If you’ve never been in the press, securing media coverage or garnering attention for your business is not usually an instant thing; but it is accessible to everyone and consistent efforts WILL reap rewards. While it can happen very quickly for some - especially if you are able to tie-in with breaking news - for others it may take weeks, or even months, to see results depending on a few factors such as how simple (or not) your story is to communicate, and how consistently you reach out to media.
There are things that you can do, however, to bring positive momentum into your business and, in particular, your public relations efforts.
Perseverance: Like growing your business in general, a successful PR campaign means dedicating some energy to it. This means continually developing new pitch angles that can spark the interest of media, and following up with the news organizations where you want to be covered.
Avoid the Overwhelm: Don’t try to build Rome in a day. There is a wide universe of media out there and the thought of attempting to reach them all can feel overwhelming. Try starting in your local market where you already have built-in news value by being a local business or expert. Or focus on one genre of media, such as trade publications read by your industry, or business press. “Working” one area of media can give you the confidence, and success, to spark momentum.
Set Clear Goals - on Paper: Write down your public relations goals and three things you can do to achieve each goal. Take at least one action a day that gets you closer to achieving a goal. The mere process of taking that action creates momentum that will build upon itself.
Build Time For PR in Your Schedule: Every week, find at least one hour to focus on your public relations efforts. Even if it means blocking it off in fifteen minute increments at a time; in fifteen minutes you can email a pitch to five journalists, place three follow-up calls, or research a new media outlet to see where you could be covered.
Tags: dealing with the media, Jet set tips, pr takeoff, publicity, Regina Novickis, Stacey Johnes, Takeoff Tips