Creating Newsworthy Public Relations Pieces
Your business will need to create news that your target
audience will be interested in learning about in order to
most effectively market your company.
In the best of worlds, the media would be after you for news
instead of the other way around. If you want to gain
attention, you will need a compelling storyline that is
better than what your competitors have to offer.
Wouldn’t this be a great world if the media was hounding
you for information rather than the opposite? The
recognition you crave requires newsworthy stories that are
more compelling than that of the competition.
Creating a Story
Story Creation
Web sites like http://www.publicityinsider.com/HallOfFame.
asp is where you begin to learn more about using the Public
Relations Hall of Fame for public communication.
Initiate a Petition Drive
Petition Drives
It is even possible for you to initiate a petition for no
money and www.petitiononline.com/petition.html is one such
outlet that can help you do just that. Just browse through
the website and see what kind of petitions others have
started on the site. Petitions abound in many industries.
This is an awesome concept in PR. Hardly anyone is using
petitions to market their business; this is why it is such
a great tool.
Draw Up a List
While a list may not seem impressive it truly is an awesome
thing and the media positively love them. Year in and year
out they are the most publicised so craft one yourself.
The Most Annoying People is an example of this kind of list
and can be found at AmiAnnoying.com. Lists of this sort
probably play a large part in the explosion of people
columns in newspapers.
Tips
While you may loathe the expense, you may be best served by
hiring a professional to tackle your marketing issues.
Perhaps press releases are not your thing so letting an
outside source handle them may very well be the best idea
because they will be more likely to be able to get results
and increase business. Time constraints are another
possible motivator for letting others tackle tasks you are
not ideally suited for.
If you are intent on drafting your own press release, try
to keep these things in mind when doing so.
Simple is best. You are going to need some kind of angle
on any piece you expect a paper to print. Journalists are
savvy people and they will know precisely where you are
heading with your request. It is natural to think of our
ideas as brilliant and earth shattering, but keep that ego
in check and don’t try to impress that journalist with
your brilliance. Keep it simple.
KIP (keep it positive) Never turn your news into a gossip
column. Saying positive remarks always brings back bigger
rewards. “What goes around comes around.” Try to stay
positive and avoid criticizing, ridiculing or otherwise
embarrassing anyone. Staying positive will reflect well on
your business.
KIR (keep it relevant) The storyline must fit your business;
otherwise it is just a wasted effort to attempt newsworthy
material. When you make a list, think hard about things in
your industry. For example, “10 Top Marketing Mistakes”
someone in the marketing end of the industry no doubt
creates this list. Your story should support your
marketing message.
This is only a small part of creating a storyline and
finding marketing material. There are several public
relation options available to small businesses through a
variety of web sites and business oriented e-books. Take
advantage of all of the information you can inquire and use
some of the suggestions listed. Tell a true story about
your business.
Ken Bidgood is the chief writer for, and editor of
Advertising XP,
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