In today’s 24-hour news cycle, information is available on-demand and the latest headlines can change by the minute. It’s more important than ever to not only have your company or brand mentioned in the press but to have a solid public relations strategy to ensure you’re consistently mentioned or featured by relevant media outlets. At Fort Lauderdale- and Aspen-based marketing and public relations agency, Durée & Company, we know how quickly the news changes. And we know it’s no longer enough to put out a press release or make an announcement about your company once a month. Staying top of mind with your customers and target audience is critical. And it’s becoming more of a challenge as companies and brands around the world are all connected digitally and vying for their customers’ attention.
The solution: an effective public relations strategy. This should maximize every media opportunity and convey a clear and consistent message across all platforms. Read our tips below for developing a public relations strategy, and make sure your company is making the most of its earned and owned media.
1.Create a roll-out plan
Why is this important? When a company has a major announcement or a great community story to tell, all too often a press release is written, uploaded to the wire and sent to media. And that’s it. The news is here today, gone tomorrow. So a roll-out plan with a long-game will help your company maximize its longevity in the news.
This consists of…
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- Building a list of top media targets.
- Calling media to secure interview opportunities that go deeper than your press release or media pitch.
- Weaving your announcement into additional communications channels from your company – website, social media, newsletter, etc.
- Repurposing the media you’ve secured for additional exposure opportunities.
2.Media sequencing
Media sequencing is a simple concept that is frequently skipped in the interest of time. What this essentially boils down to is reaching out to your top media targets first. So if your goal is national coverage, then reach out to national outlets and contacts before reaching out to local or community news sources. This is important because many times a national outlet may opt to skip your story if they see another outlet is already running the news or if it appears as though they were an afterthought in your outreach efforts. So a local or community outlet is more likely to run a story that appeared in a national media outlet than vice versa.
3. Cross-functional outreach
A company announcement or story should not start and end in the public relations department. This information should be conveyed throughout the entire company, from digital and traditional marketing channels to social media and sales. This is your story to tell. If you’re only telling it to the media, you’re skipping your most valuable assets – your customers! Those individuals who have opted-in to receive your emails and company news want to feel like they’re important to your brand. Keep them in the loop so they can see all of the great things you’re doing as a company.
4. Key messaging points
This may seem obvious, but this is probably the most important thing to take note of when building a public relations strategy. As a company, you should always have three ever-green key messaging points. These can be mentioned every time someone from your organization interviews with media. Also, each company spokesperson should have three key messaging points related to the current news you’re pushing out. Why is this important? As a publicist, there’s nothing worse than hearing a client say, “the interview was good, but I didn’t get to talk about any of the things I wanted to mention.” Having key messaging points helps with this.
There is no guarantee what a journalist will include in its coverage or what questions they will ask you. At the end of almost every interview, however, a journalist will ask, “Is there anything else you’d like to add?” This is your chance to tell your story and get those key messaging points on the journalist’s radar. Indicate there are a few important topics the interview didn’t touch on, then weave in your messaging points. Now you’ve increased the likelihood that some, if not all of those points, will be included.
We’ve all heard the saying that all news is good news. But those of us in the public relations industry know that that’s not always true. So, if you do have good news, why not make the most of it? Why not maximize the exposure and attention your company can get from that news? Following these tips and building an easy to follow public relations strategy are just a few of the best practices that we implement at Durée & Company. Want to keep the general public and media buzzing about your brand? Contact us today and let us help you apply these steps to your PR efforts.
About Durée & Company, Inc.
Durée & Company, Inc. is an award-winning, full-service public relations, marketing and special events firm founded in 1999. The firm has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Aspen, Colorado. Durée & Company serves the corporate, agency and nonprofit arenas for local, national and international clients. Services include public relations, social media, marketing, digital marketing, content development, advertising, special events, branding, radio promotions, affiliate marketing and more. Durée & Company clients include well-known names in yachting, business, real estate, hospitality, travel, cannabis and hemp, wellness and CBD, art and culture, fashion, nonprofit organizations, legal and professional services. Durée & Company is a member of PR Boutiques International™ (PRBI), an international network of boutique PR firms. To learn more, call 954-723-9350; go to dureeandcompany.com; or visit its new, specialized cannabis- and CBD-specific site at cannabismarketingpr.com. Join the social conversation and follow Durée & Company on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn at @DureeCoPR.
