How to Run A Successful PR Campaign
Running a successful PR campaign can be game-changing for a business. Regardless of the size of your company, public relations can bring you closer to some of the biggest competitors in your industry. The key to success in PR is for your messaging to be creative and newsworthy. A public relations campaign can have long-lasting influence on your company’s public image, so leaving a good impression is important.
As the founder of a PR agency, here are five tips I’ve found to be effective in running a successful PR campaign.
1. Establish your objective and goals.
Before you make any moves, it is crucial that you first establish your objective and goals for this campaign. Think about what a successful endgame would look like and use this logic as the basis for all your strategy decisions. Your goals should be very specific because this will make it easier for you to plan your campaign and it will create a clearer message for your audience. Knowing what you want to achieve and how to do it will help with the accuracy in your approach. Once your goals are established, they will determine your target audience and also the platforms you can best reach them on.
2. Know your target audience.
For your message to have the impact that you desire, you need to understand who your audience is. You should customize all aspects of your PR campaign to fit your target audience because this is where you will be focusing all of your time and attention. Your target audience is the people who are the most likely to respond to your campaign and message in a positive way. When you have a complete understanding of your fan base, you can make better decisions about the media, wording and timing of your campaign.
3. Identify the right platform.
Your target audience will determine the type of media platform that is most effective for your message. When choosing a platform, it’s less about your company and more about where your ideal customer spends the majority of their time. For example, Twitter is used for spreading information like breaking news, while Instagram and Pinterest are used for visual content. Once you have identified what your target audience’s main platform is, you can consistently feed them new information and updates about your business.
4. Find creative angles.
Pitching a creative angle is very important if you want to get the media’s attention. Don’t be lazy and send out a press release to several journalists on the same email because most will ignore it. In your pitch letter, make sure to identify the media outlet by name and, if possible, the journalist as well. A personalized pitch shows that you are organized and that you put time and effort into your outreach. Many outlets want a feature that is more than just a simple announcement; they want to write about something that will really grab the audience’s attention. Do research to find out what type of stories the media platform covers, and make sure your message is the right fit.
5. Keep track of progress.
Keeping track of progress is vital for any PR campaign because you need to evaluate what is working and what isn’t working. Many businesses will start a campaign with unclear or vague goals, such as getting publicity. This is not a good plan to have because there is no real established outcome. Having a target goal is essential in order to see desired results and keep track of all progress. Once you have chosen a specific goal, the results can be measured more easily to keep track of success and failure throughout the duration of your campaign. You will never have to wonder how your campaign is doing because the data is clear.
Running a successful PR campaign will take a lot of effort and research, but if done correctly, it can change the direction of your business. Remember that public relations campaigns are investments into your company’s reputation, so take the time to carefully plan all aspects of the operation. Every business is different, but these five tips can be applied to any PR campaign that desires to see growth.
By Forbes
