Lucy Archer of RevPR discusses the importance of harnessing this immense force to promote your cause, story or brand.
Over the last few months, it’s been both impressive and distressing, to witness the sheer power of the media. The influence of a digital video or newspaper story should never be downplayed: Whether it’s the distressing daily scenes currently being witnessed in Afghanistan, or the uplifting work being done by footballer Marcus Rashford, in his attempts to encourage the UK Government to support children and families struggling because of poverty.
It can influence public opinion, as well as affecting social interactions, and may also play a huge part in our own personal relationships. Being in this business is a rollercoaster, but one thing for sure is that the power of PR surrounds us every single moment, of every single day.
Much of what you read will have been planned long in advance, and then executed – possibly to perfection – by those who have a particular agenda to promote or maybe even an axe to grind. For national and local newspapers, as well as 24-hour news channels, it’s a race to break stories faster than their rivals and competitors. These organisations are forever seeking new stories to unleash onto the public, and are waiting to hear your arguments.
Yet it’s not always those people closest to the stories that feature in the storyline either. It’s simply those who stepped forward quickly enough, with their content prepared, who grabbed the attention. Sometimes, it’s the more off-beat angles that enjoy the greatest publicity, as well as those willing to contribute most readily to the narrative.
We, at RevPR, are always looking for useful takeaways in every situation. There are certainly things that we believe are worth reiterating. If you want to be PR-savvy and SEO focused, then consider the following points:
- Always be prepared. Have a PR plan for what you want to say and when you want to say it.
- Make certain the plan is flexible, so that you can react quickly to stories as they arise.
- Have a planned spokesperson and make sure they are media trained and feel confident when speaking to either the written media or TV broadcasters.
- If you notice a story that is connected to your own industry, product or service, then get involved! Don’t hang about because one of your rivals will get that publicity before you.
- Put yourself forward confidently as an expert in your field. Don’t undervalue your experience.
- Make certain that your proposed story will add value, entertain or educate.
- Work with professionals who specialise in media relations to ensure maximum impact.
- Be pleasant unless speaking out against an injustice. But even in this case, still remain nice but firm.
For business owners, it’s all about getting people talking about you and/or your brand. You must use PR to impact positively on your business. Shock tactics rarely work in business, unless carefully planned, and even then they must form a small part of a larger PR and marketing campaign.
In short: Have a plan, know your audience, know your message, remain authentic and always be consistent. Execution takes time, along with bucket loads of creativity. It often requires plenty of phone calls to the media before the breakthrough is finally achieved. Writing engaging content is a must when preparing to pitch your story. And you may need to liaise with social media influencers to keep these stories alive.
You may also need to reach out for professional help along the way. It’s no different to hiring an accountant to audit your books or using an IT expert to solve a technical issue. PR covers many different topics but we, at RevPR, do not discuss other people’s lives or promote our own political viewpoints whenever we publish blogs. We categorically refrain from doing this.
PR is incredibly powerful, and an extremely useful tool in growing your business, when used correctly and with purpose. It will help promote your product or service. We regularly share PR advice in our online posts that will help you create the best possible content and achieve relevant positive publicity. To make sure you don’t miss out. Follow us on social media via: LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram.
I would like to add that RevPR vehemently supports mental health conversations, and that such discussions should never be silenced. Team Rev stands for mental health for everyone.
