5 Ways to Master PR Even if You Aren’t a Publicist
Planning is Key if You Want to Earn Valuable Media Exposure
As a PR professional, my job is to help businesses gain publicity, and everyone wants the simple solution. But the truth is that the only way to get real results from DIY PR is by taking an organized approach.
With an organized and systematic approach, you’ll feel less stressed and get more accomplished in your publicity efforts from day one. There’s no point in busting your bum to write a great hook or press release if you aren’t organized enough to follow up.
Part of your strategy for telling the public about your products and services is to create and maintain a calendar for getting things done. PR may not be the reason you went into business, but if you can learn how to become your own publicist, you can witness tremendous brand growth, and if you target the right audience, that translates to tremendous revenue.
1. Make a Detailed Schedule
Rather than starting off by hiring a PR agency, many small businesses and solo entrepreneurs are choosing to do their own publicity. Doing it yourself saves you money, and it also puts you in complete control of the message you send to the media and the world.
That’s good news, because you know your business better than anyone else. But it can also be a challenge, because it adds some responsibilities to your plate.
To successfully get PR, I suggest maintaining a schedule for reaching out to journalists, posting on social media, and keeping things moving. It takes a bit of upfront work to set up this schedule, but once you get in the flow, it saves you time and work elsewhere.
Plus, while business is slow, it’s the perfect time to work on the backbone of your business — like this!
2. Look for the Opportunities
You need stories to use for your publicity! It’s a good idea to look ahead and mark your calendar for timely events that you can use for publicity purposes.
These could be holidays or events in the news, like Black Friday, a big news moment, or a sporting event. Talk about press strategies for big events well ahead of time — don’t wait until the week of!
Mark any big dates ahead of time so you can have your publicity piece written and ready to distribute to journalists well in advance. But dates on the calendar aren’t the only newsworthy items to consider.
It could also be something inside your business, such as the launch of a new product, the opening of a new facility, or an anniversary or other milestone. Each event can be a valuable piece of publicity, but you have to frame it as newsworthy so it appeals to journalists.
3. Plan Your Outreach
What are your goals for your publicity? Who is your target audience? What is your key message?
As part of your planning, you’ll need to answer these questions before deciding who to pitch. Those answers will guide you on how to go about getting publicity on local radio or TV, in an industry publication, or in an online magazine.
Keep in mind that writers, interviewers, and influencers have their own deadlines, too. Print publications usually go to print 3-4 months ahead of time, and even digital publications need a longer lead time.
Pitching is just the start of story creation for writers. Once they decide to write a piece, they also have to conduct interviews, do research, and go through a few rounds of edits.
4. Expand Your Network
Events offer an excellent opportunity for publicity. Find events happening in your local area or in your industry and attend! Networking is a great way to build a relationship with reporters before you ask them for coverage.
Pro tip: expand your horizons when deciding what events to attend! These events don’t need to be strictly related to your business; they can also be part of your business plan to give back to the community. Or it can just be a wine night with fellow female entrepreneurs! Put these on your schedule and set aside the time to invest in yourself and your business.
5. Manage Your PR Calendar
Here are some tips on effectively managing your calendar to get the most out of your efforts:
Integrate your publicity calendar with your other calendars so it doesn’t get forgotten.
Take large tasks and break them up into small tasks you can put on a daily to-do list.
Be flexible. You should try to stick to your calendar as closely as possible, but be prepared to make changes as necessary.
Include regular sessions to monitor your results.
If you want to know about more about how to do your own publicity step-by-step, join my newsletter and be the first to know when I launch a PR course just for you!
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