What can you expect from PR?
At a recent new client kick-off meeting, I asked the company what results they got with their last PR firm since I hadn’t found anything in my research.
It was a curious situation, seeing as this client does impactful work and has global offices. They responded that they’d had coverage in a handful of small, niche publications that don’t pertain to their target audiences.
Upon closer review, the “coverage” was simply a press release picked up on a handful of irrelevant websites. How could an organization work with several PR firms and get zero meaningful results? Yet, business owners often tell me this is not unusual.
I won’t let that happen to you. In today’s post, I want to share what you can and should expect from a PR partner:
1. Regular publicity opportunities
Media coverage is the cornerstone of any PR program. Your PR representative should regularly deliver opportunities to be interviewed by journalists and content creators on stories germane to your industry. Additionally, they should provide thought leadership opportunities, such as contributing an article, hosting or being a guest on a program, writing a book, delivering a talk, or keynoting an event, with tangible results that appear publicly across the web and prominently amongst your target audiences.
2. Messaging and positioning advisory
Articulating and fine-tuning the client’s brand values and messages is a critical component of any PR program. Whether you’re interviewed for one minute or one hour or talking to a potential client or investor, the messaging process will help you deliver key information about your business and offerings in an easy-to-digest and compelling manner. This process will also help you figure out your interview strategy, as opposed to delivering “reactionary” answers.
3. Business development and lead generation
Positive visibility and exposure for your brand are fundamentally good for business development. Some clients become the most famous providers in their industry with many high-visibility press mentions and speaking engagements; others need to be on the right podcasts and programs with longer-form opportunities to appeal to their target audiences. The right PR team will work collaboratively with the client’s team to utilize PR for business development and lead generation.
If your PR person does not provide all three of the above deliverables, you should find someone who will.
As for the client who had no results with other providers, we secured significant media opportunities for them within the first month.
Regardless of your industry, what stage your business is in, or what has happened in the past, an effective PR team should be able to help you with the abovementioned issues—and take your business and brand to the next level.