Your 90-day PR Strategy to End the Year Strong
With consumer spending on the rise as we head into the holiday season, having a solid PR plan in place will ensure that your business ends the year on a high note and will help you maintain a competitive advantage.
As a business owner myself, I understand things can get hectic, especially this season. That's why we've made it easy for you by outlining 3 PR tips to help you finish the year strong.
1. Make your expertise available to journalists.
Determine what expertise or knowledge you can offer that is relevant to the news cycles this time of year. For instance, if you own a retail brand, you could pitch the top trending looks for the holiday season. Or if you’re a software business, you could outline the top predictions for innovation in your industry for the year ahead.
With 65% of journalists saying that their number one pet peeve is being spammed repeatedly by email or phone, the key to success is offering something of substantial value that helps your pitch stand out amidst the noise of countless other messages flooding their inboxes.
To truly capture a journalist’s attention, you can identify existing news stories that are directly relevant to your industry. Then, offer insightful commentary or data that adds significant value to the ongoing conversation.
Offer tangible assets for the journalist to engage with, such as a unique product, service, visuals to go with data, etc.
Identify and develop story ideas that resonate with the festive themes of the holiday season. Feel-good stories, such as acts of kindness, last-minute affordable gift guides, and holiday travel tips are examples of relevant and appealing content that you can pitch to journalists.
Additionally, journalists are always looking for credible sources and unique perspectives to add to their stories, so if you have information that can add in-depth context that goes beyond the surface level of a story, you’ll increase your chances of being quoted in a piece or gaining media exposure.
2. Practice perfecting your pitch.
While you may have plenty of ideas for stories to pitch to journalists, getting a journalist to respond to your pitch begins with crafting the right one. When a journalist opens your pitch, you'll want to capture their attention within the first 10 seconds of them reading your message.
You may have heard it before, and we’ll echo it again: don’t bury the lede.
First, craft a compelling subject line. Think of your subject line as a headline or billboard for your email. Ensure your brand name is front and center. You’ll want to make sure your subject line is going to stand out from the hundreds and thousands of emails your journalist is receiving. Ideally, aim for a subject line that contains fewer than 7 words, as this aligns with the typical goal for the number of words in a headline.
In the body of the email, prioritize delivering the most crucial information right at the outset of your message. Be direct and concise, getting to the point quickly.
Don’t hesitate to use bullet points, include links to additional information, and aim to keep your message to just a couple of paragraphs at most. This approach helps ensure that your message is clear, engaging, and easy for the journalist to digest.
3. Refine your PR Strategy.
Ensure your PR strategy is well-prepared for the upcoming year by applying what you learned from this past year.
Like any business, sales and marketing objectives will evolve as your business's demands expands or if you're contemplating a shift in your business goals. Such changes often require an adjustment in your PR strategy since what worked effectively for your business in the past may not be as effective in the future.
When assessing new goals for the upcoming year, such as increasing sales, driving conversions, cutting costs, or boosting social media engagement, it's essential that your PR strategy aligns with and supports these objectives.
Not only should you focus on creating a PR plan that aligns with your business goals but you should also ensure that you're maximizing your time as efficiently as possible when executing those goals.
Consider new trends, insights, and changes in the media landscape. What are the most talked about ideas in your niche? What kind of information are journalists looking for? Which story ideas that you pitched resonated with journalists and which did not?
Over time, you'll gather data that will illuminate the impact of your PR strategies and will reveal trends that will assist you in making data-driven decisions for your business.
As you wrap up the year, these PR tips will help set your business up for success by enabling you to deliver value to both the media and your audience. Having a well-defined end-of-year PR strategy will assist you in navigating the challenges and opportunities that each year brings.