Unfortunately, PR doesn't work like that. You can't just order it and have it delivered or picked up at the store. It requires a well-thought-out public relations strategy and flawless execution to be effective. Let's talk about strategy. Recently, a client hired my company because another agency had not thought through their strategy. His approach was strictly tactical and missed the mark. You can't rush into strategy. It takes research and creativity. Over the years, I have noticed key issues with public relations strategy. Let's identify these areas, explain how you can troubleshoot issues, and create a winning PR campaign. 10 problematic areas of public relations strategy and how to solve them1. Lack of clear America email list goals and objectives Untitled Design (5) -2 Every race needs a finish line. And every PR campaign and strategy needs an end goal. Many people think of public relations as just the natural progression of their business. They send out press releases, they contact journalists, they socialize… but they don't have clear goals or objectives in mind. Solution: Sit down and think about the goals and objectives you want to achieve for each campaign. Ask yourself, who do I want to reach? How can I do it ? What will grab someone's attention?
Your goals might be to popularize a new sales technique of interest to sales managers and executives. Your goals can be a set amount of website traffic, leads, or sales. Be specific in these goals and have a specific time frame in mind (i.e. by month XYZ I want to have X number of sales and Y number of people visiting my site each week) . By doing this with each campaign, you will have a better idea of where you stand on the scale of your goals and how to adapt for the future. 2. Poor contact with the America email list media Many who are new to public relations fall into the trap of using the “spray and pray” method when sending arguments. This is when you collect emails from every reporter you can find and mass email them with your pitch. Not only is it annoying for journalists, it is totally ineffective. Solution: do your research. Each journalist has a rhythm, or an interest, which he covers within his medium. Look for journalists who specifically cover the news in your industry. There is no point in contacting reporters in the home and garden when you are a B2B tech company. It may take longer to acquire contact information and build relationships with journalists in your industry, but it certainly pays off in the long run. 3. Poor fieldwork Untitled Design (6) -4 Another common pitch mistake is not having a viable story. Journalists want something new, not a dead topic. How can you take what you are offering and give it a different slant? Can you piggyback on a current trend story? Once you've set your story, personalize your introductory emails. Think of the dozens - sometimes hundreds - of pitch emails that cross a journalist's path in any given day or week. After a while, they can find out which pitch emails have been sent to a laundry list of other journalists. It is a major turning point. Solution: Again, this is about research. Once you come across a reporter who covers your industry, take the time to read the reporter's previous articles and find out what types of stories they cover.
This will allow you to weave personal touches throughout your introductory email to show why you want the reporter to write your story. This provides a much more compelling pitch - and one that is more likely to get noticed. 4. Self-promotion stories So many over-enthusiastic brands make the mistake of pitching stories that have no real value outside of self-promotion. But journalists - and their audiences - won't care about your brand unless it is of greater value to the world around you. Solution: To be effective in your media strategy, you must become a storyteller. Your pitch should tell a compelling story and explain how it affects the world around you. Show how newsworthy this story is, perhaps with facts and figures, a catchy quote, or a video. 5. Lack of consistency Untitled Design (7) -2 Successful PR takes work. And you have to be there for the long haul. The root cause of America email list inconsistency is often a lack of planning. People get to a certain point and then get exhausted. If you continue like this, you won't feel like you are moving forward in your PR efforts. Solution: Create a strategy or plan that will keep you on track, even when the going gets tough. This strategy should include backup plans to help you get through several difficult scenarios or areas that you encounter. 6. No measures in place Admittedly, measurement isn't the sexiest thing in B2B PR, and many find it boring or even scary. But without measurement, you have no idea what is working in your strategy and what needs to be changed. And without those little tweaks along the way, many PR strategies fall short of the mark. Solution: Invest in a PR measurement tool that meets your needs.
If you are just starting to implement a measurement program, we recommend that you start with Google Analytics, a free program that works on most platforms. If you need something with more analytical power, or something more specific to your brand, you can turn to programs like Onclusive (formerly AirPR) or TrendKite. 7. Press releases just because Untitled Design (8) So many people are too impatient when it comes to PR, creating and sending out press releases for everything in the hopes of getting even a little light. This creates a scenario similar to that of a boy who called out a wolf. Journalists and editors are so used to seeing your brand for "meh" stories that even when you have a newsworthy story, they'll likely delete it as soon as they see who it's from. Solution: Don't create stories where there aren't any. Create a press release strategy and approach it methodically. Examine each story and ask yourself, “Is this worth publishing? "If this story fell on my News Feed, would I want to read it?" Questions like this help you eliminate inferior stories and focus on the real gems that have the potential to get you real media attention.
Your goals might be to popularize a new sales technique of interest to sales managers and executives. Your goals can be a set amount of website traffic, leads, or sales. Be specific in these goals and have a specific time frame in mind (i.e. by month XYZ I want to have X number of sales and Y number of people visiting my site each week) . By doing this with each campaign, you will have a better idea of where you stand on the scale of your goals and how to adapt for the future. 2. Poor contact with the America email list media Many who are new to public relations fall into the trap of using the “spray and pray” method when sending arguments. This is when you collect emails from every reporter you can find and mass email them with your pitch. Not only is it annoying for journalists, it is totally ineffective. Solution: do your research. Each journalist has a rhythm, or an interest, which he covers within his medium. Look for journalists who specifically cover the news in your industry. There is no point in contacting reporters in the home and garden when you are a B2B tech company. It may take longer to acquire contact information and build relationships with journalists in your industry, but it certainly pays off in the long run. 3. Poor fieldwork Untitled Design (6) -4 Another common pitch mistake is not having a viable story. Journalists want something new, not a dead topic. How can you take what you are offering and give it a different slant? Can you piggyback on a current trend story? Once you've set your story, personalize your introductory emails. Think of the dozens - sometimes hundreds - of pitch emails that cross a journalist's path in any given day or week. After a while, they can find out which pitch emails have been sent to a laundry list of other journalists. It is a major turning point. Solution: Again, this is about research. Once you come across a reporter who covers your industry, take the time to read the reporter's previous articles and find out what types of stories they cover.
This will allow you to weave personal touches throughout your introductory email to show why you want the reporter to write your story. This provides a much more compelling pitch - and one that is more likely to get noticed. 4. Self-promotion stories So many over-enthusiastic brands make the mistake of pitching stories that have no real value outside of self-promotion. But journalists - and their audiences - won't care about your brand unless it is of greater value to the world around you. Solution: To be effective in your media strategy, you must become a storyteller. Your pitch should tell a compelling story and explain how it affects the world around you. Show how newsworthy this story is, perhaps with facts and figures, a catchy quote, or a video. 5. Lack of consistency Untitled Design (7) -2 Successful PR takes work. And you have to be there for the long haul. The root cause of America email list inconsistency is often a lack of planning. People get to a certain point and then get exhausted. If you continue like this, you won't feel like you are moving forward in your PR efforts. Solution: Create a strategy or plan that will keep you on track, even when the going gets tough. This strategy should include backup plans to help you get through several difficult scenarios or areas that you encounter. 6. No measures in place Admittedly, measurement isn't the sexiest thing in B2B PR, and many find it boring or even scary. But without measurement, you have no idea what is working in your strategy and what needs to be changed. And without those little tweaks along the way, many PR strategies fall short of the mark. Solution: Invest in a PR measurement tool that meets your needs.
If you are just starting to implement a measurement program, we recommend that you start with Google Analytics, a free program that works on most platforms. If you need something with more analytical power, or something more specific to your brand, you can turn to programs like Onclusive (formerly AirPR) or TrendKite. 7. Press releases just because Untitled Design (8) So many people are too impatient when it comes to PR, creating and sending out press releases for everything in the hopes of getting even a little light. This creates a scenario similar to that of a boy who called out a wolf. Journalists and editors are so used to seeing your brand for "meh" stories that even when you have a newsworthy story, they'll likely delete it as soon as they see who it's from. Solution: Don't create stories where there aren't any. Create a press release strategy and approach it methodically. Examine each story and ask yourself, “Is this worth publishing? "If this story fell on my News Feed, would I want to read it?" Questions like this help you eliminate inferior stories and focus on the real gems that have the potential to get you real media attention.