Free Consulting: PR Machine Not Working? Here’s Why, and How to Fix it.
The painful truth about public relations is that most people just breeze by the talking points because they’ve heard it before. Anyone wanting to get their company’s news out there today have a few issues to overcome. How does an unknown company get noticed by the media short of blowing itself up?The problem in this case, is that the press and the general public aren’t interested in anything that doesn’t immediately grab their attention and hit them where they live. If you want to use PR successfully, you need to find your market first, target them, then reach them regularly.
The old school way to use press releases was to target the media and hope that the news trickles down.
You’d have to wait for the press clippings to show up and measure its effectiveness by the phone calls that came in. You then waited until you had another earth shaking story to tell before you placed another press release to the public.
The long wait for the press to pick up your press release is no longer necessary. As a matter of fact, it is far more important to target your market, build your list of readers and keep a steady stream of communication going with them. Let the press know that you’ve got a following and they are more likely to respect your information.
There were all sorts of stringent rules for the construction of the press release that each outlet followed. The report had to be written in the third person and contain breaking news of great importance.
So what do you do to succeed? How do you overcome the information glut?
First, plan on creating a series of press releases that will be spotlighting your company’s or products achievements. You will need to plan on at least 40 press releases. That means you’ll need to keep an eye open for newsworthy events. Keep a running list of possible subjects.
Are you opening a new store?
Introducing a new product?
Hiring a new employee?
Updating your website?
Introducing a new book or program?
Hosting a blog or podcast?
Continue the list from here..
The idea is to generate continuing interest in your business. Some of the information will fall on deaf ears but you will be choosing your ears carefully. What do I mean by that? Previously I went on a rant about the importance of building a list. I believe in it wholeheartedly. Your list will be your lifeline to your market. It should include media people, customers, contacts, prospects and vendors.
If you can’t come up with great material, hire someone. The secret to successful press releases in the age of the Internet is to deliver relevant information to a market that is familiar with you and your company. They will be more receptive to the current events of your business if the releases offer material that relates to them in an intellectual or personal way. It takes several exposures to click in.
Can your press releases solve problems or at least address them? Do they tell a story and or expand the narrative of challenges to overcome in your field or niche? The material should be well written, of course; that goes without saying but more than that, it should be easy on the eyes. Keep it short.
Work with press release websites to deliver your message to the masses in your target but focus you message to your list. After a period of time, people will begin to get used to seeing your name and what you do. They will have checked out your website and taken your polls and read your articles. If they continue to be receptive and even supportive of your company, you won’t have to blow yourself up to get noticed.
Dennis Francis is a consultant and business coach for Complementary Alternative Medical practitioners and other professionals. His website offers its members online coaching on automating marketing on and off the web. He offers a free book called “Double Your Revenues in 12 Months or Less.” Dennis also assists companies publish their own marketing materials and shows them how to publish a book in 30 days.
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