Visible enthusiasm in everything you do through your business is a basic rule of good public relations and marketing. This creates a positive outlook and dynamic approach that can ensure activity on the sales front.
Adopt this mind-set and read on!
What is PR?
“PR” is short for Public Relations and generally defines how you interact with your customers, business suppliers, financiers or peers. PR is usually conducted through the media.
Paying for advertising space - an alternative or supplement to PR - is sometimes an effective form of publicity if very well targeted but it is commonly expensive. However, you don't really have to spend much to generate good publicity for your service or products if you can think through who you want to reach out to and devise a PR strategy instead. The only resources needed are your time and some creative thought.
Publicising success stories through the media - newspapers, magazines, newsletters, radio, the web, television and even over mobile phones - is an industry unto itself. Many agencies and freelancers (of which I am one!) offer advice and practical help for a fee but anyone can do it with some planning.
Basically, your audience is more likely to trust a good PR story than believe any paid advertisement you buy so long as there is a wider “news” element involved.
Decent PR gives you a competitive edge and provides a good foundation for your marketing and sales efforts. Successful PR gets you noticed and talked about!
How to Start: The News Release
Also known as press releases, news releases are the lifeblood of much journalism today. They must not be obvious attempts to sell but should instead highlight a news angle of potential interest to your audiences.
So! …
- Do you have a new product or service to promote that will help put your town on the map or even stimulate the local economy by creating new jobs?
- Might you want people to know that you are hosting students from your local school in a guided tour of your business or offering them work experience placements?
- Are you or any member of staff taking part in a sponsored charitable event?
- Have you developed a caring approach to the environment in your business practices? Might employees, family or friends dedicate a specified time to clearing litter from a play park, section of a local river or a nearby beauty spot? Why not get t-shirts printed up with your name, logo and website address as a free “thank-you” to all who take part and invite the wider community to participate too?
- Have you won a recent award or landed a new business contract?
- Do you now offer initial price discounts or freebies for new customers?
- Might you organise and host a local debate on regional or national issues affecting your community that they would want to have a say on and which the local media might agree to pick up on?
The above list is only a start. Even notice of moving premises can interest local journalists enough for them to produce an article. However, your “news” must have some local relevance.
How to Put a News Release Together and Use it
A good news release will say what is happening, who is involved and explain clearly why, where and when in its first paragraph. You can expand on this in subsequent paragraphs but be aware that editors who are tight for space may look at cutting your story from the bottom upwards; so compose it with that in mind and get the important facts in at the start.
Avoid exaggeration or unjustifiable claims. Use adjectives very sparingly and try wherever possible to employ active verbs rather than passive ones (e.g., “we won the award” rather than “the award was won by us” …).
Know when to finish and write “ENDS” below the final paragraph. The equivalent length of one or, at most, two sides is about right. If you have additional information, you can also supply a “backgrounder” sheet providing extra information about the business, its history, employees and the services or products involved. Make sure you give clear details of the named person they can contact in order to follow up the story.
Although hiring an experienced journalist, copywriter or PR professional can provide a better chance of having the news release followed up, you may find that family and friends have writing skills they will contribute should you not feel confident handling it yourself.
A good news release effectively gives the media a complete but basic article requiring little editing before publication or broadcast. On that basis, it is more likely to be used.
Think about who you want to target with your release. Is it the general public? Your suppliers? Other businesses?
If you issue a release to a number of different media outlets, send them at the same time and make sure they are dated.
If you distribute releases by email, make sure the text is fully copied and pasted into the actual email body. You can also send a duplicate email with the text document also attached though it may be that filters block such attachments. If you submit on paper, use double spacing between the lines.
Clearly write “NEWS RELEASE” at the top. Write “for immediate release” directly underneath or, if there is a good reason, write “embargoed until xx/xx/xx” if there is a very good reason to delay publication or broadcast to a later date.
Phone the journalist or news editor of your chosen media later in the day - a good few hours after you think your emails should have arrived - to see if they are interested in the story. Don't be pushy as they are probably very busy dealing with any number of different stories. Ask if they also want pictures and do offer to arrange a time for them to come take photographs as appropriate.
Nominate one person to deal with the enquiries that should result from your news release and make sure they have enough free time to deal with them.
Once it is all Done
Keep clippings of any coverage you get. You can put copies in a presentation folder or on a notice board in any public waiting areas on your premises and this will give added life to your PR long after publication dates have come and gone. You could also incorporate copies of publicity clippings into your marketing packs you send to customers, suppliers, etc.
Positive Energy
Your business's enthusiasm to be an active part in the local community and a positive outlook will shine through your PR and media campaign. This can only be good for business! Good luck!
