If you have a small team or small budget, you probably know that to manage public relations on top of everything else is challenging. And successfully managing public relations is about more than just good press releases. Building strong bonds with journalists, influencers, customers, and employees is the name of the game. To successfully manage public relations, you can't just make a pitch. You have to make a connection and share your brand's story in a way that speaks to your audience's needs and values.
Juggling these aspects can seem overwhelming, but managing media relations and PR without a public relations manager, team, or agency is possible with a focused approach and readily available tools.
Crafting PR Strategies
Start by identifying your key audiences and their media consumption habits. What feeds their curiosity – the news sources, blogs, or industry magazines they make time for? Who are the influencers that top their "must-follow" list? Consider a media monitoring service like Brand24 to track online mentions about your company and industry. Make a list of these influencers and media channels to use as a roadmap for your PR campaigns.
Set your PR sights on something specific – without clear objectives, you're flying blind. You've got a goal in mind – maybe it's building brand awareness, convincing investors to hop on board, or unveiling a shiny new product. Or perhaps it's crisis management, and you need to contain the damage. Sharpen your message and watch how easily your audience connects with you.
Know Your Story
A compelling brand starts with a clear story – one that richly conveys your expertise, achievements, and the mission that drives you. Determine what sets you apart, and what are your brand values. From here, you can begin crafting a compelling and positive brand story that helps you to stand out from the crowd.
Content Is King in Public Relations
Creating high-quality, engaging content is at the heart of effective public relations. A content calendar can ensure regular content output. Diversify your content format with blog posts, videos, infographics, or podcasts. When deciding, consider your audience's taste and the vibe your brand wants to give off.
Amidst the sea of social media chatter, a carefully crafted press release remains a potent tool. Platforms like PR Fire distribute these to journalists and gain a broader reach.
Target the Right Media Channels
Media relations begins with building a targeted media list, including journalists, influencers, and media outlets who align with your target audience. Focus on fostering real connections and building trust with them, not just adding names to a newsletter or sales pitch email list. People can tell when you're not really paying attention, so take the time to understand what really matters to them.
Think like a journalist: what gives your story staying power? Highlight that in your pitch to grab their interest. Go this route and you'll stand a much better chance of having your voice heard loud and clear, minus the guesswork, with media recognition to back it up.
Social Media Is Your Public Relations Friend
Maintaining an active social media presence is also an importnat part of a PR plan. It's all about forging a connection, being honest, and being yourself – this platform lets you share your brand's story, the latest news, and build trust with your audience.
Effective social media engagement doesn't just stop at online chatter. It can also have a profound impact on your earned media success, helping you reach new heights.
Engage in conversations and monitor relevant hashtags to participate in trending discussions. Consider nano and micro-influencers, who connect with audiences deeply; this group makes up more than 60% of Instagram influencers. In the world of influencer marketing, they're steadily gaining muscle and making their presence felt.
Manage Public Relations on a Budget
To scale your public relations efforts, take advantage of affordable tools for social media management, media monitoring, and press release distribution. Broaden your reach without breaking the bank – that's the beauty of these tools. Here's the thing: to get ahead, you need to strengthen your moves by wisely using what's available.
Monitor and Measure Public Relations Success
Tracking the results of your public relations campaign is crucial to identify what works. While many public relations managers use the traditional AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent) metric to measure relations success, many believe this approach falls short.
Instead, drill down into the elements that truly matter in your relationships – stakeholder trust, satisfaction, and the balance of power – to uncover valuable insights. As public relations managers scour the web for the latest coverage, tools like Covered Press keep everything tidy, tracing metrics and filtering insights through a super-smooth interface.
The Importance of a Social Media Policy
Yahoo once covered a blunder at the Associated Press around social media. Protect your company's reputation and avoid needing to jump into crisis communication by creating a clear social media policy for employees. It's a must-have for preventing online faux pas and keeping your brand image intact. With a clear sense of ownership, team members will recognize their role in promoting the company online while preserving its good name.
Conclusion
A small team or small business can manage public relations, and it doesn't have to be expensive or require a fancy agency. It takes some work but you can get media coverage. Think about what journalists need. Give them a great story! You know your business better than anyone. And don't be afraid to reach out to journalists. Pitch them your story idea. The more you do it, the easier it gets. This is a great way to grow your business.
