How to do your own PR

You’ve taken the first big step and turned your brilliant idea into what should be an equally brilliant business so now it’s time to sit back and watch the money rolling in right? Wrong - because  however unique and indispensable your product or service, if people don’t know about you, you won’t make a penny. So how do you get the word out? For anyone who has already tried to do their own PR, you’ll know it’s a tough old business. Getting it right, or getting it wrong, will make the difference between your big dreams ending up in the bin, or (after an awful lot of hard work) you and your family retiring on the profits and living happily ever after! We asked Melissa Talago, of Peekaboo Communications, who represents a number of mum-run businesses, for her top tips on doing your own PR, and making your business one of life’s success stories.

How to get ahead in advertising…

“Whether to advertise, and where, really depends on your business” Melissa tells us, “if you’re running a business that’s specific to a local area, then advertising in your local newspaper/magazines might be worthwhile. If you’re trying to reach a national audience, unless it’s a very niche audience, you’re going to need a big advertising budget to make a dent. The key is to identify who your target market is. Who’s going to be buying your product or service? What do they read? Where do they go? How can you reach them? Once you have the answers to those questions, you can decide whether advertising is an option”. And don’t for a moment think that advertising on it’s own will do all your hard work for you, think about how you can broaden your marketing tool kit to include PR, direct marketing and online marketing options too.

What can I get for nothing?

It’s simple according to Melissa, “public relations is one of the most cost effective marketing tools you can use – and if you do it yourself, will only cost you your time”.  

Define your goals and plan ahead.

There are plenty of websites out there giving pointers on how to write a good press release and how to do PR but one of the most important aspects of public relations is to work out who your target market is. Melissa advises, “create a list of which magazines/papers you want to target and then call them to find out who the correct contact person is. If it’s a news story, the news editor might be the right person. Normally though it would be features or section editors e.g.: if you’re launching a new range of homewares, the homes or interiors editors will be your contact people. If in doubt, ask for the editorial assistant and they should be able to steer you in the right direction”. Don’t forget to follow up the release with a phone call afterwards offering further insight but don’t badger them. Journalists get 100s of press releases every week.

Make your press release work for them...

It’s always a good idea to try to put yourself in the shoes of the journos who will be receiving your press release. A really good way to catch their eye is to think about using a news hook. Melissa explains, “journalists aren’t going to just give you a free ad. They need stories of interest to their readers. The launch of your business is probably news – but you need to find an angle to make it appealing to their readers. If you don’t have any news, look at larger feature ideas. What’s your personal story? Do you have any interesting customer case studies? Are there any topical issues you can give an opinion on? For example, a client of mine - finkcards, launched a pack of conversation cards to encourage families to chat. We could have simply written a press release saying exactly that. But we asked the question: So what? Why is this needed and who should care? We then did some research into the benefits of eating together as a family and found an expert to support our findings. We then did a story on that. The products were featured in a number of publications and radio including a double page article in the Sunday Express S magazine on the art of dinner conversation for kids.

The secret of good PR is …

Any good press release will be written with the main points included in the first paragraph – people are busy and if they don’t ‘get it’ quickly, your long-crafted precious release will end up in the bin. For the same reason try to have a catchy headline and although it may be tempting to ramble on about your brilliant product, you should keep the whole thing to a page in length. Another key point, adds Melissa, in making a press release do its job, “… is timing. If you’re targeting magazines, remember that monthly mags work 3 months in advance so don’t give them news that will be outdated in 3 months time. Also remember that magazines are very visual so you will need good, creative and high resolution images to support the story”.

There’s no such thing as an overnight success.

Although you may have done written the perfect press release, sent it to the perfect person and had a thoroughly lovely follow-up call, you may not get the great ‘free plug’ you were hoping for.When this happens it’s sometimes useful to get some feedback from one or two journalists to find out what would be of interest to them. But don’t be too pushy, and don’t expect miracles. Melissa says, “often it takes a while and several different press releases from your business to start to register on their radar. When I began doing the PR for new travel company Tots to Travel, our press releases were rarely picked up. But gradually the press started calling us when they were writing relevant features as they remembered us. PR is a slow burn. Keep at it. Also, you might want to get a professional to write your first release – particularly if it’s to launch a new business – as it gives you a better chance of creating a good first impression and you can use the release as a template for future releases if you can’t afford any further help”.

What other ways are there to market my business?

There are plenty of ways to market a business”, says Melissa, if you run an online business, online visibility is critical so you’ll probably need to investigate SEO (search engine optimization), Google Adwords campaigns, affiliate marketing and social networking tools. If all of this sounds like a foreign language to you, it might be best to get an agency or expert to help you. Peekaboo has an online specialist that offers a free initial consultation to give you a steer as to what will work and what won’t, so you don’t spend money unnecessarily”. If you’re cash-poor but time-rich then there are some great resources online to help guide you through the world of online marketing as well as more traditional approaches. Melissa adds, “direct marketing, newsletters, sales promotions, flyering, sampling and events are other tools you can investigate. The best bet is to write a plan listing your business objectives first, what your marketing objectives are, who your target audience is and then create a calendar of activity that you can do month by month”. 

The professionals…

“If you have time and a willingness to learn, you can probably do the marketing yourself” says Melissa, “but using an agency will save you time so that you can concentrate on your business. They can hopefully also help you avoid costly mistakes and get your business off the ground more quickly.  Agency fees really vary. If you’re a start up, find an agency that specialises in working with small businesses. If you go to one of the big agencies, you will probably be one of their smallest clients resulting in less attention and higher fees. Using freelancers is an excellent route too as they give you the one-on-one attention you need”.

Tomorrow’s fish and chips

You may find that when you finally get your first piece of great publicity interest in your product or business will take off for a period, before sliding back to the level it was before. This is because one plug in the press isn’t going to last forever so you need to plan ahead. Melissa advises “…you need a rolling campaign to keep your media awareness high. Plus you should supplement it with other tools – like a customer newsletter or online marketing initiatives.  Make sure that your website is optimised to capture contact details so that you can start to build a relationship with visitors/customers”. Using the press is a great way to get customers in, but once they find you, you’ll need other tools to keep them interested.

Trade Fairs and other events.

On paper these events can promise a great deal but are often very expensive to get to and exhibit at, as well as rather hit and miss in terms of results.  Melissa told us, “I’ve had several clients who’ve exhibited as consumer fairs and found that the return just wasn’t worth it. They did boost awareness of their brand, but it had little impact on sales. I’ve had other clients who’ve gone to the same shows and seen massive sales that easily pay for the cost of the event. Similarly, I’ve had some who go to trade fairs and got nothing out of it, while others have managed to secure interest from big retail buyers. It really will depend on your product, who you’re trying to reach and what you’re trying to achieve by going. Start out by asking yourself what your objective for going is. Be brutally honest with yourself - don’t get seduced by the glamour of having a lovely stand at a show if it’s not likely you’ll recoup the costs. For the same money, you could probably pay for a freelancer to do several days worth of PR work for you over the period of a few months, resulting in plenty of publicity”. 

The best kind of press and publicity I can get?

According to Melissa, “the best publicity is an unsolicited bit of praise from a customer – or word of mouth. One mum recommending a product to a friend will have a far greater impact than any ad or article can ever have. A huge amount of my business comes from word of mouth referrals. Make sure you have an excellent product and excellent customer service and the praise should follow. You can help encourage word of mouth by getting active on different online forums”. 

My PR work has been a roaring success, surely it’s time to relax and start counting the cash?

Melissa is quick to stamp out this common inclination -“No, you should always be planning ahead for the next thing you’re trying to achieve. Even if you’re busy, make sure you’ve got a good pipeline of customers/activity ready for the months ahead. Unless of course you’ve made wads of money and are ready for a break. Then sell up, book a trip to a tropical island and have a daiquiri!”

If you have a specific question for Melissa we’d be happy to pass it on, for more information on Peek Communications or any of their clients go to:   www.peekaboocoms.co.uk   

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