If you’re a small business owner, you can take care of the PR of your company by putting together a powerful pitch and by showing it to the right people. Creating buzz in your area of activity is a matter of being genuine and useful. If you can afford the time and effort investment, you can do your PR yourself and save a good amount of money along the way.
- Tell people the story of your brand
Storytelling can space the way people see your business and your brand. It can also help you earn trust from consumers or potential business partners. Some of the best stories come your own experience or from your loyal clients. You can share the story of the evolution of your brand, starting with its inception to this day. Your customers can share their experiences with your products or services.
Consider your brand a human persona. Define its personality, making it genuine and interesting. This will make others trust you more. Remember to include details about the reasons for your business to exist, the difference it wants to make in the world, and the ethics that motivate you to stick to your most important brand values. Dare to encourage your customers to share their own stories of how your business helped them solve a problem. Compelling stories have a tremendous impact on the audience. They can set the trend for powerful PR campaigns that would create the emotional bond between your brand and your audience. This will all help you get featured and written about on Forbes and other large magazines.
- Stay on top of your industry news
Always stay informed with everything that relates to your industry or area of activity.
Set up Google Alerts and Twitter Mentions for your most important keywords. Find the top authorities in your industry, subscribe to their newsletters and follow them on social media. Use feed aggregators and special software tools to collect articles on specific topics and have them delivered directly to your inbox.
You have to know as much as possible about your industry. When time will come for you to be in the spotlight, you’ll want to be among the first to know. Being knowledgeable will help you create a positive first impression on others, increasing your chances to meet the right person at the right time.
- Network with the top industry influencers
If you already follow the most important reporters and influencers in your industry, consider taking your efforts to the next level and network with these people. If you take notes on their favorite topics, you’ll know when to reach out to them to build a lucrative relationship.
Put together lists of blogs and news websites these people write for, keep track of their articles, and try to find the best moments to contribute to the conversation by adding your comments. You can engage with these influencers either on their blogs or via Twitter chats.
Such networking efforts will help you build brand awareness for yourself and for your business. However, make sure you stay away from self-promotion, as that’s never a good idea. DIY PR is all about being authentic and helping others.
- Do your research and always be objective
This is in line with the advice to keep up with your industry. You need to find ways to contribute to the conversation, as that’s the best way to position yourself as an expert in your area of activity.
Do your homework prior to attempting any media pitches. Try to identify the most lucrative opportunities, the outlets that would respond well to what you have to say and to your kind of offering. The more you learn before you pitch to a specific outlet, the better.
- Watch your quality before pitching
A poor quality product or service may attract negative reviews that could kill your business at once. Besides, a high-quality product or service has higher chances to attract press articles and news headlines.
Invest time into perfecting your product or service before reaching out to media outlets and influencers. Start by inviting a small group of people to try out your products and to offer you their feedback. Use this insight to improve your offering.
