Failing Up – 3 PR Lessons For Brands Who Want Exposure
I never studied public relations in a classroom.
But over the years I’ve turned myself into a PR machine building an full-service digital marketing agency that has helped clients land exposure in top tier blogs and publications around the world.
How did I learn the tools of the trade without a formalized PR course?
Turn back the clock seven years ago.
We were working on an online music streaming startup and we had limited funds for marketing. A tight budget forced us to get creative. What could we do with minimal funds?
A light bulb went off in my head.
“I’ll just get us some press – it will be easy!” exclaimed my naive, yet wide-eyed former-self.
Hundreds of emails later, my feeble attempts resulted in zero exposure and many wasted hours.
Get Used To Rejection
The first lesson we learned on the cold, hard PR streets is that you are going to get rejected – A LOT. Many companies get discouraged with their press outreach early on and quit when they don’t see instantaneous results. A good PR program requires a 1-6 month strategy and execution plan to yield a favorable ROI.
Though we couldn’t land any press for our music streaming startup, my bullhead and I decided to get back on the PR horse and try again for our next project, One Million Tweeps, a book selling a million spaces. Twitter users would be “encapsulated in a timepiece for the century”.
Before this attempt, I spent hours reading blogs with clickbait titles like “How To Get Press Exposure For Dummies” and “7 Foolproof PR Tips For Startups”.
I quickly learned what was wrong with my previous pitches:
• My emails were long and wordy
• I failed to get to the point quickly
• I didn’t have a compelling angle
• I used far too many smiley faces and exclamation points!!
Following the advice of online blogs and friendly local public relations pros *thanks Rob and Matt*, I redid my pitch and we ended up receiving exposure from a handful of local blogs in the Pacific Northwest.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
This attempt taught me a valuable lesson – if you’re not having success with press, take a step back to analyze your approach to optimize for your next attempt.
Do Your Research & Know Your Audience
Press outreach is similar to making friends at a party. You could meet 100 people yet only find yourself connecting with one person.
The same goes for the media – you could email 100 reporters yet only one might find your story interesting. Press is often a numbers game and takes a bit of luck. You need to be at the right “party”, at the right time, meeting the right people.
If you find that you’re not connecting with anyone in your outreach you may find that you’ve crashed the wrong kind of PR party.
Before sending a press release, it’s crucial to research the industry and see who is covering your type of news. We wouldn’t advise pitching a travel magazine a story about “Hangover Cures For The New Millennium” just as we wouldn’t ask a finance reporter to write about a new restaurant opening. What we would pitch is an innovative NYC hotel opening to a WSJ hospitality writer.
Knowing your audience and crafting personalized pitches quickly can quickly take your attempts to a new level of press exposure.
ABT – Always Be Tracking
Now a more seasoned PR professional, I now use a handy Gmail Chrome plug-in called Sidekick. With a click of a button, I can have my browser extension embed a pixel in an outgoing email. When the email is opened the pixel pings Sidekick to let them know that the mail has been opened.
This tool allows me to track reporters a̶n̶d̶ ̶b̶o̶y̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶s to see who has opened the mail, who needs a follow-up and any return views to the mail.
If I see a mail is still unopened, I first take a look at our subject line and ask “was it compelling?” In a follow-up mail, we can then change the subject line to something that better resonates with my target.
Not only does Sidekick allow you to track open-rates, but it also tracks click-throughs. This data allows a PR team to see if a pitch was interesting enough for the reporter to want additional information by clicking through.
Is Press The Best Tactic For Your Brand?
We’ve had clients in the past tell us “We want press!”
Our first question is “Why?”
Correct Answers:
“We want to build credibility as an influencer in our field.”
“We think we can reach our customers through press.”
“We want to create awareness with our chosen demographic.”
“We’ve done the math and the potential cost per acquisition fits our marketing budget.”
Wrong Answers:
“It’s a free way to get customers.”
“I dunno. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ “
“It would be cool to be in Buzzfeed.”
The biggest misconception in digital strategy is that press exposure and social media are inexpensive because they are “free!” This is far from the truth.
To orchestrate a successful PR campaign, there are many hours involved creating media lists, researching news trends and then being glued to a mobile phone waiting for responses on breaking news.
When we craft a digital strategy for clients we first ask what are their goals. Sometimes we’ll recommend an entirely different program doesn’t include press outreach if we find that their time and marketing dollars are better spent on another digital program.
Whether you’re looking for help from an agency or going the PR road alone, a well researched strategy that includes customization, tracking, determination and a dash of luck will help you reach your PR goals in no-time.
alyne tamir
Love it!!!