Written by Sara McCracken FCIPR MBA from The PR Club
PR – public relations – is much more than soundbites and press releases. Done well, it could enhance your profile and position you and your business as the ‘go-to’ specialists in your niche, leading to increased sales, brand awareness and a strong identity with your audience and customers.
By definition, public relations is about reputation, the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. Don’t get me wrong, no amount of spin is going to make someone or something with a poor reputation look good for the long term. I deal with leaders who are open, transparent and credible.
Media relations are a key part of your PR mix. Other tactics include social media, branding, website, blog, social media, speaking on podcasts or at conferences. Your communications lead will be invaluable when a crisis looms, and many PR professionals bring excellent public affairs and advocacy skills to the table too.
As a PR specialist, I’ve worked for many different organisations and business over the years and I’ve learned that the following five steps are fundamental to getting your PR right.
- First and foremost, you need a PR strategy. Good communications shouldn’t be an afterthought. Decide what you want to achieve via PR and ensure it aligns with your business goals.
- The next step is knowing what you want to say. Your messaging needs to be clear and compelling about you and your business, so you can speak confidently to clients, staff and media alike.
- Your target audience is not the whole world. Easier said than done, but you need to know who you want to speak with – your ideal customer, a specific politician or journalist. Spend some time working this out and you can then focus on achieving your goals.
- Understand where you will find your target audience and use those channels to engage with them. You are less likely to find young people reading newspapers or in a Facebook group. Likewise, do your key stakeholders listen to Good Morning Ulster or the Cool FM news? Spend time building your profile in the right places and your reputation will start to develop.
- The most important step? Start doing it. Plan what you want to do and when, gather your content and proactively seek opportunities. A PR professional, whether in-house or through an agency, will be able to help and guide you along the way.
Starting with these five steps will help transform for your business using PR power, leading to increased profile and enhanced your reputation and credibility.
However many small business owners aren’t sure where to start, so I have created a short guide of 101 things you need to know about PR, available for download here or scan the QR code to help you get started when it comes to PR for your business.
Sara McCracken FCIPR MBA is an award-winning PR and communications specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in different areas including environment, health, education, politics, equestrian and agri-rural businesses.
She has worked in a range of organisations - a trade union, charities, political party, membership organisations and an alpaca farm.
Her specialties include: PR and communications, strategy development, connecting people, facilitation, events management, editing, speech writing, leadership development, media interview preparation and campaigns.
Sara founded The PR Club to share her knowledge and PR skills through online and in-person training, plus bespoke consultancy to help businesses maximise their PR opportunities.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-mccracken-fcipr/ or [email protected]