Six steps create basic media push
Blame it on a mystique surrounding public relations-what it is, what it costs and how to create a program.
This is an abbreviated primer for starting a PR program and avoiding some of the taboos.
What PR is, isn’t
First, PR is not paid-for advertising or what the company says about its products. It’s all about what other sources say-media, customers and industry influencers such as analysts and trendsetters.
Second, while a positively written article showcasing your company is a rare PR coup, an article about a product category that discusses your products is also a victory. Reporters and editors are attracted to stories that include multiple companies and products, so think “share the limelight” in press releases about new and enhanced partnerships and joint announcements.
PR is not just about products. It’s also about a company’s people-showcasing their talents and positioning them as industry leaders.
None of this is some kind of black magic, as people seem to think. PR, like most disciplines, is part science and part art. There are many processes associated with the practice: how to approach media, how to pitch ideas and get them accepted, how to develop content. The art of conversation is the other critical part. It takes a schmoozer-a person who truly likes to talk-to connect and create a dialogue with the media.
Think about PR as helping the media develop content that interests their audience and involves in some way your company, its products, people and activities. Sometimes that means originating ideas; sometimes that means responding to their ideas. Sometimes it’s originating content; sometimes it’s providing input.
Program checklist
Like other functions, an organized PR program requires infrastructure and systems. Here are some guidelines for creating them.
Step 1: Identify key media. What publications do your target markets read, what websites do they visit, and to what organizations do they belong? Include print and online industry trade journals, vertical industry publications and general business publications, as well as broadcast media. Check with your customers about which resources they rely on for their information.
Step 2: Identify key media contacts. Check with the media you have identified to confirm who should receive various types of information about your company. Many publications make this information public on their websites. If not, speak with the editorial assistant, and find out if byline articles are accepted and if they’re interested in case studies.
Most make editorial calendars (topics the publication intends to focus on for each issue) and media kits (mission, readership statistics, editorial staff and more) available online.
Step 3: Review editorial and trade show calendars. Scan editorial calendars for topics that fit with your products. Perhaps you can offer a related case study or suggest a sidebar. Find out the angle that will be taken and try to be helpful. Look for round-up listings of product or company categories that are a natural fit. Whether or not you plan to exhibit at a tradeshow attended by your market, take advantage of the opportunity to line up appointments with editors about new products, business news, plans, etc.
Step 4: Develop a press kit. If you intend to truly develop long-term relationships with members of the media, a press kit is a must. Journalists move around; a press kit educates those who are new to your industry about your company and its products. A press kit should include a corporate profile, a two-page document that summarizes your company-primary business, history, market needs and products/services that fulfill them, distribution, locations, management.
Steady stream
Additional items may include one or two current news releases, corporate brochure, customer testimonials/references, and a case study or two. All pieces should be well written in AP or Associated Press style, the profession format for the press. Keep the tone genuine/factual. Opinions are appropriate only in quotes; puffery is best left out.
Step 5: Develop a press queue. When your PR infrastructure is built (steps 1 through 4), it’s time to focus on processes. Develop a steady stream of media attention-getters. Create a master calendar complete with news release topics and issue dates, as well as participation in targeted editorial calendar features. Look for ways to recycle content such as case studies, white papers, etc.
As eager as you may be to stay in front of the media, steer clear of frivolous press releases-those which are not significant to or appropriate for the audience. What is appropriate for one media outlet is not of interest to all, so screen your distribution list accordingly or be labeled by your contacts as a pest to be ignored.
Step 6: Keep trying. Successful PR practitioners gracefully handle rejection. Every press release will not get picked up as written. Every story idea will not be accepted by the first editor you contact. Caveat: don’t submit the same feature or byline idea to more than one medium simultaneously. Publications want exclusivity, so wait for a “not interested” before presenting ideas elsewhere.
Media relations requires persistence, charm and intuition. Following up with busy reporters requires a sense of when to schmooze and when to stick to business.
