How to Get Press Coverage for Your Business With a Dynamic PR Branding Strategy
How to Get Press Coverage for Your Business With a Dynamic PR Branding Strategy
Kelsey Raymond, COO • Intero Digital • August 3, 2023
Picture this: You’ve crafted a brilliant digital marketing campaign, carefully fine-tuning every aspect to achieve maximum impact. You’ve leveraged social media, optimized your website, and used up all your tips on how to get press coverage for your business. But despite your best efforts, something feels missing — a dynamic element that could take your brand’s online presence to new heights. It’s time to consider incorporating a powerful tool into your arsenal: digital PR strategy.
Unfortunately, many brands falter when it comes to seamlessly blending PR branding strategy into their digital strategies. A lot of the time, it all boils down to a lack of media contacts and expertise, mistakenly believing that PR is solely pay-to-play, or underestimating PR’s ability to make a tangible impact.
Gathering contacts of relevant journalists and stakeholders in your industry doesn’t require decades of PR experience. In fact, you already possess the most crucial asset — your brand’s story. Ninety-four percent of PR pros agree that 1:1 emails are the best ways to pitch to journalists. As such, you can easily craft a compelling email that resonates with your target audience and be assured you will capture the attention of journalists and influencers alike.
While paid opportunities certainly exist within PR, they are not the be-all and end-all. Authenticity and credibility are the currency that genuinely moves the needle in today’s digital landscape. Your audience craves genuine connections and meaningful content, and that’s precisely where PR excels.
A strategic PR approach can be the game-changer you’ve been seeking in a world saturated with digital noise. According to Statista’s public relations industry analysis, 46% of large US enterprises (with 500+ employees) recognized the importance of public relations and utilized it in their business strategies. By aligning your PR efforts with your overarching digital objectives, you can create a powerful synergy that elevates your brand above the competition.
The Many Benefits of Public Relations in Marketing
A comprehensive PR branding strategy mixed with effective marketing tactics makes for an incredible duo, offering a number of perks for businesses. Let’s dive into some of the more common benefits you can enjoy from combining PR with your marketing efforts:
Increase Visibility and Awareness
Almost everyone has access to the internet in all corners of the earth today. However, good PR media coverage helps brands to create a solid online presence that is easily accessible and visible to their target audience. PR efforts are instrumental in increasing brand visibility and awareness. Through media coverage, press releases, social media engagement, and events, PR helps you reach a wider audience, generate buzz, and create a recognizable brand. It ensures your target market knows about your products, services, and unique selling propositions. Also, it helps identify the proper channels to help your brand reach the right people and, most importantly, has the connections to do so.
Build Reputation and Brand Perception
PR helps in communicating brand values. A PR strategy identifies what a brand supports and believes in and then relates it to the audience. They are responsible for ensuring that the brand is portrayed in a particular light. By carrying out online campaigns and networking strategies, they help build the brand’s credibility, and as the public begins to patronize and trust the quality of those products, its reputation grows.
Boost Trust and Authenticity
A well-established PR campaign can generate authenticity and trustworthiness. In this age, consumers prioritize transparency over other things; a good PR strategy plays a significant role by highlighting a brand’s values, missions, and ethical practices among consumers by incorporating trust. When information is shared through trusted media outlets or endorsed by respected influencers, consumers perceive a brand more positively and are more likely to engage with it.
Adequately Prepare for Crisis Management
Even with a strong reputation, crises are inevitable. A good PR strategy, however, will help manage the situation effectively. They can control the narrative, provide accurate information, and handle media inquiries to minimize damage to the brand’s reputation. It’s important to note that while good PR is valuable, it should be consistent and align with a brand’s values and actions. In the digital age, where information spreads rapidly and public scrutiny is intense, the significance of good PR has only increased.
How to Get Press Coverage for Your Business (Easily and Effectively)
Building successful PR takes time and consistent effort. To secure more PR for yourself, your organization, or your business, consider implementing the following strategies:
1. Use owned media and guest posts for thought leadership.
To catch the attention of journalists, contributors, and editors, it’s important for them to recognize you as an expert in your field. Showcase your expertise by publishing blog posts, guest articles, whitepapers, industry reports, and proprietary research. This demonstrates your knowledge and helps build your thought leadership. When you approach publications to share your expertise, they will see that you are indeed the expert you claim to be.
2. Develop a unique point of view.
When reaching out to secure press mentions, it’s not enough to repeat what others are saying. You need to have a distinct point of view from your industry vantage point. If you’re echoing the same messages as everyone else, there’s little reason for a media contact to be interested in your insights.
So, when pitching your expertise, align your thought leadership with your goals and opinions, but also make sure it offers something new and different. Find what sets your perspective apart from your competitors and make that the foundation of your pitch.
3. Embrace “story mode” instead of “sales mode.”
Sometimes, thought leaders focus on selling their offerings instead of creating compelling stories. It’s crucial to understand the value-add that your expertise brings and what angles might resonate with publications and their readers. Don’t just rely on the messaging that works in your sales cycles; consider what would attract the interest of media contacts for press coverage.
For example, the CMO of a security systems company might think they need to sell people on the quality of their systems. However, journalists and editors might be more interested in how that knowledge can be applied in specific ways, such as enhancing school security or combining technology and law enforcement resources in communities.
4. Explore the seven news values.
When pitching yourself or your business for press coverage, it’s essential to consider what journalists and editors seek in their stories. Take into account the seven news values:
- Impact: Is there a change in the industry that will have a significant effect?
- Timeliness: Is there a new law or a pop culture reference relevant to your field?
- Prominence: Are there notable connections or projects associated with your expertise?
- Proximity: Is there a compelling angle specific to a region or area?
- Novelty: Do you have an unusual, interesting story to tell?
- Conflict: Do you have a strong opinion on an unresolved issue?
- Relevance: Do you bring something unique to the current industry conversation?
Considering these values can help tailor your pitches to align with what journalists and editors are looking for.
5. Craft an attention-grabbing pitch.
With editors receiving hundreds if not thousands of PR pitches every day, it’s crucial to make yours stand out. Given the low average email open rate in the media and publishing industry, you need to capture their attention right from the start. Follow the advice in this blog post and consider using tools such as CoSchedule to update your email subject lines. By writing an attention-grabbing pitch, you increase the chances of your email being noticed amidst the sea of other pitches.
Integrating digital PR strategies into your marketing efforts opens up a world of opportunities for your brand, allowing you to reach beyond your existing customer base. However, it’s important to recognize that reaping the benefits of public relations in marketing requires a deep understanding of your audience, creating content that consistently resonates with your readers, and building relationships with the right publications. By following these steps, you can establish yourself as a credible and trusted source of information in your industry.
