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Business owners’ three biggest PR blunders
Business owners’ three biggest PR blunders
February 01, 2010
While I was a journalist, I saw many business owners make the same three basic PR mistakes time and time again. When it comes to trying to secure free publicity for your new business, the following mistakes should be avoided…
1 Trying to push dull, irrelevant or non-stories
Sorry, in truth, journalists don’t really care about you or your business. They only care about stories that are of interest to their audience. It can be very dull being a journalist, having to wade through the same old marketing guff being sent to you day in, day out. So when something special comes along, naturally, you jump on it. As a business owner, that’s your opportunity. If you are to engage journalists and their readers, you must have a compelling story to tell.
2 Giving up after one failed press release
If you send out 100 direct mail letters and then stop because “direct mail doesn’t work for you”, you could be missing out on a huge opportunity. It’s not necessarily that direct mail doesn’t work for you, you might not be sending your communications to the right people, you might not be writing about the right product or service or you might simply not be communicating your key messages effectively. Sometimes the timing isn’t right or your success is hampered by external factors.
The same can be said about PR. There is no way that each and every press release you ever send will lead to coverage, no matter how good your story, media release or how well you know the journalist. Effective PR requires a long-term commitment.
3 Having unrealistic expectations
PR is not really meant as a direct lead-generation tool (although it can work that way if you are fortunate). It can certainly be used to raise awareness and enhance the credibility of your business and support the rest of your marketing activity.
Your goal should be to encourage and make it really easy for interested readers, listeners or viewers to find you (or more usually, find out from your website how your products or services can benefit them). Don’t expect overnight success either, raising awareness, securing sales and ensuring customer loyalty usually takes a lot of time, effort and investment.
- The first 500 Start Up Donut Blog readers can get a free copy of Paul Green’s book – PR Success Made Easy – here.
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Comments
Hi Kenisha
I suggest you get a free copy of my book at www.publicityheaven.com/donut. That should answer any questions you have
Cheers
Paul
Please, can you email me and tell me few more things about this?
Insightful observations, well written. The first thing i ask a client when they say "I want to get in the paper" is "Have you got a good story?". More often than not I find that rather than a boring business with nothing to tell, most companies have something going on which is worth sharing with the media in one form or another. Its certainly about targeting the right journalist and publication for the right story/angle and tweaking it to appeal. Trade press will generally be more interested in "product news" or something with a more "salesy" twist whereas a lifestyle title may be looking more for personalities and personal stories which mention a person's professional role in passing for example. If its a regional publication for example then the story needs a local mention in it pretty early on so that they can see its relevant. Certainly persistence is key, without bugging journos with the same bland stuff. Ask for honest feedback if they don't run a story for you - is there something else they would prefer to hear about? Thats where building relationships over a longer period of time is also the key to success.
[...] 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment Found a great article today on startupdonutblog talking about the biggest blunders small business owners make when it comes to PR. Paul Green [...]
Beautifully written. Around 80% of the small businesses I hear from have the mistaken impression that PR is a much cheaper tool than advertising in creating leads. They expect one release to go out and for it to cause a huge stir, thus making their sales figures shoot up.
Even those businesses who realise that PR should be an ongoing activity expect results each and every month. Some even expect monthly publicity just in the big nationals.
If you are a small business owner and can't afford to advertise, you need to think very carefully about how you spend your marketing budget. Sales don't happen overnight, particularly on a shoestring. Plan for a consistent, integrated marketing campaign over a few months. PR can certainly be very useful - if you have a story to tell. However, as Paul says, it should only be used to support other tactics, such as social media posts, blogging and effective website SEO.
Don't be confused between marketing and sales. If you're needing a quick solution and a short term injection of revenue, find a salesperson. If you're in it for the long haul and want to build up an excellent reputation which will sustain you over the long term, you need to have a planned marketing campaign.
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