Powerful PR ideas for business
What do you want from your life? Is it to work We’re innovative. So is everyone else! The importance of being unique and not defaulting to ‘jargon’ words – was one of the many learning’s that came from Amber Daines session on Powerful PR in Business. To start from the basics, what is PR? How will you curate your content? Anyone who has a message to share, please take notes!
Amber Daines, CEO of Bespoke Communications, was an amazing speaker with very relevant content for Entrepreneurs, Business Managers and anyone who have a message to share. Our notes from a session with Amber in which she provides 3 powerful PR ideas you can integrate into your business.
The first step, what is PR? You need to find your niche. It’s like a marathon. Persistency and consistency is the key.
Know the difference between Advertising (which is you telling), PR (someone telling for you) and Editorial (a third party telling).
HOW TO CURATE YOUR CONTENT
IDEA 1 – TELL YOUR STORY
- What makes news?
- Impact – Remember this is not about you
- Currency – This helps you to plan
- Timeliness – E.g. Tax time for accountants. Ensure you give enough lead time to the journalist to write the story.
- Human Interest – People love a story behind the story.
- Novelty – the unusual/unexpected gets attention. E.g. the oldest person to run a marathon.
- Proximity – Look to your local news/radio.
- Prominence – The power of associating with ‘household names’ for example.
- Think/Describe in odd numbers – 1,3, 5, 7. For example, There are 3 key take-outs. I have 1 important message to get across. The top 5.
- Be more than your resume.
- Be accessible & keep it real – Keep language simple and easy to understand.
- Social Media and PR are the same things. The difference is that individuals have the power in Social Media. Most journalists use Twitter because it is in real time. Social Media is a great tool to support PR – but don’t be a slave to it.
Visuals are good. - Play where your audience plays. Which will help with ROI (Return on Investment).
- When curating content – be careful what you write. It is hard to undo and will be there a long time.
IDEA 2 – YOU ARE AN EXPERT
- “Show me. Tell me. And wrap it”.
- Know the nitty-gritty. Be mindful of using buzzwords.
- Paint the picture you want them (the journalist) to see. Have a plan. Write one page.
- Be positive.
- Only 30% of what someone says in an interviewed is remembered. Don’t mention your competitors.
- Have a call to action. What is it that you want the audience to do? What do you want them to think, feel or do?
CONTACTING JOURNALIST
- Email or call journalists (ask them if it’s a good time to talk).
- Short media releases. No more than one page.
- Send low-resolution images.
- Know your media channel – read it, watch it or listen to it.
- Know the length of time you are required to speak for so you don’t under or over prepare.
IDEA 3 – CREATE YOUR CONTENT
- Don’t wait for the perfect question to get your key message across.
- Journalists love firsts – e.g. first person to climb a mountain.
- Don’t be afraid to create your own media platform. Youtube is a good channel for this.
- Guest blog for other people.
- Be clear about what you want to be known for, e.g. Blueprint 24-hour small business TV channel.
- Generating influence requires 3 key elements – Authenticity, Consistency, Tenacity.
- Be aware that ‘nothing is off the record’.
- You don’t have to answer every question.
- Have fun.
USEFUL LINKS
- Australian Associated Press Medianet – Everything you need to research, target, share, track and connect with the media in order to make your communication efforts as successful as possible. There are other powerful PR ideas from marketing guru’s Hubspot
- Meltwater – Media intelligence data tool.
- Media Directory – A constantly updated media directory with over 15,000 individual newspapers, radio & tv stations and programs, magazines, supplements & lift outs, newsletters, media agencies, politicians, political parties and government departments.
- Media connections – Connect business, PR & marketing companies with Journalists.
- Source Bottle – Connecting a ‘news source’ with a journalist and/or blogger
About Amber Daines
Amber’s 20-year career has covered print and TV journalism, presenting, keynote speaking, media workshops, one-on-one media coaching, and author of the following books:
Well Said: How to be Heard in Business and Generate Real Influence
Well Spun: Big PR and Small Business Ideas for Small Business.
