One PR Tactic that Generated. 15,000 for a Client

Transcription

1 One PR Tactic that Generated Introduction 15,000 for a Client At the end of the day results are what counts from a PR perspective that means results that satisfy your objectives. In many cases that will mean raising awareness and contributing to generating sales. That's where this case study fits in. It gives you the step-by-step guide to PR carried out that secured coverage for a client. That coverage resulted in several leads and one piece of business worth 15k. What's presented isn't complex and doesn't involve tools only known, and used, by PR professionals in the know. Everything presented here is accessible to you. It's not so much about tools but about a planned approach and being laser targeted rather than broad brush. Here's the coverage that was achieved, you can read the full piece online at: And, over the page is a screenshot coverage appeared online and also in the publication itself. One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 1 of 10

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3 Background the news story First, here's an outline of the news story. Lilach Bullock is an entrepreneur who was running a social media marketing agency called Socialable (for information, Lilach is now running another social media agency). I've known her for many years and have provided services to both her current and previous businesses as well as her clients. In 2013, Lilach was named as one of the top social media influencers by the US Forbes magazine. Forbes produces lists regularly, covering different sectors. Making it onto any of their lists is a significant achievement and a great opportunity for some PR. While this is an obvious opportunity for a news announcement, the PR approach set out here is just as relevant for other types of news. But, it has to be said, whether you have an obvious news announcement or you need to find a 'hook' i.e. reason for your news story, the key lies in identifying your news i.e. 'the story' and then in packaging it in the right way for the right journalists. So, what follows is the step-by-step approach I took to get that news story into the right hands. One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 3 of 10

4 Targeting For this news announcement I approached a small number of journalists. Why? Because after research I believed a handful would be most interested in this type of news story. How did I decide on those to approach? First, I spliced and diced the news story. It's all too tempting with a news story to write a single press release and then to issue it to as many contacts as possible in the hope that something will stick. In fact, the reverse is the best approach. It's much better to focus on a handful of journalists and to tailor your story to make it as interesting and relevant as possible for their audiences. So, for any single news story I'd look at 'splicing and dicing' the story to explore the possible angles and how a tailored version of the news story might appeal. For this news story, the different opportunities included: Local - local woman achieves US accolade Regional business businesswoman recognised by US London the business address for the company is in London so there is an angle there, London businesswoman takes top spot Small business small business receives US national recognition Jewish press and media as Lilach is Jewish then there was an opportunity here too i.e. Jewish entrepreneur receives top accolade. Splicing and dicing depends on the time and resources you have. Here, I'm going to focus on the approach to the Jewish press because that is what generated the 15k of business for her. One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 4 of 10

5 Doing the research The research to find out who to contact is usually a significant part of the work in getting coverage. In fact, in this case I was already in contact with the key journalist regarding a story for another client. But, if that hadn't been the case then I would have used a combination of resources including search engine to find the right outlet/journalist. Search engines can help to identify the websites and publications that narrow in on specific topics as well as journalists reporting on particular issues. Journalisted.com is a useful resource that helps give you an overview of what your key journalists are writing about. It allows you to search articles published on UK national newspaper websites and BBC News you can search by journalist, news outlet, subject and key word. PR Max is a media database. I subscribe to it but it does offer a free trial as well as a one month subscription option. Depending on your news story there are also many other resources you can use to identify press and media to target. It's important not to get carried away with collecting masses of names but rather do the research to find the few you believe would be most interested in your news story. In essence your research needs to help you: find the particular websites/programmes/publications so you can study them to get a good feel for how and what they report become familiar with what your target journalist, in particular, reports on and is interested in One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 5 of 10

6 identify where your target journalists 'hang out' if they use social networks then you need to know that and look at how it might aid you in engaging with them. Writing the press release the key elements The press release drafted for this news story, to target the Jewish press and media, is pasted below. You'll see that the headline is tailored to capture interest as early as possible. Top Forbes Listings for Business Woman Lilach Bullock, a member of Radlett & Bushey Reform Synagogue, is celebrating in style after being featured in two Forbes.com listings: The annual listings were compiled after assessing which social media experts have the strongest and most active followings, highlighting the real power influencers. Forbes.com is the website for Forbes, the well-known American business magazine which The Top 20 Women Social Media Power Influencers 2013; and The Top 50 Social Media Influencers features articles on finance, industry, investing and marketing topics as well as related subjects. It is known for regularly featuring lists, including One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 6 of 10

7 those of powerful and influential people. Forbes describes The Top 50 Social Media Influencers 2013 list as 'skewed towards self-starters who have made social media their business, or who are advising on how to make social media your business.' Speaking about the achievement, Lilach Bullock, said: Forbes is a huge name and I'm absolutely delighted, and honoured, to be in such good company on these lists. I help businesses open up the social media opportunities available to them and that work is incredibly rewarding but it's great too to receive such prominent recognition. Social media can feel daunting, and overwhelming too, but you have to keep at it and that is exactly what I have done. Lilach Bullock runs Socialable a social media consultancy based in London which helps businesses plan and execute social media strategies to generate profile, build connections and drive website traffic. Ends For more information, please contact: Debbie Leven (mobile) debbie@prcoach.co.uk Notes to editors: 1. Lilach Bullock has profile on a number of social media channels, including: One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 7 of 10

8 LinkedIn: Google +: Her website can be found at: 2. Lilach Bullock is listed at number 30 in The Top 50 Social Media Influencers 2013 and 14 in The Top 20 Women Social Media Power Influencers Criteria for selecting the top social media influencers is available online in the two listings: The Top 20 Women Social Media Power Influencers 2013; The Top 50 Social Media Influencers Approaching the journalist Although I had been in touch with the journalist about another story I sent them an pitch for this particular news announcement. The aim of the and the press release was to get the journalist interested enough to contact me for more information, which is what they did. The approach used to highlight this news story to the journalist is pasted overleaf. One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 8 of 10

9 For the subject line of the I used: Forbes listing for Lilach, member of Radlett & Bushey Reform Synagogue The then described the story in a single line, as follows: Sandy, thought you might be interested in the following news story Lilach Bullock making it onto two Forbes listings for social media influencers. Do let me know if you would like a photo or a chat with Lilach. Thanks. Debbie Handling the media interview on message Getting journalists interested is just part of the equation. While an interview is more valuable than the journalist just writing a story based on the press release, it can provide more scope for undermining your story if you don't get your points across. You cannot directly control what the journalist reports but you can give yourself a good chance of getting your messages across by preparing in advance for the interview. That preparation requires defining and testing your key messages, working out and preparing answers to the most obvious, and the most challenging, questions and coming up with examples to support your points. And, that is exactly how I helped Lilach prepare for her interview. So, don t forget about your interview preparation. One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 9 of 10

10 Summary This particular PR activity took a single news story and focused on a specific angle, and the right journalist, to maximise the chance of the story being featured. The key is to put yourself in the mind of the journalist and to package your news as effectively as possible to give them what they want. You do not need to target masses of journalists. In fact, if you do then it's likely that you will end up watering down your story and making it generic to give it broad appeal. Broad appeal is no appeal. Even though a targeted approach may mean several versions of your press release to target different types of press and media, your results will be much better you will appeal to journalists and your story has a much better chance of being picked up. Did you find this case study interesting and useful? I'd like to hear your thoughts. Drop me a line at: debbie@prcoach.co.uk and tell me what you thought and any questions you might have as well as any ideas for other tools, information and resources that you would find helpful in doing your own PR. You can find more resources at: One PR tactic that generated 15,000 of business for a client Page 10 of 10