Public relations is a skill. There’s an art to doing it well and I’ve found that many entrepreneurs haven’t a clue what PR is or why it’s important as you grow in your business. I’m here to teach you how to master public relations as an entrepreneur.
I started my career at a public relations and marketing firm here in Nashville, TN. It was always my dream to work in PR. I did all my college internships in PR, was on the executive board of or college PRSSA chapter, I joined the Nashville PRSA Chapter where I also led the annual awards gala and sat on the board, I won a prestigious award in my first couple years out of school as an upcoming leader in the industry… let’s just say I was ALL IN. I dove into consuming all the knowledge I could about how to be a PR Rockstar. I took every opportunity to learn from the leaders in my company and was given some pretty big projects to work on that led me to incredible opportunities. Yes, I am tooting my own horn a little bit here, but I did become great at getting my clients coverage and truly feel like I learned some key skills that are truly learned from being in the industry and gaining experience.
I highly recommend hiring someone who’s skilled in this area to create and execute a PR strategy for you, but if you want to take this on by yourself, I have some tips!
1. Start Local
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they wanted me to get them on GMA or in Forbes, I could retire already. You have to realize that the media receive hundreds of pitches every single day and everything thinks they are the next big thing worth covering. But to be totally honest with you, you’re not likely THAT cool. Unless you have somehow gone viral or achieved something literally no one has done before that impacts someone(s) else, your story is probably not national news.
2. Research
I cannot stress this enough. Research the publications you want to pitch and research the reporters at each publication. Nothing will get your pitch trashed faster than mass emailing to every reporter at the media outlet. Take the time to do your research. Local business journals are a great place to start as they typically have an entrepreneur focus and want to highlight the community. Not all publications are the same. Check their website to see what types of content they cover, and always look at their media kit and editorial contents (usually they have these up on their website). You want to make sure that your “story” that you’re pitching is a fit for that publication as something they typically cover. If you take the time to do this research early you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the long run and potentially embarrassment and frustration.
3. Build relationships
I always try to create relationships with the reporters I pitch. I want them to know that I value their time in reviewing my pitch and/or covering my story. They’re busy. They have 101 stories to research and write, so make their job as easy as possible. I think this goes without saying but be polite in all communication. I find that when you make it easy for a reporter to get the info they need and deliver them value, they continue to come back to you as a reputable source in the future.
4. Write concise, value focused pitches
Before you even decide to send a pitch out, I need you to really ask yourself if what you’re about to send is valuable. I like to recommend asking the “so what” question. When you write your pitch ask yourself, SO WHAT? Essentially it means, why should they care. Did you let them know WHY what you’re sharing is important and why they should care? How does it impact them, or the local community or a specific industry, etc.? It should provide them and/or others by sharing this information with others. Do you have a one-of-a-kind product or service? Are you changing the world in the way you work? Have you achieved notable success? Then, make sure your pitch is straight to the point. Always lead with your strongest line and then you can fill in with a little background info, but for the most part you don’t want a long post or they will literally trash it.
5. Follow up
You may have heard the saying that the money is in the follow up, and the same is true with your pitches. You have to follow up. At least once or twice via email and once via phone. Give it a few days after you send your initial pitch to follow up, but make sure you do it! More times than not people forget or meant to get back to you but something else came up.
One last bonus tip – stay away from the “pay to play” type of content. If it’s true PR you won’t have to pay for coverage – if you do, that’s not PR anymore, that’s sponsored content or an advertisement. Not saying all of those options are “bad” but if you’re trying to truly get PR, you should not have to pay the publication to get it.
I hope these tips have been helpful!! Please let me know what questions you have, or any other questions that come up! I know they will help you obtain some great coverage for you/your business!
Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.
After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.
Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.
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