Straight Up PR Managing Director and Founder, Hannah O’Donnell, has spoken to online publications She Does This and The Start Up Growth this month, sharing her tips nail PR in 2019 and how to successfully get placements within the media.
The PR industry is always evolving, from traditional Media such as print magazines and TV, to Podcasts and the implementation of social media strategies due to the growth of Influencers.
Knowing what to do is tricky, and might be overwhelming for some. It’s important to always bring your PR approach and strategy back to basics and think strongly about what’s important to your business and consolidate what your ‘why’ is.
She Does This: Nailing PR in 2019
1. Build your offline community: Get away from your phone and build your tribe in person – 2019 is all about creating genuine connections and not just ‘liking’ or ‘following’ someone on social media. What you learn from other people is invaluable, so it’s important to get out from behind your emails and meet in real life. You never know what opportunities could come from it. Make it your goal for 2019 to organise a catch up with someone different once a month, and let the opportunities and ideas flow
2. Your greatest growth will come from your greatest fear: Embrace networking, speaking and profile opportunities – they don’t say business is all about the hustle for no reason. Putting yourself out there will open you up for many new prospects, and you’ll build your confidence simultaneously
3. Engage with micro influencers: engaging with micro Influencers in 2019 can help you build your brand and business. These generally range from 2-20k followers and are really key due to their tight, yet engaged audience. Establish great partnerships with those who are Influencers in the industry you’re in, and build a mutually beneficial relationship
4. Get amongst your industry: keep up to date with your industry and get involved – whether that be through online communities like ZOII for the health and wellness industry OR Social Diary for brands and the PR and media industries, it’s important to keep your finger on the pulse with all the industry news.
5. Know your WHY: once you’re clear on what your product, service, brand, or campaign is here to do and how you want to communicate it, then get on board with a PR agency who can help you to generate awareness in a positive way through Media, Influencers and Brand Collaborations (to name only a few key PR tactics). When picking an agency, ensure that they’re fully on board with your brand and vision. Do lots of research, don’t be afraid to ask around for testimonials and organise phone or face to face catch ups. It’s key to work with an agency who lives and breathes the industry you’re in and is the right fit for your business.
To check out more: https://www.shedoesthis.com/blog/hannah-o-donnell-pr-tips
The Start Up Growth: Expert Round-Up: How Do You Get Placements in the Media
Along with other PR experts, Hannah shared her key insights into how to successfully get placements within the media.
1. Know who you are contacting: pull together your wish list of media publications where you would like to appear, find the editors contact details and reach out and ask them if they would like to grab a tea (or coffee – whatever your drink of choice is). It’s important to get to know the media you want to work with and create rapport.
2. Know the publication you are pitching to: it pays to buy and read a copy of the publication you want to appear in, or make sure you’ve checked out the TV show, website, and listened to the radio show or podcast you would like to be on. Then when you pitch your story, understand who the audience is that will be consuming your news (so who you are talking to) ensuring that it’s highly relevant for them and your pitch is targeted – no one wants to receive a generic pitch that’s been forwarded to the world.
3. Don’t limit yourself to just traditional media: consider influencers on social media who would be relevant and able to share your message and news. If you have a product, then gift it to your top tier influencers who you would like to work with. Just make sure you reach out to them directly and find out first if it’s of interest before sending them a product. These people get a lot of goods, but the authentic influencers will only post if they feel like the product reflects their values and they are genuinely interested in it. Some will also request to be paid for a post – so keep this in mind and allow budget for this.
To check out the full story: https://thestartupgrowth.com/2019/01/20/expert-round-up-how-do-you-get-placements-with-media/