Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, whether they’re an individual, a business, or a celebrity. No one is perfect, especially when it comes to public relations. Usually an individual or company has to hire a PR firm for cleanup purposes, but what happens when the PR firm itself doesn’t come through?
It happens more often than you would think. According to an article in The Guardian, even seasoned PR veterans occasionally slip up when crafting press or publicity campaigns.
Here are a few things small business owners should keep an eye out for when crafting campaigns:
Stay in Focus
Much like a beginning journalist or writer may be at the start of his or her career, sometimes press releases don’t have a key focus. The release or the story rambles on without getting to the point. How will a seasoned professional look at this? Instead of calling the PR firm to ask questions about the subject at hand, they might just throw the release away or not act on it because they are not sure of the focus.
If you are introducing a new product, discuss chiefly the product. If you are bringing in a special guest for a gathering, write about the guest and why he or she is important to the story at hand. The quicker you get to the point, the better off you will be.
Keep Your Content Valuable
The importance of PR can’t be stressed enough when it comes to talking about your event or subject. If your release is about a meaningless topic, chances are it will end up in the recycling bin. Have a hook. You need something to grab the reader. If a popular business is opening a new location, mention how customers will have a new place to go when the business expands. If this business is in a shopping center, maybe talk about the center itself as a second focus. If a customer is going to the business anyway, maybe there are other places to go in the shopping center where they can make a day of it.
Don’t write too many releases. Save your ammunition for the important things. PR veterans should always tell customers this. A few well-written releases every three or four months will go a longer way than a release every three or four days on a meaningless topic.
Don’t Give Spoilers
You know how a well-written movie trailer or a preview for a TV show doesn’t spoil everything? Of course it doesn’t. You want to draw the viewer to your show or film. The same thing applies to a public relations campaign. If you want to keep part of your campaign a mystery, by all means do so, but craft the mystery in such a way that it lures the reader to want to inquire.
Reserve a few important facts from being included in your press release. If everything is explained fully in the release, you won’t get as effective publicity. If there is something missing, then the media has to call you for more details or explanation, increasing your sway and influence. Have your answers ready. Questions that elicit eloquent answers will go a long way toward establishing credibility with your subject.
PR mistakes are easy to avoid when you follow a few of these tips and have a well-rehearsed battle plan ready to go. Write something professional and wait for the media to beat a path to your door.
This article was contributed on behalf of Bayou City PR, your number one choice when looking for reputable PR Agencies in Houston. Check out their website today and see how they can help you!
