Often we preach about the benefits of SEO and how it can do wonders for our clients, and although all of that is great, introducing a detailed PR plan to certain clients when they no longer fit typical SEO requirements is something many agencies simply ignore. At Beanstalk, we pride ourselves on innovation and creating individualized portfolios to fit all of our client’s needs, which is the reason why we created a standard PR playbook that every company should have. Imagine a world where you no longer have to work as hard to get increasingly better results year over year. A world in which your marketing agency helps your business create a narrative that drives consumer interaction, morale, trust, and sales amongst many other things!

Define Your WHY. Describe Your Goal 

The first step is always critical, and it involves coming up with a definite objective.

• Do you have clear-cut goals for your planned campaign activity?
• Do you wish to reach out to a new group of people in the wider market? 
• Do you wish to grow and increase your product sales? 
• Do you wish to establish and maintain a positive rapport with the general market? 
• Do you wish to inform your audience about a significant shift in the company? 

Conducting a fruitful campaign based on minor achievements such as receiving a community award has never been ruled against by anyone. No one can stand in your way if you choose to do that. However, your story has to be unique and extraordinary to draw the public’s attention. Every story out there has a unique point of view, so you need to look at your story from the general public’s perspective. Why should they be concerned? Why should they remember your brand or company? Why should anyone care?

For instance, if your company won the “Best Design Studio in Calgary” award, you need to see what aspect of this award relates to your clients. What part of it triggers actionable emotions in the consumer? 

An appropriate editorial line piques someone’s interest and makes them want to know more about the subject. For example, “Only 5 Months After Opening, We Won The Most Creative Design Studio in Calgary, Thumping Out the Big-Names.”

Once you have settled on a goal, break it down. 

• Which department do you want to enhance growth? 
• Which product do you wish to see an increase in sales? 
• What sentiments do you wish your company and brand could trigger? 
• What is your budget? 
• What is the deadline? 
• What would you like your company to be recognized for after the campaign? 

By breaking it all down, you give yourself space and a specific gauge to evaluate your progress by sketching up a campaign blueprint.

Understand Your Target Audience

Identify the people you would like to receive and resonate with your Public Relations message before choosing how you will deliver it. Do not rush; instead, take time to properly research and know the clients that you would like to target with the campaign. Understand their characteristics and learn how different campaigns impact them. If your target is families, your best bet will be to develop a creative family-themed campaign that connects with them as a family unit and passes a message that centers on the family. In this case, the company should paint itself as being sincerely concerned about the family and about how the product affects the family members. 

Select Appropriate Channels

When choosing the most appropriate channel to pass your PR message, you need to consider your target customers. Do they watch TV more than they listen to the Radio? Do they access information online or do they prefer reading hard copy publications such as newspapers? What is their reception to press releases and/or news conferences? Once you have this information, you will be well-armed when choosing the appropriate channel to use for communicating your message. 

Make An Outstanding Press Release

If you need the media outlets to assist you, then you must put in the work and attract them. How do you achieve this? By releasing a press release that will be beneficial to their audience. For instance, if you write your press release similar to an advertisement titled “Our New Designs Will be Out Next Week” it will not do much to catch a journalist’s attention. But suppose you write content with a news perspective such as “Local Studio Matches Up To The Designs Of World Renown Firms” In this case, there is a big distinction between the two titles. The latter means the local town or community may be put in the spotlight as a result of the achievement of the local studio and so the media outlets may show interest in working with you or passing your message along through the appropriate channels. Write a mind-blowing story that will be unforgettable and include relevant, pertinent lines from industry and thought leaders and any other information a reporter may need to run the story and make a success out of it. 

Create An Outreach List

1. Develop an outreach list that is composed of highly ranked media sources keen on featuring the PR content. Filter the list and remove any inappropriate or invalid sources. 
2. Research and document valid and accurate contact details for every source on the outreach list.
3. Start on the outreach program once the list has been developed. Follow the unique company guidelines of the PR campaign when you make contact.  

Implement Outreach

Reach out to media outlets as well as other relevant sites in your industry with your newsworthy content. Some local Radio and TV stations would be glad to feature your story if they perceive it as informational value to their audience—conduct thorough research on the media firms to establish if your industry affects their flow of news. You can do this by visiting their websites or social media accounts. Media outlets are not bothered about your business. They are not interested in your innovative Asian-themed park. However, they will be overly interested in your intriguing story told under the title of “Outdoor Parks Are No Longer What They Used To Be And This New Asian-themed Park Aims To Restore Outdoor Memories”. 

Relationship-Building

Maintain a contact list and follow up on the relevant contacts during and even after your campaign. This activity is a long-term strategy, and this is the first step to create and maintain professional and friendly ties with journalists and other people relevant to your industry. Identify names of reporters, especially those in your industry and locality. Keep in contact with journalists who write more about your industry and build a relationship with them. You can reach out to them through phone, email, or even through their social media handles. The importance of doing this is that the next time you run a campaign, you will have people waiting to run your campaign and pass your message across their outlets. 

To maximize the effect and reach of your story once it has been picked up and covered by media outlets, you can:

• Check if the media outlets have shared the news or link on their social media accounts. If they have not, contact them and request them to share your story. Imagine that you are featured on CNN. If they shared your story on their Twitter handle, a large percentage of their 53.8M followers are likely to get to know you. It is always worth asking. 
• Publish a post on your website about the press release and create links to share.
• Distribute the story on all your social media accounts to build links.

With so many Public Relations campaigns being executed daily, you must stand out and capture the market’s attention. Your brand must reach a larger audience, remain relevant, and cultivate meaningful connections while improving your firm’s overall performance.

A Public Relations strategy that uses sustainable and efficient approaches will not only fulfill your company’s marketing objectives but also help you retain a profitable brand. Determine the best PR strategy for your company and put it into action. Remember that the fundamentals of having an effective and profitable public relations campaign include being newsworthy, being creative, and expressing a clear marketing message.