A short guide on starting your public relations campaign
The most common PR request I receive is for media relations. This very often is centered around contacting and introducing reporters that I have developed relationships with throughout my career. I’m more than happy to do that for my clients, however, that is rarely the best option for a PR campaign.
The best place to start is by understanding your target audience and the way they consume information. Yes, the media is still important. However, audiences, including reporters, these days consume information across a variety of ways.
The best way to start PR is by prioritizing 2 to 3 methods of reaching your target audience with the media categorized as a member of the audience. Working with the media and developing relationships with reporters is more of a long game and it’s very similar to how you would establish a relationship with investors, partners, or clients.
(Note: working with the media as a long game does not apply to special situations and crises. See this article for more information.)
The second step is to focus on the quality of the content. There are two levels of content to consider:
Level 1 – Table Stakes: this category of content is focused on brand awareness and creating name recognition. An example of this is creating an advertising campaign or sharing marketing materials on social media from time to time.
Level 2 – Engaging: this requires a lot more thought, introspection, and even some trial and error. High-quality content across social media channels tends to be entertaining, punchy, and even informative or educational. It’s hard to get that all in 1 post. I highly recommend working with a third-party like a freelancer or an agency to get an objective view on quality of content.
The third step is to start. It’s daunting, but everyone makes mistakes when they first start. Even big companies and influential people fumble, but the most successful campaigns illustrate humility and keep on moving.
PR campaigns have to be based on honesty and humility in order to build trust. Building trust is the cornerstone of every good PR campaign. From that foundation, PR can include a variety of options that can lead to very different outcomes. Most know the desired outcome, but can’t figure out how to get there.
Email me (ratan@ratanassociates.com) to keep the conversation going.