As the public relations profession has evolved over time, so have the rules that public relations experts live and breathe by. To ensure that your company’s public relations is effectively publicizing your event or marketing message, follow these five rules from our talented public relations department:
- Make the call. Don’t be afraid to call up a contact, especially after sending them a press release, request for coverage or information. It provides reassurance that the contact received the information and makes you aware if an email has changed. In addition, following up shows initiative and makes the contact more aware of your event.
- Spark interest. Media does not want to cover events that are lackluster or are not newsworthy; so, capture their attention. Create a standout headline for a press release or request for coverage. Find an interesting angle to pitch an event. It may result in great publicity for an event.
- Don’t reinvent the wheel. Public relations has been done every which way since it came about many, many years ago. Look at what others have done as inspiration, then take a new, fresh look at your public relations strategy. Don’t reinvent the wheel, just make it better.
- Take aim. Hit your target audience by reaching out to the media they use. If your audience reads the newspaper, reach out to local newspapers to see if they will preview or cover your event. The same is true for television. If your audience is comprised of Spanish speakers, reach out to Spanish-speaking television stations or publications.
- The devil is in the details. Make sure you have checked and double-checked all of the details. The last thing you want is to have missing or incorrect information. If you are missing the time, date or any other pertinent information, media will not show up to cover your event.
Successful public relations can spread your company’s message, product or services to hundreds, thousands or even millions of people.