Marketing Managers: Have you considered PR?
Here’s how can public relations help your business.
Bill Gates once famously said, “If I were down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on PR (public relations).”
PR is an incredibly powerful strategy as it helps to increase visibility and awareness, build credibility, boost reputation, and spread an organization’s message to the masses. Unfortunately, many organizations aren’t seeing the full impact of PR because they take an ad-hoc approach and are inconsistent with their efforts.
I often hear, “We tried PR; it didn’t work for us.” when talking with businesses whose PR efforts consisted of little more than blasting a few press releases to as many reporters as they could find email addresses for. The result? Nothing but frustration and disappointment.
Sporadic and unstrategic efforts won’t achieve meaningful results. To make doing PR worthwhile, you must have a long-term outlook and commit to consistent, ongoing efforts. But how do you make that happen? Set goals and create a plan.
Setting PR goals
Ask yourself: why do we want to do PR in the first place? What do we want to accomplish? How will PR help meet my organization’s goals?
Do you want to increase sales by 10% this year?
Are you hoping to grow your donor base and increase engagement?
Is your organization looking to grow the number of constituents served this year?
Do you want to reach new audiences and gain new advocates for your cause?
PR can (and should!) help you achieve your business goals. As you think about your goals, consider how increasing awareness, boosting credibility, or positioning yourself or your business as a leader in your industry can support those goals. If having more people know that you exist and becoming sought after as an expert could help move your business forward, PR will be a valuable endeavor.
Creating a PR plan
Once you define your goals, the next step is to create a PR plan. PR can easily get pushed to the back burner simply because you don’t have a clear path forward. Like marketing, PR encompasses many different tactics, such as:
Distributing press releases to announce company news, partnerships, new hires, etc.
Pitching for media interviews, mentions, quotes, and feature stories
Publishing articles in industry/audience-focused outlets
Speaking at conferences and events
Hosting a podcast and/or being a guest on podcasts
Submitting award nominations
Hosting workshops and webinars
Conducting and sharing original research
Creating ebooks and white papers
Partnering with peers and community organizations to co-host events
Joining nonprofit boards
Hosting and/or participating in community events
It’s easy to get excited and want to do it all (or to become completely overwhelmed). Stop, breathe, and go back to your goals. Remind yourself what you are ultimately trying to achieve, then pick a few things that will help you get there.
The time and energy you invest in PR planning will pay off - it will help you stay focused, organized, and on track. Additionally, if you have limited time or budget to put towards PR, creating a plan will help you determine where to allocate your precious resources.
Pro tip: Start small
If you are doing PR for the first time, start small. Pick one or two things you know you can accomplish and can commit to doing them consistently. Perhaps you’ll focus on applying for speaking engagements or spending an hour or two each week pitching stories to the media.
Whatever you select, understand that PR is a long game and results take time. Don’t give up on your efforts after just a few weeks. While you can surely get some quick wins, it can take upwards of six months to gain momentum. Once that happens, you’ll start to see sustainable success. Remember, good things come to those who wait commit and follow through consistently.
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Rhiannon Hendrickson is the founder and senior PR strategist of Orapin, which helps purpose-driven businesses and nonprofits share their stories and expertise to increase awareness and expand their influence and impact. Her signature "Get Started PR Launch Kit" will give you the confidence, know-how, and action plan to launch or up-level your PR program so you can become known, sought after, and celebrated. Rebelle-only readers will receive a $250 discount.
