Five reasons PR might not work for your business (and what to do about it)
Media coverage is the most powerful form of marketing activity available, putting more potential clients in front of your business than anything else. But there’s a twist - although it should, being in the media might not work for every business owner or even happen, and there’s a good reason for this. Big hint – it’s not about the journalists or the state of the media.
Being ready for media coverage is key. You need to plan for it just like any other form of marketing. Try to ‘wing’ it and there’s a very high chance you’ll get a big fat no, or not even hear back from the journalist or blogger, TV producer or podcast host involved. Which is a shame.
1. Get your website and sales process in order.
It’s crazy that business owners start their media marketing journey without having an up-to-date website or any way of capturing sales. If a journalist is going to give you the opportunity to bring more leads to your door, you’ve got to be ready. When someone says I got PR, but it didn’t work, then think about this. If you’re getting the coverage, it’s worked. What happens after that is all on you. Is your site ready to convert? Is it easy to get around, is there a call to action, a sign up page or a link to something you’re selling? Do your blogs link to your YouTube channel? Are you talking about the coverage in your social media posts? If you’re not doing this, you’re wasting your time.
2. Be nice.
Don’t bring along the attitude of ‘you deserve the coverage’ or that the journalists owe you something. There’s a lot of competition and if you take this approach, the journalists will look elsewhere, unless you’re a major celebrity already and if you are you’re probably not reading this right now. They choose the content to feature and if you’re not helpful yours won’t make the cut, no matter how good a story it is. Simply give the media what they want when they want it. If you treat them well and do as they ask, they are much more likely to come back to you again when they need an expert in your field. And that’s priceless.
3. Be strategic with your social media.
This isn’t about how much you post or where. It’s about the impression you give the journalist. If you pitched an idea to me as a journalist, I’d head straight over to your accounts to see what you’re about. What would I find? Is it you sharing valuable information about your industry? Is it you showing how credible you are? Are you talking about your business, your values, your clients? Or is it just a bunch of personal pictures of you on holiday or walking the dog or partying? Likewise, be careful about your language. Could it be offensive or give the wrong impression?
Yes, a little bit of personal stuff is fine, but make it more about your business and how you help people. Bear in mind journalists search for things you’ve deleted too. Your social media accounts should show you as an expert in your niche.
4. Have clients and case studies lined up as the journalist may ask for them.
Every article or news bulletin is made more interesting by the inclusion of ‘real life’ stories because they add colour and entertainment. You are being the educator, but your ‘real’ people add the interest. Tee them up before you contact the media so if the journalist wants you to include case studies you won’t go into panic mode and miss the opportunity.
Keeping this in mind should also remind you to ask for testimonials as you wind things up with a client to use on your website or social media.
5. Pep up your story pitch with statistics.
I’d recommend you do this for your own content too, when you can – your social media or blog posts for instance, as it adds a different dimension and interest your competitors may be overlooking. Is there some recent data out there to back up what you’re saying? This gives you the ‘why now’ factor – the reason the story is worth featuring. It only takes a bit of research to find useful stats and the journalist will love you for it. For instance, if you are pitching a story on how to reduce anxiety in children under five, can you uncover any data that shows how much of an issue this is? It doesn’t matter what your subject is, you can probably find something to help pep up your pitch.