Part 7 of Brianlinton.com’s Series for Entrepreneurial Success | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 |
I’ve been excited to write this segment on Public Relations for a while, and now that I am writing it I realize that covering PR in just one article will not suffice, so don’t expect to find all the answers here. This article, however, will touch on some of the reasons you should always seek great PR and some of the ways to get it. For me, seeking and getting PR is one of the most exciting parts of being an entrepreneur.
5 Reasons You Should Seek Great PR
1. PR is a cost effective way to build your company’s credibility and increase sales.
2. Great PR does not cost much money, and most of the time it is free.
3. PR is better than advertising, and more convincing to your customers
4. PR can take a company from a ‘no name’ to a ‘name’ overnight
5. You can target your customers with great PR
5 Ways To Get Great PR
1. Contact the media directly
- As an entrepreneur you have a great story, and there is no shame in asking a media outlet to cover your story. Don’t forget, they have pages to fill and you might be just what they need to fill one.
2. Hire a PR firm
- PR firms may be costly, but if they place you in any large media outlet, it may be money well spent. Don’t, however, jump into hiring a PR firm to work with you until you have given it much thought and decided they can accomplish things that you cannot on your own.
3. Conduct an outlandish marketing and PR stunt
- Whenever you read about a company doing a crazy thing like giving away gas or buying the Liberty Bell, they are not doing these things just for “fun”. If a company gives away $10,000 in gas they expect to receive press coverage that will result in business much greater than the $10,000 they spent. Do a stunt that fits your brand and budget. Currently I am running a $5,555 Sand Shack giveaway on my company’s website www.sandshack.com. Click here for more details on that.
4. Network and attend important social events
- If you don’t put yourself out there and meet lots of people it will be difficult for you to get great PR. By attending important social events you will meet other important people. You may or may not meet somebody that directly leads to a story in the media about you and your company, but the more people that know you, the more likely great PR will come your way.
5. Use online resources to your advantage
- There are plenty of free online resources that you can use to help you get great PR. Most recently I have started to use a service offered by the PR Guru Peter Shankman. His service is called ‘help a reporter out’ (HARO.com). Three times a day he sends out an email with a list of queries he receives from reporters, which you can browse and respond to if one is relevant to you or your business. It is free and can lead to great PR. Also, look into free press release services.
PR is the lifeblood of a young company and an entrepreneur’s existence. Without positive and consistent PR many young companies and their founders fail to distinguish themselves and fade away. Don’t let this happen to you!
If you are new to entrepreneurship I will give you a good starting point. Right now imagine what a newspaper or magazine would write about if they did a story on it. Make a list of things that may interest them. Make sure you have a focus and you know exactly how to describe your business. Now, get up and go to your local newspaper’s office (our University paper). Don’t be shy, approach the editor or business editor and pitch your story to them. If you do this you may just be in next weeks paper.
Getting great PR is a lot easier than you may think.
Thoughts and comments on PR? Let’s discuss them in the comment section.
| Part 1: Have a Great Personal Story | Part 2: Be Serial at a Young Age | Part 3: Blag About Yourself | Part 4: Live What You Sell | Part 5: Be the Nicest Person Your Customers Know | Part 6: Always Ask For Business | Part 7: Always Seek Great PR | Part 8: Get People Talking About You and Your Company | Part 9: Sell Something you are Passionate about and can Easily Get |
