Are Public Relation Strategies Really That Effective?

Public relations is useful whether you want to reach a global audience or only a single town. It is the perfect compliment to advertising efforts with its low budget and high exposure. Here’s how public relations can help you and your business:
- Encourage your employees to give back to the community. Close down your business for one day a year and have your entire staff do a day of charity work. Headlines would read, “Local Print Shop Closes Doors to Help the Needy!” Not only would this get your publicity, but it will build trust and respect with your customers.
- Analyze your branding. Devise a strategy to freshen up your business. This could include changing your company’s name and logo, changing your product mix, or even dropping some customers and courting others. Doing so could drum up new business and keep old customers coming back.
- Make the headline enticing. Whether you are sending a pitch letter/email or writing a press release for publishing, you need to pay special attention to your headline or subject line. If you are sending an email, and the subject line does not grab the publisher’s attention – it won’t be read. If you publish a press release with a boring headline – it won’t be read. Keep it interesting and enticing so that the reader wants to learn more. One trick for attracting more attention is to use a number in the headline or email subject line such as “10 Ways to Tell if Your Husband is Cheating” or “What 73% of People Say They Will NEVER Do”.
- Investigate PR firms carefully. If you decide to enlist the assistance of a professional when changing your organization’s image, be clear on what you want from a public relations effort.
Some things a public relations firm can do for you are to get you positive exposure in the media, create and conduct special events, and help you build and maintain a solid reputation.
- Remember the Rule of 7. When following up with members of the media, the rule of thumb is to contact them a maximum of 7 times. This includes both emails and telephone calls. After 7 times do not contact them again – but make sure you’re ready just in case they get in touch with you!
- Remember the 15 second rule. In general, when you call a media outlet to pitch an idea, you have approximately 15 seconds to convince them to take your idea and run with it. If you previously sent a letter, and are calling to follow up and make sure it was received, be sure to remind the person on the other end of the phone that you already sent some information. Even if they call you, the 15 second rule applies. You want to very succinctly give the top 3 reasons that your idea is a great one.
- Send tips to newsletter publishers. A great way to get a mention in other people’s newsletters is to send them a glowing testimonial, tip or other piece of helpful information. Be sure to let them know that they are welcome to share this information with their readers. Don’t forget to include your name and website address so they can give you credit.
There are many public relations techniques that you can effectively use to get exposure for your business and products. The key is to find the best methods for you – and execute them in such a way that your business will stand out from the rest.