Public relations

This is the type of public relations that every business owner should strive for. First of all, let's analyze the true meaning of public relations. The Webster dictionary defines public relations as"Communication with various sectors of the public to influence their attitudes and opinions in the interest of promoting a person, product, or idea." Sounds easy enough, right? Well, if that's the case then why do so many companies struggle with implementing effective PR campaigns?

1. Create several creative story pitches. The way to get into the hearts and minds of the media is through a great story pitch. Shamelessly promoting your business or its products is not going to do you much good.Not only that, but editors may classify you as that annoying self-promoter that won't stop pitching their product line, and then refer you to the advertising department. When developing story pitches you should ask yourself the following questions:


What makes this story different from the hundreds of other stories being submitted? Will this benefit readers financially, professionally,emotionally, or even spiritually in any way? Is this really entertaining or fun to read? If the answer to any of these questions is "No", then it is time to adjust your story until the answer is "Yes".

2. Match your target audience with the right media channels. If your company's main customer base is women in their 30s, then you probably don't want to focus on media channels that target a demographic of men intheir 50s. Really understanding your target audience will help you in thenext step of your PR plan - targeting the right media channels.

Even if you were to get exposure in these "A List" publications, itdoesn't necessarily mean that you will get the same results than if youhad a write-up in a more targeted publication that focuses specificallyon Human Resource issues.

After getting your initial list of potential media targets together, rateeach one on how good it fits with your target markets, and go after theones that fit best first, regardless of the circulation or popularity ofthe source.