand image and business profile. Highlight what your business can do for others — for free. Creating useful PR is a lot like building a good relationship with your neighbors: You must think about others to really develop a strong, lasting bond. Use these PR strategies to create a compelling story about your business that will keep people coming back for more.
