PR and Free Publicity 

Public Relations is all about generating media interest in a particular person, company or brand that results in media coverage in the form of news reports or articles. Because the material is editorial, rather than paid advertising space, it is normally published free of charge.

PR is not only for large companies with money to burn on champagne-fuelled publicity stunts. In more recent years, smaller companies have found ways to raise their profile through effective public relations without breaking the bank. Here are a few strategies to make PR work for you:

Issue a press release. This is the most direct way to let journalists know good news about your business. Don’t worry about seeming pushy – receiving such material is the bread and butter of many publications.

Write a concise piece of copy, saying what has happened, why, and what the potential significance is. Try to think of an angle on the story that will grab the reader’s attention. Target your piece to a relevant title in your industry area, and it’s obviously better to start with smaller publications than send out material to The Times on day one.

Use your specialism. If your industry is a fairly specialised one where published papers and trade journals are widely used, take advantage of this. Submitting articles to respected industry publications is a good way to get yourself noticed. If you have a company, make sure your company name appears alongside your own. Contributing regularly to a publication could also mean that they turn to you as an authority if quotes are required for other articles in the future.

Do something newsworthy. You don’t have to organise a Bacchanalian publicity stunt with a free bar and celebrity guests to create an event that will get you noticed. Consider convening a debate or conference on a hot industry topic or organising a talk from an interesting industry figure. Invite colleagues, other industry specialists and journalists, and provide refreshments. Make sure your name and logo appear on all publicity material and on banners at the event itself. 

Do something good. Organising a charity event or sponsoring, say, a local football team not only gives opportunities for advertising (for example, on football shirts), but can also create good PR for your brand. Your name is likely to appear in news stories associated with the charity or the people you sponsor, generating positive ideas about your business in your target audience.

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• Made Simple Group