2 Keys to Drive PR
And how is it different from marketing?
Let’s start here: The difference between marketing and public relations is the difference between saying you’re great and someone else saying you’re great.
One is a message you control, and the other is a message you must convey in a way that others feel is worthy of sharing and adds third-party validation to the statement that you are, in fact, great.
Both are necessary and important. Both are about knowing how to use your story to influence your target market, which is where they diverge.
The Keys to Public Relations
In public relations, you’re trying to get the attention of a reporter or producer, and you must be able to divine their needs, which is generally to fill a hole in the paper, drive traffic to their site, or beef up a time slot.
Also, what do these folks need on a personal-professional basis? Do they seek awards and to climb the career ladder, or are they trying to get out the door by 5 pm to take their kid to soccer?
Grab attention
Snappy headline
Clear and concise lede
Images
Data
A story
The first four grab can grab immediate attention so you can stand out among the hundreds of other presses releases received that day, but the last is critical. How will it help the news organization draw an audience to watch/read/listen? Open your pitch with a story of how a consumer benefited by using your product or service, only after briefly mention your product and features.
Public relations is about presenting your company as experts and thought leaders. Remember, you’re ‘selling’ the solution to a problem the reporter’s readers may also be faced with; you’re not selling your product. Opening with a salesy pitch turns reporters off, and buries the real lede to your story, which is how you’re helping their audience (and yours!) and, in turn, the news company.
Related article: 5 Public Relations Do’s and Don’ts
Keep attention
Follow the tips to grab attention every time
Respect and meet deadlines
Ask what types of news they’re looking for/following
Build relationships beyond your specific news
PR Takeaways
While marketing allows you to control your message, public relations helps provide independent validation of your company’s authority and expertise in an area. In PR, your audience is a bunch of overworked editors and producers, hit with hundreds – if not thousands – of pitches every day. Give them what they want: An interesting story with data to back it up and artwork to help illustrate it. And don’t neglect their personal-professional desires.
So, what’s your story?