Starting this week and for the next two weeks, I want to “talk” to you about Public Relations or PR.
Public relations or PR is about communication and reputation. It governs how the public perceives your organization and has a significant impact on who engages in business with you because people make half their buying decisions based on the company’s reputation and brand.
Your PR strategy is key to raising brand awareness, reaching your marketing goals, and boosting sales. So, prioritize it.
We all are looking for ways to stay “top of mind’ with our farms, databases and people in general. PR is often over looked so I thought that a few pointers would be useful!
I want to start with media relations, next week we will look at some new ideas on leveraging social media and the following week I’ll wrap up with a dive into building community relations.
IMPROVE MEDIA RELATIONS
Form meaningful relations with news outlets to gain exposure and build trust. Connect with journalists and other publications and form relationships with them. Give them a compelling reason to write about your business or services. Work on your pitch and send it to a local news outlet or well-known journalist.
You can send an email or contact them via social media and search for their preferred method of communication. Get straight to the point to command attention and keep the reporter interested in what you have to say. Mention who you are writing to, why you are writing, as well as what you aim to achieve.
Share newsworthy content. The kind that the magazine or news channel is willing to share with its audience.
Briefly talk about your company and your line of business. Include important details such as your contact information to make the journalist’s job easier. This way, they can easily get in touch with you for further questions. Don’t forget to share links to your business pages and website for social proof.
Make sure you research the person or organization you are pitching to before sending your email. Work with individuals or companies that already feature content related to your industry and ensure they accept your pitch.
If you get featured on reputable magazines, blogs, and other news outlets you can easily combat fake news and disinformation.
You can also hire a public relations agency or a PR officer to handle all your PR processes and speed up the process. A PR professional can help you build your brand image, increase your brand’s credibility, improve your return on investment, and ensure you stay relevant.
Developing your media relations strategy is the most effective way to build trust, raise brand awareness, and get people invested in your business.
