So why is PR effective then? A wise man once said ‘if I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on PR’.
That man was Bill Gates, and if it is good enough for him, then it is good enough for us.
The importance of experience with PR cannot be overestimated, since knowledge is power as they say.
Public relations is all about communicating a message to the world. Indeed that is what marketing is all about, but PR is different in that it uses the media to get the message from inside to the fingertips of the customers.
Public relations can be directed to specific countries, specific industries and specific target audiences. This makes sure that journalists that are covering specific markets (engineering for example) will see your releases flagged up.
The beauty of PR is that it can be very cost effective.
A startup company that has a great new innovative product or service can go from rags to riches overnight given the right PR coverage. A press release can cost as little as £50.
If the PR company is experienced in your market, and are behind the product/service, then they can work miracles.
Public relations is not just restricted to newspapers or magazines, but is online also.
Online PR is very popular these day’s due to the growth of the internet and the reach it has in our modern society.
Depending on the product or service, online or offline PR can be used (or both) to get the necessary media coverage.
It’s imperative you’ve done your research on media companies by visiting their website and seeing how much your industry influences the publication’s news stream.
Instead of sending your story to a generic news desk, identify the names of key journalists who most often write about topics related to your industry. Email, call, or even try reaching out to specific key journalists via their Twitter handle with your story, so you can begin building a long-term relationship with someone who might be willing to write about your company again in the future.
The lazy route is just to use a press release service and leave it at that. A PR company should not do this, if so, fire them.
A big part of SEO is link building linked in with submitting press releases.
Whether you are a startup company or a multinational company, PR can be effective in generating media exposure.
Our advice is to talk to a few PR companies and get some advice and ideas. PR prices will vary from agency to agency.
There are many PR bodies that give accreditation. However accreditation does not mean they will be right for you.
We work with PR agencies in all industry sectors, thousands of them; so our goal is to help you get the best advice from local PR agencies that know your industry and market.