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5 Tips For Getting More From Your PR Efforts

Whether you have competition or not, you need to figure out how to generate buzz about your brand. If no one is talking about you, then your target audience won’t be able to find you very easily.

Your PR strategy could include a variety of different tactics. Once you have your strategy in place, here are 5 tips on how you can make the most of your efforts.

  1. Think long-term, not individual opportunities

You might be looking for media coverage for your brand or product launch, or to be included in holiday gift guides, but what happens next? Your goal should be to aim for sustained buzz, and to do that you have to look at building relationships with your media contacts. If you make meaningful connections with the media, you may find that they are more receptive to your pitching down the line. Build relationships with the media like you build relationships with your customers. You may even find they take interest in what’s happening with your brand and reach out to you.

  1. Get to know the media

Using a blanket approach where you pitch every media contact you can think of is not a great idea. Build a list thoughtfully and get to know who your media and influencers are. What do they write about? What stories seem to grab them the most? Most importantly, what is the connection between your pitch and them? You will have a higher success rate if you approach your outreach in this way because you will make a connection with your contacts.

  1. Match your pitching schedule to the media’s schedule

If you try to pitch your contact and they are on air, in an editorial meeting, or producing a show, they likely won’t respond to you. Your pitch also might then get lost in the shuffle. Try to learn your contacts’ schedules. Maybe they have a 9 AM production meeting, or their monthly editorial planning meeting happens the second week of the month. You can adjust the way you pitch based on what you have learned. In many cases learning this type of information will take time and you will pick up on patterns based on when your contacts respond to you.

  1. Keep your promises

If you say you are going to provide your contact with information by a certain deadline, then do it. Also, if you promise an exclusive to one publication, don’t do the same to another. It breaks down trust and they will likely just delete your email next time you try to pitch them.

  1. Use social media to your advantage

If you are having trouble getting through to the media, try to generate buzz using your own tools. Keep up with your social media efforts as a way to attract media attention while connecting with your target audience directly. Many of your media contacts often find their story angles from scanning social media for interesting topics.

Candace Huntly is Founder and Partner at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

How To Get Product Reviews

CHuntly

Are you ready to introduce your incredible product to the world? A great way to get the word out is via product reviews. While similar to an influencer strategy, there are few added audience tactics as well as a bit of a different approach in some cases.

Product reviews help you generate brand awareness, but they also help with SEO through the link back to your site included within the review. Links back to your site also help with general website traffic. If someone is interested in what they see, they will investigate more.

Here are 6 steps to a great product review strategy:

Step 1: Set a realistic timeline

It is unrealistic to throw together an outreach strategy like this in a day or two. It takes preparation and research. If you are launching a new business entirely, you will want to include this in your planning a few months in advance. If you get product reviews pre-launch, it can even drive interest for the official launch.

Step 2: Identify your target audience

If you are in business, whether you sell to other businesses (B2B) or consumers (B2C), you should know who your target audience is. You should be able to articulate who your ideal customer is according to purchase behaviour and demographics (age, gender, income, etc).

Step 3: Build your list of product reviewers

Once you know who will buy your product, you can start creating a list of product reviewers. While you could find general product review sites, these might not reach your intended target audience. To get the most return on your efforts, find niche review blogs and other businesses who might be interested in promoting your product.

You can either use a database like Cision to point you in the right direction or you can do your own research. In many cases, great blogs aren’t listed on databases because it can be hard for them to keep up with new bloggers. To search on Google you would enter terms like [Product X] review, [Product X] blog, product reviews, etc. (replace [Product X] with your type of product). You will have to do research for either option because you should get to know each product reviewer on your list before asking them for a review. You need to make sure it’s a good fit for your audience.

Step 4: Develop your pitch

Keep it short and to the point. In most cases, one short paragraph is all you need. You should identify yourself, identify your product, and ask if you can send them one to try out and review. Keep it personable – remember you are speaking to another person.

Step 5: Execute

You are ready to reach out! Make sure you have product in stock! When contacting each individual on your list, be sure to tailor the pitch to them. Don’t just insert their name and send the same thing to everyone. Mention a review of a similar product, or one that you really liked. Something to show you are genuinely interested in what they have to say.

Once a reviewer has agree to do a review, make sure you provide the information they will need:

  • Relevant links – social, website, product page, etc
  • Pricing info
  • Information on where to get the product
  • Hashtags

Track and share each product review on your social and other digital channels (ie. Set up an “in the media” page on your website).

Step 6: Involve your customers

The last aspect of your product review strategy is your customers! Start a loyalty program or run a contest that allows them to be your brand ambassadors. A happy customer will gladly talk about your product for you.

It takes a little bit of elbow grease, but with work you can make a product review strategy work for you.

Candace Huntly is the Founder and Principal at SongBird Marketing Communications, an award-winning agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making the approach unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

6 mistakes entrepreneurs make when seeking out funding

Praveeni

Entrepreneurs often have many  “great” ideas and rely on funding in the form of a business loan or investors to bring their dreams to light.  Pitching your business and asking for funding can be an intimidating and grueling process. However if successful the payoffs can be huge. Unfortunately many entrepreneurs aren’t successful in securing the funding they require. Here’s a look at 6 mistakes entrepreneurs make when seeking out funding:

  1. Over-valuing their firm or product
    Ok you’ve got an idea- that’s great, but how much is it worth? If it’s your idea it’s probably priceless to you but how much is your business really worth? People tend to over-value their business in hopes of securing a greater investment but that very often fails. Take an objective stance when valuing your business – look at how much you’ve done in sales, your costs and how much revenue you’re really brining in. Remember sales do not denote firm value. Don’t forget to factor in your production, operational and carrying costs.
  1. Presentation & pitch is too long
    Your elevator pitch and investor presentation should be short and informative. Keep your presentation under 10 slides and make your slides concise with 3-5 points per slide. Your elevator pitch should be about a minute long at most. If you can’t summarize your business in under a minute you may need to spend more time understanding your business. No one wants to be stuck listening to a 20 slide presentation.
  1. No concept of market size
    Whenever you offer a product or service you must be aware of how large or small its market is. Whether it’s a nice or mass market item, every product/service has a market. It’s up to you as an entrepreneur to research your market and determine who your target audience is and how much of a market share you would like to capture. Remember 100% market share isn’t always a viable or profitable goal. Be realistic in your market share goals and understand the size of your market.
  1. No professional business plan

A well written, factually correct business plan can garner you the funding you               require. It’s important not to skimp on your business plan. Don’t rush it, take time     to understand the risks, opportunities and profitability of your idea. Make sure you     comprehend your product and what it will take to bring your idea to market.  Many     people overlook the financial aspect of a business plan. Projections can be                     intimidating so seek out professional help if you require it, never assume always ask.

  1. Inability to explain what problem their product solves
    Ok so you’ve got an idea – great! How can it help me? What problem will it solve? Many times entrepreneurs are unable to explain exactly how their product is useful to consumers. This can be off-putting to investors as they think – if a person can’t even explain their own product then how can they sell it? You must fully understand your product or service and how it benefits consumers. Be prepared to answer questions about your own product and your competitor’s offerings as well. The more informed you are the better.
  1. No flexibility
    When asking for funding you need to be flexible. Remember you’re asking someone else to put their trust and money in you and your business. You may not always get the offer you prefer and in some cases may have to counter offer as well. It’s good to be prepared with at least 3 different counter offers when pitching to investors. You should also be open to different kinds of offers. This doesn’t mean give away your whole company for free but listen to what they have to say and run the numbers before you decide to accept, counter or decline. Most importantly be realistic – have a realistic valuation and seek out the appropriate amount for the share you’re offering.

 

Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world.  She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.

What to do if the Media Aren’t Interested In Your Story

CHuntly

You have developed your campaign, put the work in to build your launch story (and your perfect pitch!), and you have actively been pitching and following up with the media with your beautifully written media release. Unfortunately, you are sitting and waiting in silence. You can’t seem to get any media interested in the story you have to offer.

There are a few reasons why the media might not be interested in what you have to say:

  1. You targeted the wrong media. Do your research to make sure they cover stories like yours.
  2. There is no relevant connection to an overarching newsworthy storyline (ie. Current events, pop culture, etc.)
  3. You didn’t give the media enough time before your launch or event. They need to have time to put together the story before it’s past.
  4. Bigger news came up. Do your research to make sure there isn’t a major event happening. However, it’s impossible to predict when the latest scandal or huge news story will break!
  5. Your pitch was too long.
  6. Your subject line wasn’t attention-grabbing.

Maybe you have done everything right. From a media perspective, sometimes they get hundreds of pitches every day, so despite how hard you try, your email or Twitter pitch may just get lost in the shuffle.

Here are three ways you can get creative with your outreach strategy to build buzz if you need can’t seem to get through to the media:

  1. Build a strong content strategy. If you have built a great brand story for yourself or your business, you should also be putting out great content on all of your marketing channels – your website, social media, blog, e-newsletter, etc. You have to make sure you are putting out great content on a regular basis. That means setting up a schedule for posting and keeping up with it so your audience expects it from you and they can engage with you. Sometimes a strong content strategy will actually put you on the radar with media who often look for story ideas online.
  2. Become a guest contributor. Try connecting with publications, industry-related blogs, and blogs of associations you are part of. They are often looking for great content, and this is a fantastic way for you to get your name out there and showcase your expertise.
  3. Be active on social media to grow your community and brand awareness. Social media is all about relationship building and empowering others to talk about your brand. Keep it social and go on at least once per day.

The key is that you shouldn’t give up on generating buzz about your brand just because you can’t get media coverage. Media coverage is a great goal, but there are so many other ways for you to get your brand out there that shouldn’t be ignored.

Candace Huntly is the Founder and Principal at SongBird Marketing Communications, an agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making it unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

Creating the Perfect Pitch

CHuntly

A pitch is when you reach out to a media or influencer target to share your story with the hope that they will want to write about it or share your story in some way. The media receives hundreds of pitch emails every day. You need to find a way to stand out among the clutter. If you don’t, your email will quickly be moved to the trash.

What it really boils down to is that you need to be able to connect with another human being in such a way that they will want to hear more about what it is you are pitching. It is about building relationships. When you pitch the media, don’t think of it as a “one-and-done” strategy. Think of it as a long-term strategy where you make an impression and then you can keep the conversation going while you get more acquainted with your media target.

Here are a few things to consider to help you put together a great pitch that will get you noticed:

  1. Be selective with who you pitch. Your story won’t appeal to everyone. If your business is about beauty products, you likely wouldn’t pitch a sports reporter. While that is an extreme example, you do need to get to know the people on your media list. Look at what types of articles they write and what topics they cover. The goal is to tie it in with something they are interested in already. If that means cutting your media list in half, then do it. It’s better to have a highly targeted list where you have more chance of getting coverage than if you waste time pitching someone who would never cover your story.
  2. Personalize your pitch. Once you have your targeted list, take the time to personalize it by talking about how it fits within their overall topical focus. Reference articles they have written in the past. This will take extra time, but it will make a better impression on your media targets because it shows that you have thought about what you are writing rather than just sending a form letter.
  3. Remember that it’s not about you, it’s about the story. New companies and products come around every day – it’s not news to the media. You need to find a way to make your news stand out. Think about how your news fits into a broader storyline. That is what you want to focus on.
  4. Include a call-to-action – and don’t beat around the bush. Your pitch shouldn’t be too long. Keep it to a few short paragraphs. That means that you have to get to the point. Tell them why what you have to say is relevant. Tell them what you have to say. Tell them what you want from them. Make it easy for them to say yes by being clear and upfront about what you want.
  5. Don’t be annoying. We have all fallen into the “well, they didn’t answer, so I am just going to call again” trap. Often, if you are calling a reporter, they may say they prefer email on their voicemail. Or perhaps they have had a busy day and just didn’t get to it during that day. Give your pitch time to breathe before following up. Wait two days and try again. There will come a point that if they don’t respond to you, they likely just aren’t interested. Don’t take it personally, just move on.

Writing a pitch seems like an easy thing, but don’t get discouraged if you don’t nail it right away. It takes some getting used to. Give me a call if you need to bounce ideas around!

Candace Huntly is the Founder and Principal at SongBird Marketing Communications, an agency working to take organizational and individual brands to the next level. With a passion for all things related to creativity and strategy, she specializes in business intelligence, marketing & branding, content strategy & development, media & influencer relations, and social media. Basically, if you need to put your brand, product, or cause in the public eye, she will find a way to do it, while making it unique to you.

Connect with Candace

Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/email/Website

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