You might have an idea about PR, you know, being on the pages of magazines and newspapers, but have you ever really thought about how it could work for you and your business?
Well, let's put a stop to that right now, because PR could well be the missing piece in your communications activities, and one that could reap huge rewards. Forget the jargon and think about PR as a Personal Recommendation from a third party.
It’s one thing for you to declare you are the most hip stylist out there, but if Stella includes you in a piece about cool summer looks, that’s a reputation game charger. Yes, you could well be a super qualified yoga teacher, but if the editor of Grazia took a one-to-one class with you and then wrote about how life changing it was for her, imagine what that could do for you?
Got a lot of bottle when it comes to creating organic wine?
So, Natalie Trice has has 5 top tips to help you start preparing to be seen in a whole new way.
Decide you are in
PR isn’t just for Apple and J-Lo, so make a pledge today that you are going to start thinking about using this for your brand. We can add things to our to do list over and over and over again but making PR a priority and scheduling even an hour a week to get started can be the commitment you need.
Look at your story
Every business has a story and that is going to be your starting place when it comes to PR. Did you pivot in COVID, did redundancy take you on a self-employment journey you didn’t see coming, or have you set up a charity based on your own experiences. Look at who you are and what you do and craft a story that will take you forwards in a way you didn’t know was possible.
Focus on YOU
Now is the time to stop watching what everyone else is doing because that can be a slippery slope towards comparison and procrastination. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about what you are doing, what matters is that you are proactively and intentionally promoting your business because you know it will help propel you ahead for the future. Now is your time to go out and dazzle, and if you can you move out of your comfort and stretch your belief, media treasure is there for the taking.
Look at where you want to be seen
You might think that being in The Guardian is your goal, but if your ideal customers listen to podcasts, maybe it’s your voice they need to hear? We can get side-tracked by our ego when it comes to media outlets, but if PR is going to work, you need to be where your people hang out. Take some time to research what your clients read, watch, listen to and scroll through and they get to know those places well, and create a vision board so you know what your goals are.
Take to Twitter
Twitter is a great place to connect with journalists and find media opportunities on a daily basis. Please don’t go out and out to stalk the contacts you know could help you but do spend time on the platform following the magazines, newspaper, podcasts, and influencer on your vision board (see what I did there). Like all social media, it’s about relationships so don’t go on once and expect to get into Forbes, instead, invest your time well, look at what people need.
