The key to successful PR is consistency and connecting with your audience through the use of engaging and exciting content. However, there will be times (such as lockdown) when you have nothing obvious to shout about, so how do you create ‘new’ news when there isn't any? We’ve got some tips for you below…
Awareness Days
National and international awareness days exist for almost any topic or item you can think of from ‘National Work Life Week’ to ‘National Cupcake Day’. Websites such as awarenessdays.com have a full list which you can browse to find a day that could work for your brand or business.
Examples of how you can make the most of these awareness days include: pitching your product as gifts for Mother’s Day or Christmas, donating profits to charity for Breast Cancer Awareness month, or compiling a feature on the top tips for quitting drinking for Alcohol Awareness Week (if any of these relate to your brand or business of course). Creating news surrounding awareness days is a great way of forward planning and helps takes the pressure off during the quieter months.
Add these days into your PR calendar and remember to send your pitch and press release out at the right time to hit your chosen publication. Monthly magazines, for example, work on each issue three to five months ahead of being published.
If you can’t find an awareness day that works for you, then you can even come up with your own and then register it. This costs around £200, but you can then claim this day as your own and build PR campaigns around it for years to come!
Reactive Media Relations
Jumping on the back of topical news stories is a very effective way of making the most out of content that is already present online. For example, you can look at what is happening in the news at the moment and offer expert comment or advice from your brand expert or founder. This is also a great way of keeping your business in the news and places your spokesperson as a leading voice in their industry. A great tip is to set up Google Alerts for key words and topics that relate to your brand, that way you’ll never miss an article that could be relevant to you.
Awards
Who doesn’t love the idea of winning awards? Entering awards is a brilliant way to build brand awareness and it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Sometimes it can take months to go through the process from entering or nominating your brand of business, to shortlist announcements, to becoming a semi-finalist and then (fingers crossed) a finalist and winning the award! This gives you nuggets of news to drip-feed to press over a long period of time.
Journalists also like to follow up with a story, so if they feature your shortlist news, they are likely to feature you winning too. You can add the news to your blog, post on your social media platforms and send the news to trade and local press. This is also a great way to achieve recognition for your brand whilst attracting new customers and clients as a result.
Can’t find any awards that work for you? You can create your own and use your social media platforms to ask for nominations. For example, for our internal fashion brand the Perfect Dress Company, we helped them create the Incredible Women Awards which celebrate inspirational women for all of their hard work. We called on the Perfect Dress Company community to nominate women in their life that were unsung heroes. This was a great way to increase customer engagement and make the audience feel involved in the brand as well as raising spirits and spreading positivity.
Reviews
Customer reviews are a great way of attracting new business, as consumers are more likely to use a product or service that has positive reviews. Encourage your previous customers to leave a review either on your socials or via email as this will make your business more appealing and trustworthy whilst also enhancing the sense of community and brand loyalty. Once you have these reviews then you can post them onto your socials as a way of thanking the customer and subtly singing your praises. Happy customers are more likely to leave a review and recommend your business to others if they feel valued and appreciated!
A way that you can get press coverage from reviews would be to offer samples of your product or service to journalists in exchange for a review in the publication they write for. If you are a restaurant or hotel then you can invite journalists on press trips (when they are open again!)
Case Studies
Similar to surveys, sourcing your own case studies is an excellent way of adding value to your brand by using real life examples. People who have tried out your product or service can share their story and speak about your brand in a positive and interesting way. Case studies are a valuable asset to have for press, as they help the reader to engage with the story. Also using brilliant high-res imagery such as before and afters is a sure-fire way to get your brand noticed.
If you’d like to find out more or see how we could do this for you, then just email hello@sunnybirdpr.com