Cutting through the Public Relations Clutter

We’ve all heard the old adage “Advertising you pay for, PR you pray for.”  Public relations is an important aspect to any well-planned marketing program.  Securing free press by the media can bring a great amount of attention and notoriety to your business and it is still the most credible form of marketing that exists. 

I can almost hear the collective sigh from every journalist opening their e-mail inbox each morning.  We live in an era where journalists are bombarded every day by hundreds of messages from companies claiming to have the “it” story of the week.  While many good-intentioned companies may think their big grand opening has traction, they have failed to really understand what the publication, and individual journalist, is really looking for.

Below are four steps every company can take to execute a well-planned public relations strategy and ensure your message isn’t being sent to the trash.

1.   Research.  Understand who is covering what stories locally and make a list.  Read their stories and understand their flavor.  Keep in mind that a lot of what is covered on local businesses is often found in the local and human interest sections. 

2.   Build relationships.  Build credibility by becoming a resource for journalists.  Join the conversation by commenting on their articles online, send them links through Twitter and engage them in conversations in online forums.  Make sure your comments are about a topic you are an expert in and don’t try selling yourself.  This tactic is about building relationships and credibility versus advertising your company.  Your goal is to build top of mind awareness so the next time they go to write an article about a subject you are an expert in, they think of going to you first. Some local journalists will welcome a face-to-face introduction.  This allows you to build a relationship and focus on what is newsworthy about your organization.  I would recommend this only if you plan on maintaining this relationship and only if you have something distinctive to highlight.

3.   Be newsworthy.  I hate to say it, but a grand opening is not news.  Unless you’re the most unusual and unheard of business, no one except your grandmother really cares.  There are places for grand openings and employee hires, such as a local business publication in their “news bites” section.  Create an annual calendar of story ideas centered on what makes your business unique.  Maybe your massage business goes to the shopping mall over the holidays and offers free chair massages for weary shoppers.  Maybe your heating and cooling business fixes air conditioners for the elderly during the summer.  A lot of what becomes newsworthy includes human interest stories.  Readers love stories that involve local businesses doing good for others in an extraordinary way.  If there isn’t something you do that stands out, create something.  One of my favorite stories includes a local submarine sandwich shop who took advantage of the road being closed right outside their front door.  When others closed up shop during those couple weeks, this sandwich shop took phone orders and had runners in bright yellow hard hats who delivered the food to customers a block beyond the construction.  Not only did the business get a lot of publicity for this, their sales remained steady during the intrusive construction.

4.   Create the package.  Having a media kit puts you leaps and bounds ahead of many local businesses.  This is simply a folder containing information about a company: company history, successes/awards, officer bios, business card, a photo CD and news releases emphasizing unique facts and events.