Read Up on This
Have you ever read a newspaper story about a competitor and said with
disgust "That's not news, we've been doing that for years!"?
Well welcome to the world of PR and media relations. It seems it is only
news if you've told the media! In this column, we're going to show you how
to do just that.
PR is the art of ensuring your company is covered - in a positive manner - by relevant print, TV and radio outlets. To get the media interested, you need to create interesting, timely story ideas and then pitch those ideas to editors.
It's worth doing because PR gives you the ability to speak to a wide audience about your product or service or company, without it coming across as advertising.
There's a fun story in marketing circles that is probably one of the best ways to describe the positive effect that PR can have.
A group of specialist marketers and a single customer are in a bar…
The advertiser walks up to the customer and says "I'm so great, you'll
really want what I have"
The direct marketer walks up to the customer and says "Let me tell you a
bit about myself"
But the customer ignores the both and walks up to the PR person and says
"I've heard all about you, can we chat?"
If you're trying to build a brand or bring in new sales, there are a number
of reasons why you might want to focus on media relations:
PR can introduce your company to a wider audience without spending huge
$s on advertising
Through the media, your audience becomes familiar with you and your
company. This then increases their level of trust and awareness of you over
your competitors.
The right stories in the right places can help you attract new
customers, staff, investors, potential franchisees or partners, where
advertising may not.
You can use news stories to help build your credibility and also to
educate and influence the opinion of your target market
But for all the benefits of PR, there are some downsides.
Adverse media coverage can destroy companies, so if you're company isn't
highly ethical you should plan on making it so before you launch yourself
into the public spotlight.
Unlike an ad, you won't get a chance to proofread or make any changes to
the story
You won't have any control over when the story will appear, or in what
section of the paper. Your story might not even appear at all if it is a
busy news day.
The journalist may end up interviewing your competitors too, so you
might not have the whole story to yourself.
So…how do you go about PR? You can hire a consultant who knows the
considerable ins and outs of the media, or you can give it a go yourself.
Some of the key things to remember are:
Like all the marketing tactics we have explored so far, decide your
objective and define exactly what audience you're trying to reach
Begin with a great story idea! It needs to have one or more of the
following elements: humour, conflict, impact (are you offering a product or
service that can change someone's life in some way? Are you opening a new
office that will employ more people?), novelty, currency, (eg: does it have
something to do with other hot stories in the media at the moment eg:
climate change), proximity (eg: is it a story that is relevant locally).
Research various media to discover which journalist/editor/presenter
seems to cover your type of story
Flesh out your pitch, make it short and snappy and irresistible. Get
your facts right.
Ensure your story idea is relevant to the media you are targeting…you
wouldn't target the Cairns Post if you're a plumbing business in Collaroy!
Prepare a Question & Answer sheet, meaning you should pretend you
are the journalist and ask yourself lots of hard questions. By doing this
you can work out the different ways you might answer them in a positive way
Think about what type of interesting photo could accompany the story and
supply it with the story
Find out the contact details for the journalist and email them with your
idea, then follow up with a phone call
Most of all, even if things don't go your way, be pleasant and efficient
to deal with. Never burn your bridges!
PR has made many brands (think Richard Branson's Virgin), and it can open up a world of opportunities for your business, but it can also backfire. Do be sure you're prepared to answer any sticky questions that might come your way!