5 Steps for a Killer Public Relations Plan

How many of you haphazardly send out news releases? Do you just send them out on a whim? Well, you should consider a little planning and organization as well as taking a consistent approach. Here are a few steps that will help you develop a stellar media plan.

Step 1: Define your objectives and goals. What do you want to accomplish? If you don't set goals and objectives then you can never measure your success or lack thereof. So, it is very important to establish at least one objective. Here are a few suggestions:

• Establish yourself as a resident expert in your field.
• Generate prospects or sales leads
• Crisis management
• Create or maintain a positive corporate image
• Introduce a new product or service to the marketplace
• Create a branding message

Step 2: Define your target audience. Who do you want to reach? Be specific. Include psychographics, if possible, not just demographics of the population you want to reach. Narrow and niche your target to the nth degree. The more clearly you can define your marketplace the more successful you'll be.

Step 3: Develop a timeline for your plan. Don't just haphazardly send out a press release. Time the press release to coincide with a trade show, a product launch, or some other event. For example, a sports company that specialized in soccer items put out a press release during the World Cup. They received many more responses than they would have if they had scheduled the release at any other time of the year.

Step 4: Determine what type of media you want to use. In addition to the traditional news release, you have the option to send news releases online even to social media sites and blogs. Here are a few suggestions for other types of media:

• Feature articles or customer written articles
• Press Conferences or press tours
• Seminars or other speaking engagements
• Event sponsorships
• Interviews with top management

Step 5: Track the results of your plan. Did you increase sales? Did you increase the number of inquiries? Can you measure the perception of your audience? Review the current plan and tweak it based on your feedback.

The Feature Article: How To Get Yours Published

Many companies today are relying heavily on publicity to promote their companies and their products. But, there is more to public relations that just sending out a news release. Have you considered writing a feature article and pitching it to one of your trade magazines? Here are a few tips to help you write a great interesting article.

• Spend some time writing your article. Don't just slap something together and turn it in to the editor. This isn't a homework assignment. Do some research. Make sure your intended message is clear in the article but don't be self-promoting. Since you've worked hard at pitching the editor on your article, don't disappoint him/her.

• Try to write something that either educates the audience or entertains the audience. Your core message should be stated in the introductory paragraph. Feature stories generally range from 2,000 to 3,000 words so you don't want your message lost throughout the story. Four key parts of your feature article should be included: 1) quotes from people who are willing to be named in the article; 2) concrete examples of what your product actually does; 3) words that paint a descriptive mental picture; and, 4) information that is presented in a pleasing, interesting way.

• You can write an application story, that is, one that helps demonstrate how your product works. Or, perhaps you want to focus on the human side of the company by writing about a charity that the employees work for. Sometimes a historical perspective is a good feature article if the company is celebrating a major milestone. And, of course, case studies that describe a problem and offer a solution are also viable.

In any event, writing a feature article is another great way to get your message out to your public. So, take some time and think about what you want to say.

How to Pitch a Story Idea

We all know, or should know, the value of public relations in promoting our company. But, the task can be daunting with over 6,000 magazines from which to choose. How does a company pitch an idea to an editor? Following are some tips that you can use right away:

Tip No. 1: Narrow down the number of journals you select. Start out by looking at the journals that come across your desk. What journals are your audience reading? There are several resources for you to review, such as Bacon's, which is the bible of the public relations industry. They have thousands of magazines and newsletters categorized by business and industry. So, start there to obtain a list of appropriate journals.

Tip No. 2: Know the magazine and know it well. There's nothing more offensive to an editor than calling to pitch an idea about a topic that isn't of interest to the magazine's audience. Also know the various sections/departments of the magazine. You should be able to target your feature article for a particular section of the journal.

Tip No. 3: Know the editors' preferred method of communication. In the past, most editors preferred a phone call or a paper press release. However, now with the advent of e-mail, many editors would prefer to be contacted electronically. If you're new to the p.r. game, always call and ask the preferred method. I actually have sent out surveys to a group of editors, whom I have worked with regularly to get the names, addresses, e-mails, phone numbers, and preferred method of communication. Most of the editors have responded positively to this correspondence but only if they know me and my clients well. I've even asked them to add additional editors, if necessary, for the various departments.

Tip No. 4: When pitching a story, try to focus on one idea. Only if the editor asks for other angles, should you push several other ideas. Don't use superlatives when pitching a story. Most editors want to know the facts. For example, how much savings an item has over the competition rather than just "a large amount of savings".

Tip No. 5: Never submit the same story idea to more than one competing magazine at a time. Only if the idea is rejected should you approach another editor. Most editors like exclusivity. They don't want to republish something that has already been out there. In other words, they want the scoop.

So, it's not that difficult to develop rapport with an editor. Produce results, follow their preferences, and respect their time will allow you to pitch a story very effectively.

On-Line Advertising: Is it Right for My Company?

Do you sometimes feel like you're on the road to nowhere trying to decipher online advertising opportunities? Well, you're not alone. With all of the social media marketing, banner ads, rich media ads, article sites, ad words, blogs, podcasts, gaming, etc. etc. etc., it can be a daunting task to sort through the maze of available online advertising opportunities.

• What exactly is online advertising? According to Wikipedia, "online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web for the express purpose of delivering marketing messages to attract customers". Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, rich media ads, social network ads, online classified advertising, advertising networks, and e-mail marketing such as e-newsletters, just to name a few. And who knows what the future holds.

• What are the advantages of online advertising vs. print advertising? Your prospects have to wait until the journal is printed and "hits the street" for a print ad to be viewed. You usually have to provide the publisher your artwork files at least 30 days in advance. Whereas an online ad may take only a few days or hours to produce and it is up and running immediately and available for prospects to click on and view your offering.

• What about social media marketing? Does it work? Well the jury is still out on that regarding how it can be used to make money for a company. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (Monday, August 3, 2009, Theory & Practice by Sarah E. Needleman, For Companies, a Tweet in Time Can Avert PR Mess) recently, many of the larger companies are using it for crisis management from a public relations standpoint. They can more easily detect if there are any negative comments floating around about their companies. Twitter, for example, has been used by Coke and PepsiCo to handle public relations issues, according to the article. This media helps them to become aware of an issue quickly and to address it immediately, thereby preventing an actual crisis.

My advice to my clients is to take the plunge and dive into online advertising. You can start slowly by initiating an e-newsletter. Also open a Twitter account. You can easily hire a marketing and advertising firm to help you with your online advertising if you're not yet comfortable with this technology. The more you use it the more comfortable you'll get.