How you achieve PR success largely depends on who you use to head up your PR campaign. Factor in their talent, experience and media contacts. If you’re a small business looking to improve your chances of getting featured in the media, here are some secrets to running a successful PR campaign.
Plan Ahead
The best PR companies know that most media (unless weekly or digital-based media) work one to three months ahead on content and sometimes even further ahead, especially when planning their Christmas issues! Be organised and put a list together of target media and their print lead times. By creating a timeline, you won’t miss any deadlines. You can furnish the journalists with the information they require well in advance. This gives you a greater chance of publishing success.
Know Your Media
As seasoned PR professionals, we know the secrets to running a successful PR campaign. Knowing your media, your journalists and the sections they work on within the publication are vital. For example, there is little point in sending your exciting news story to the journalist who only works exclusively on featuring new products as it will just end up in their junk folder. Very few journalists will helpfully forward your news story to the relevant staff member, so do your research.
Update Your Address Book
If you’re working from a media list you used long ago, check that the contacts are relevant and email addresses are correct. You want your campaign to be effective and reach the correct journalists and editors. Take time to ensure every email on your proposed press list is active and relevant.
The ‘Write’ Way To Running A Successful PR Campaign
The triumph in running a campaign that converts is ensuring that the press release is well-written and has a hook that will interest the journalist. Writing a short novel won’t help you get press coverage. Writing a short, snappy press release containing facts takes skill and knowledge. If you’re not a natural writer, pay a PR Professional with copywriting experience to craft something you can send out yourself if a PR service is out of your budget.
