PR Detox – Because Influence Matters – Page 6 – PR Insights for entrepreneurs and marketers

How to Bore Journalists With Your Press Release

Have you ever wondered why there are so many dull news releases?

Have you ever wondered why, hand on heart, your business news releases are dull?

Don’t judge me. But I do enjoy a little bit of X-Factor on a Saturday evening. I have two girls and it’s great family viewing time.

But I bet you thought The X-Factor was just a cheesy singing competition didn’t you? Think again.

If you struggle to get your head around PR, this is for you.

Public relations is a phrase that literally defines itself: relations with your public.

More than ever it’s about having a conversation with your customers. A two-way engagement benefiting from listening, adding value and being interesting.

Why the change from broadcast to dialogue changes everything about marketing

Online networking and social media has really put a spanner in the works.

In the good old days, everyone would quietly interrupt everyone else with important selling messages. And then not so quietly. Adverts got bigger. And it seemed the louder our press releases and messages shouted, the more we interrupted, the more people heard us. So everyone did it. More. And sold more. Great!

Brands should be spring boards not straight jackets.

A lot falls at the door of brand managers. Everyone jealously observes you flouncing around ‘being creative’ luxuriating in your seven-figure budgets – whilst they get on with the proper work?

They want to know exactly what value you are adding to the business. But how can you be held accountable if people within the organisation run roughshod over your brand guidelines?

Have you ever been scared by the prospect of a media interview?

You realise it’s a wonderful publicity opportunity when a newspaper, TV or a radio station calls you and asks for your opinions. But, there’s always this nagging uncertainty and unfamiliarity that stops you in your tracks?

Publicity Favours the brave. This is my advice to help you seek out and relish each and every interview opportunity that comes your way.

What is PR?

Puzzled by PR? Mystified by media? Help is at hand!

A helpful way to begin an appreciation for the potential of well-executed public relations activity is by making a comparison with its marketing stable mate: advertising.

We all understand how advertising works – right? You agree a price for space or airtime and see or hear your advertisement exactly when and how you want it to appear.

You can achieve national coverage on a budget

Good news. It’s not necessarily budget that will secure national coverage. Just a really good story. If you have one, or you and your PR advisor can conjure one up, then that’s part of the battle.

PR power and success is strongly linked to credibility and building up relationships over time too. So the more you do (and in this case spend) can increase your chances of national coverage.