Becoming Your Own Publicist

If you're a small business looking to get some press, you are the publicist. It’s not easy, but it is possible. And with these tips from our in-house PR experts, you’ll be on your way to making your ideas and products known all over the world!

In this post we'll outline some of the most important things to remember about public relations for businesses - whether it's for a startup or an established 20-year-old company.

Becoming your own publicist is hard. It takes time, patience, and ingenuity. Some businesses have more unique avenues open to them than others in terms of getting publicity, but the first step is always the same: find your story. If you're a restaurant, what makes you special? If you're an app developer, why should people download your app? Again - these are things that you really want to dig in and think about if you can. You'll need to be able to articulate these points not just well - but persuasively and interestingly.

Once you figure that out, come up with a plan. Figure out what your goals are, and then make concrete steps to achieve those goals. "Getting publicity" can be a vague thing. For example: it's not really clear to most people why they should read the latest webcomic that got its start in a $30,000 Kickstarter campaign.

Once you've defined what you want and how you plan to get it, make sure it's working for your business. This is one of the hardest parts of PR. You need people who know your company or product - at least from a bit of external perspective - to be happy with the PR program itself.

Now it's time to announce that you're about to start a PR program for your business. When starting any kind of public relations program, it's important to be as transparent as possible. If you're offering a press packet of press releases and photos, make sure people know how to get those materials. Make sure that people know the process for how the press releases are picked, who will be in the media office, and so on.

Take care of these basics first, then let the PR people do their job!

Along with making sure your staff is prepared for that first meeting with a journalist, be ready to answer questions. The best PR people in the world will understand when you're doing something new, and they'll be able to ask questions that might give you a little bit of insight into this process. Don't be afraid to answer these questions honestly - just remember that while they are questions, they should hopefully give you a light at the end of the tunnel.

To begin, try to get the media's attention through a variety of means. If your business is a restaurant, it might make sense to introduce yourself on Yelp or Foursquare. If you're a writer, you could start a blog and then send press releases to local and trade publications. If you're an app developer, try contacting developers at a local meetup or other app development community in your area.

Keep in touch with the media after they mention your company, product or service. Remember that journalists are busy people - and so are bloggers - so be understanding of that fact, but stay in touch with them anyway! Try following up within a few days of coverage by sending them an email or leaving them a voicemail about something new your business has been working on. Keep this relationship going!

Lastly, don't forget about word-of-mouth marketing. Don't neglect your customers or your employees when it comes to PR. If a customer has a great experience with one of your products, let them know you'd love for them to share their experience. If a particularly loyal or happy employee does something great at work, stay in touch with them. These are the people who will be talking about you, and they should be proud of that!

If you're looking for advice on a specific topic, like how to use Twitter or Facebook as a PR tool - ask us! We're here to help!

Cheers,

Amanda Myers | Community Manager | Digital Marketing Agency Online PR Media Inc. | @AmandaOnPR | amanda@oprmedia.com

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About Online PR Media Inc. Digital Marketing Agency & Public Relations Firm - Online PR Media Inc. provides inbound marketing and PR services to clients worldwide. We provide clients with consulting, blog writing, social media management, social media optimization and search engine optimization services to help them reach their marketing goals.

Contact us at: 604-781-8389 | http://www.oprmedia.com | amanda@oprmedia.

Conclusion

The first step in getting publicity for your small business is to develop a clear and concise story. This story won't just be for prospective clients, but also for the business owners themselves. If you don't know why your company or product is worth talking about and remember it, how can you expect an outside source to? The next step is to make sure that this PR story has a plan behind it. This plan is what will lead people to want to talk about you.