Top PR Tips for Small Businesses

Top Ten DIY PR Tips for Small Businesses

Every business function right now, from HR to PR, has to be carried out with zero budget whilst at the same time providing added value. So how are businesses supposed to do all of this with limited or no resources, particularly in the case of the small to medium enterprise or SME?

I would encourage all businesses and SMEs in particular to embrace PR during the downturn and where budgets are limited, to consider the DIY option. PR is often shrouded in mystery and seen as a no go area by small businesses, either because they think it’s too expensive or because they feel that they have very little to say that’s of interest.

PR is an essential element of the marketing mix and can add tremendous value when considered strategically as part of a company’s overall marketing and advertising spend. It is often referred to as ‘free publicity’ because it is not paid for space but PR is not free in that it takes time, either a business owner’s or that of a consultant, to do it properly.

There is a fundamental difference between PR and advertising. When a company advertises its product or service, it is buying space and the advertisement is guaranteed to appear. PR on the other hand is focused on obtaining editorial coverage for a company by providing journalists with information in the form of a press release or article. However, unlike advertising, there is no guaranteed coverage, it’s largely dependent on a story’s newsworthiness.

In these challenging times, companies can generate valuable PR to promote themselves without it costing the earth by considering some of the following Do It Yourself tips:

Decide on target publications
Be familiar with the types of magazines and newspapers that you wish to target and which are read by your particular industry.

Know your media
Understand and know how each publication or media outlet operates, whether they are broadcast, print or online. Know their style and most importantly, know their deadlines.

Develop an angle for your story
Develop the angle to suit your media, for example is it a business angle suited to the business press, is it a trade related story for say the technology trade or is it a local news story with a community angle to it?

Write a press release
Your press release must be written as a news story, covering who, what, where, when and why. Keep it short and to the point covering facts only and keep flowery language and hyperbole to a minimum.

Develop a good headline
A good headline is essential and will pull the reader in but be mindful that the headline which you write may not appear in print. This is because headlines are written by sub-editors and more often than not they will re-write your headline.

Target the media correctly
Pitch your story to the media before sending your press release. Remember to observe media deadlines and do not ring up journalists when they are on deadline. Press releases should be emailed to journalists, preferably within the body of the email rather than as attachments.

Build relationships with journalists
Good PR is about relationship building and if you know the journalist you are sending a press release to, it will have a much greater chance of coverage. Newspapers and the media in general literally get thousands of press releases each day so the more personalised your approach the better.

A picture speaks a thousand words
A picture literally does tell a story and all media love to get good pictures. Pictures need to be of a certain quality and emailed to picture editors with appropriate captions.

Persistence is key!
Have a plan, devote time and energy to being creative and coming up with interesting story angles and target them appropriately. A one off effort is fine but you need to work at building profile as it does not happen overnight. Above all, avoid hassling the media to print your story and send out newsworthy, relevant information in a timely and efficient manner.

Quinn Communications, 38 Roches Street, Limerick, Mobile: 087 122 0119.
http://www.quinncommunications.ie/

Source: http://quinncomms.blogspot.com/2010/08/top-pr-tips-for-small-businesses.html