How to move into the spotlight with PR

How to Move Into the Spotlight with PRThe most cost-effective and successful means of building your business and attracting customers is through public relations, and in particular securing media coverage.

The reason that PR works is it provides third-person credibility not obtainable through paid advertising. In fact, it is said to have 10 times the impact of traditional, paid advertising, placing you above your competitors as the “top of mind” choice for customers, investors and business partners.

There are a number of ways to go about getting media coverage and having journalists call you for comment on industry matters or issues relating to your business.

Make use of media releases

Media releases are a great way of distributing relevant and topical information to a group of targeted publications (think about which media outlets your target audience get their information from). The release must be newsworthy and cover the “who, what, where, why and when”.

Once you give it some consideration, you may realise there are many things happening in your business that are newsworthy. Consider some of the following that may be suitable for a media release:

  • Major industry events you’re involved in.
  • Launching a new book or product.
  • Acquisition or merger with another company.
  • Appointments of new staff members.
  • Responding to major developments in the news agenda.

While we don’t recommend you issue a media release for small news that wouldn’t interest a journalist, most businesses miss opportunities to let the media know about news and events that is newsworthy.

Prove yourself with case studies

Case studies provide an ideal platform to leverage business success and tell your story to the media through your customers. Many trade publications publish case studies and you can use them as testimonials when speaking to journalists.

Case studies are powerful because they are real-life stories of your customers. They add credibility to your business through the power of social proof. Social proof is a phenomena where people look to the statements and actions of others to influence their decision-making process.

Case studies are a great way to leverage social proof to increase business leads and profits.

Pitch story ideas to the media

Pitching is where you contact specific media outlets to offer them either an exclusive story or an opportunity that is more specific than a media release topic. You can pitch via email or phone, however before contact develop a clear outline of your story and ensure it is succinct and compelling.

When pitching to specific media outlets, make sure you have an interesting angle on your story. If your story is related to a current event or a hot news topic, this will increase your chances of the journalist picking up your story.

Journalists are often time-poor and always looking for new material for their publications so don’t be shy in pitching to the media. Also, don’t be discouraged if your idea is not accepted. What’s key here is you persevere with pitching until one of your story ideas is accepted. Most businesses give up too quickly and it’s the ones that keep trying that will often get their story published.

Check out part 2 of this post: Other Ways to Move into the Spotlight with PR

Want more PR tips? Download this free ebook

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Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.

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