Public relations is all about appealing to your audience. It’s no longer just about writing press releases and making phone calls to important people; it extends into the digital sphere and includes things like content marketing, social media management, and website copy. These days, as a PR professional, you have to understand how the industry is changing and how your company and skills need to adapt.
But changing with the times is less daunting than you think. Whether you need to introduce CRM comparison or a new Instagram page into your marketing agenda, all you need is a good plan. Here are 5 effective strategies that will help PR professionals effectively reach wider audiences.
1. Identify your long-term goals
As a PR professional, you want journalists from far-reaching magazines to want to write about your brand. This requires building up your brand slowly and with care; it does not require emailing journalists out of the blue and never following up with them again.
That’s a bad look. In other words, it’s important to make a careful plan and decide exactly what you want from your PR strategy in the long run. When you’re sending emails to media moguls, you want your requests for coverage to be backed by strong brand awareness and professional authority. You want to prove to the publication why they should write about you now and in the future, and that requires more than just an email.
2. Decide who to target
Once you’ve established your long-term goals, you need to decide which people are going to help you achieve these goals. You should make a comprehensive list of the names, contact information, and social media profiles for those to whom you’re going to reach out.
Your list should include people from industry magazines, opinion leaders, website writers, and journalists. This list-making will save you time and energy when your company wants to kick up lead generation and win over media outlets relevant to your brand.
3. Create effective content
Any old content won’t win over the press. Good storytelling matters, as you want to steal the attention of both consumers and media outlets and tell them why your brand deserves business. Your content should be a combination of educational and creative; you should use numbers and statistics while appealing to peoples’ emotional sides. Customer testimonials, founder stories, and user data are all good starting points, and you should stick with a clear vocabulary to minimize audience confusion.
4. Draft high-quality pitches
Journalists receive hundreds of pitches every day. You need to make sure yours stands out. The first step in achieving this goal is tailoring your pitch to the journalist. Do your research to find out more about the person that’s going to receive your email. For example, it’s always helpful to discover a personal connection that you can include in your introduction; maybe you went to the same university or grew up in the same state. Regardless, it’s essential to make clear why your brand is a good fit for the publication’s concept.
It’s also recommended that you write a brief summary that highlights key points. Journalists don’t have much time, so if you write too much, they’ll ignore it. Make sure to strike that balance of getting your point across without going overboard.
5. Keep it up
Once you’ve identified your goals, formed a list of important people you want to target, created high-quality content, and learned how to draft a customized pitch, you’ll just need to fight burnout. Being a PR professional is a lot of work, but the results you see will be worth it.
The good news is that there are resources to help. Utilizing an online calendar and to-do lists will help you plan your schedule and make sure you’re not too overwhelmed. It’s also important to remain vigilant with self-care; get enough sleep and make time to do the things you love. When you’re happy in your personal life, you’ll thrive in your professional life.
