PR is always great for promoting a startup because of the fact that it has a high impact while costs are low. Public relations campaigns are always recommended early in the development of a company since they can build brand recognition while also driving some early sales. Increase success chances for your small business by creating a good PR campaign and considering the following tips to do so.
There are many different media outlets that are available at the moment. You need to choose one that is suitable based on the story that you say (more on that later on). The press list does not really need to be long. This is just a misconception that goes round through circles of businessmen that do not actually know much about PR. What is really important is to get published where your potential target audience hangs out. You want to reach potential clients.
The really strong media outlets will receive hundred of different press releases on a daily basis. While you can also go for the weaker outlets that will most likely publish what you send them, this limits the success of the PR campaign.
Your press release needs to be engaging to both the person that will publish it and your audience. It is vital that the story stays focused on how the startup helps the prospects or the community. Go beyond the classic press release template that just announces the launch of a new business. Tell the readers why that business should be considered. It is a really good idea to spend as much time as needed on this aspect of the promotion.
It is very important to build a strong relationship with different media outlets and this should be done as soon as possible. With this, you cannot really say that you are using effective PR techniques. No matter what the initial contact is about, you have to see this as the start of a new relationship.
Effective campaigns in media relations include follow ups so that you can establish the direct contact and already have a subject to talk about. For instance, if you send a pitch to a financial advice blog and you do not receive a response in two days, simply call the office. It is possible that the journalist did not see your story because of the amount of work that he has to do.
There are too many small business owners that just send a Word document to some journalists. This is not what you want to offer. Since you most likely do not have money to hire a PR specialist, make sure that you understand what a complete press release kit is. Never add sales material and make it really easy for the journalists to follow the news release.
While in the beginning you can save some money and do PR work alone, you need to only do that in the event that you actually understand what public relations is about. Even if you do, after you make some money, hire a firm or a consultant/manager to help you out. You will love this decision because of the profit increase that you gain.
