PR Tips from Natalie Trice of Tally Communications
What PR is? PR stands for ‘Public Relations’ and is all about your reputation, in a nutshell it is what others say and think about you. PR is a valuable tool as it is used to gain trust and understanding between a company and its audiences, be that clients, employees, investors or suppliers – they all count!
What’s the difference between PR and advertising? With PR, you don’t pay a newspapers or website to include information. PR coverage is all about third-party endorsement which is far more powerful and credible than an advert that has been placed on a page by you. Think of PR as a personal recommendation.
What do PR people do? PR consultants use a variety of activities in their everyday work to keep clients in the media. These include talking to journalists and building relationships (media relations), writing and sending out press releases, organising online viral campaigns, setting up competitions and product placement, managing events, preparing biographies and case studies, these are just the tip of the iceberg.
Short term and long term PR. PR can be about the short-term, such as product launches, but ideally it should be centered around longer-term strategic aims that are in line with overall business objectives – such as brand building, helping to drive sales and raising awareness. A one off press release may generate coverage in some media, but you will need to send regular releases throughout the year to get the best results.
USP? Know what your Unique Selling Point is and keep that front of mind! From the start you need to be clear about why your brand is different to competitors and why clients should use you. This needs to be used in a consistent manner in all your communication materials and needs to come across loud and clear.
Press Releases. When it comes to a press release bear in mind that it should be one page maximum. Journalists get 100′s of press releases everyday and decide in seconds whether they are going to use it or throw it away, so make yours snappy, to the point and make sure it stands out!
Don’t expect one press release to change the world overnight. It is vital that people are exposed to your message repeatedly. As long as it is news worthy, consider a series of releases that reiterate your key messages so they are reinforced over time and the media get used to hearing from you.
Be honest and transparent, the last thing you want is a key journalist catching you out!
Don’t use jargon – unless you are talking to a specialist, niche publication, resist the temptation to use acronyms and jargon. If you do use it, check that the journalist knows what you’re talking about or you could come unstuck.
