It’s good to be your own PR person. Whether you’re a first-time entrepreneur or a seasoned small- and medium-business owner, you probably want to reach a specific audience with your message.
There is a target group in which you wish to participate, whether they are clients, potential clients, or partners.
However, you’re probably not ready to hire a high-priced creative agency — either it’s out of your budget or you’ve had negative experiences in the past.
Whatever the case may be, as an SME owner, there are tools and tactics you may employ to develop a social and public relations strategy.
If you want to increase the visibility of your personal and/or corporate brand but don’t have the funds to engage an advertiser, these five tips will help you to successfully become your own PR.
Table of contents
What is a PR Person?
In public relations, you work to generate positive news and publicity for a company or an individual.
Overseeing advertising and press releases, replying to the press, and scheduling interviews are all possible responsibilities.
You must prepare their client for interactions with the press or the general public, as well as ensure that their job is kept in the public eye.
Public relations manager and public relations specialist are two possible job paths in this industry.
Check Out: What is a Marketing Specialist? Job Description, Pros & Cons, Salary
What Does a PR Person Do?
As a PR person, your major duty is to raise public awareness of your clients and their initiatives in the field of public relations.
You work to generate positive press and publicity for a company or a person. You frequently compose speeches or promotional news releases for your clients as their representatives.
Meanwhile, you either schedule or participate in television, newspaper, magazine, or radio interviews on behalf of your clients.
In addition to the above, you can arrange speaking engagements for them, react to inquiries or requests for information, and train them on how to communicate with the press and the general public as a service.
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Who is a Good PR Person?
A good PR person is an exceptional writer and speaker who understands how to communicate ideas in a number of media.
Also, a smart PR person never lies and, in fact, assists a client in telling the truth, even if it is unpleasant.
While the above is important, a good PR person performs their research and maintains a healthy level of skepticism. Even when the truth is provided by the client, a smart PR professional double-checks the facts and authenticity of any statement and ensures that it can be correctly sourced.
Equally, a good PR person connects a client’s product, idea, cause, and core message to the target audience.
Finally, a good PR person is interested in the world and keeps up with current events, trends, and changes in our own “industry,” as well as in the industries of their clients. This necessitates a thorough understanding of social media and its consequences.
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What Education Do I Need to Become a PR Person?
The education requirements to become a PR person are quite easy. It’s just the same as studying for a major course.
A bachelor’s degree from an authorized institution or university is usually a good place to start when it comes to preparing for a career in the industry.
Many colleges and universities offer degrees in public relations, communications, and journalism that explain the intricacies, expectations, and requirements of the field.
You might focus your research on certain categories of clients, such as government or business.
Political science, sociology, creative writing, and advertising should all be included in your bachelor’s degree program. You’ll also take courses in math, foreign language, social science, English, and humanities.
What Skills Does a PR Person Need?
Increasing your talents can assist you to avoid falling behind competitors or becoming trapped in a rut when it appears that the PR market is shifting under your feet.
With online classes, books, and a little elbow grease, most, if not all, of these talents may be learned or refined.
Here are the essential skills you should have as a PR person:
- Excellent communication skills both orally and in writing
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Good IT skills
- Presentation skills
- Initiative
- Ability to prioritize and plan effectively
- Awareness of different media agendas
- Creativity
How Do I Start my Own PR?
Consider conducting your own publicity and being your own publicist first. You will be your product’s or service’s best spokesperson.
Additionally, attempting to do your own publicity, even for a few days, will provide you with a much clearer picture of the process and will put you in a much better position to understand what to look for and how to work with an outside PR firm.
You can, however, hire an independent PR professional or a PR business if you are too busy or uncomfortable with some areas of dealing with your PR.
The majority of public relations firms charge an hourly or monthly fee. And no matter how many hours they pay you, they will not guarantee your success!
So, should you handle your own PR? How do you even intend to start?
Hiring a public relations firm is not feasible for a startup or a small business owner. It’s significantly easier (and less expensive) to handle your own PR.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to doing your own public relations:
- Find articles related to the topic you’d like to pitch on Google News.
- Make sure the piece you’re pitching is related to the topic.
- Look up the journalist’s name and the publication for which they write.
- Create the subject line for your email.
- Construct the email’s body.
- Find the reporter’s email address.
- Please get in touch!
5 Ways to Become your own PR Person and Earn More Respect
1. Know your Audience
You need to know who you’re talking to whether you’re composing an email, designing new software, or entering a review.
This is referred to as an audience-centered communication strategy.
The focus of effective business communication is on the target audience. You may talk for yourself, but you must interact with your audience in a meaningful and courteous manner.
When getting to know your audience, ask the following questions:
- What is the largest challenge or stumbling block for my audience?
- What is the most pressing issue on their minds?
Are you having trouble finding answers? Bringing a list of questions and getting your audience involved is also a terrific method to get to know your audience.
2. Build Relationships
You should plan to spend some time communicating with the crucial folks. It takes being a part of something bigger to get your brand name out there.
Any good PR campaign requires attending events, networking wherever feasible, and publishing interviews.
For PR professionals and practically every other type of professional, face-to-face relationships still yield the best outcomes.
Email, text messages, phone calls, and conference calls all have a place in the workplace.
In-person meetings are vital, according to a report published by The Harvard Business Review. They are seen as a vital investment by executives, who claim that face-to-face communication has a “high impact.”
3. Create your own content and share it across your channels using relevant hashtags
Creating fresh material that serves your target audience is another component of becoming a thought leader.
Blog postings, white papers, case studies, and webinars are all excellent ways to demonstrate your experience and credibility. Even better, these files are simple to share via email and social media, assuring maximum awareness.
Snooping is the best method to learn about marketing. What methods do others in your area use to do this? How do people who aren’t in your sector go about doing this?
What will your target audience find most valuable, and where will they spend the most time online? If it’s in their mailbox, your newsletter can be a good place to start.
4. Guest Blog on Trusted Sites
Writing is still extremely effective, and guest blogging on sites you value is one of the finest ways to become a more well-known member of your chosen field.
You can establish a continuously increasing audience of people who visit those sites, as well as positive professional ties with the website owners if you can demonstrate that you have useful issues that need to be clarified.
Consider what others in your field would like to learn more about when it comes to what you should blog about.
What practical advice do you have that would be appropriate for a blog? When you first started out, what books did you wish to read?
Furthermore, when promoting website addresses, keep in mind the content you actually provide. If you can propose anything that complements that decision, you will likely have a higher response.
5. Follow Up, Stay in Contact
You haven’t pitched if you haven’t followed up, according to a PR specialist.
Following up is an important part of developing relationships and spreading your message. Although your follow-up will be different—you aren’t aiming to have an article published or a spokesperson interviewed—you may still use the strategy to boost your visibility.
Consistency is an important feature of follow-up. According to LinkedIn research on sales follow-up, the typical person makes two tries to contact a prospect, while 80 percent of sales are made on the fifth to 12th contact.
Consistent follow-up not only guarantees that your message is received, but also that you are a trustworthy individual who keeps your word.
The smaller the “say-do gap”—the difference between what you say you’re going to do and what you actually do—the more trust you inspire in those around you, as Joel Peterson, Chairman of JetBlue, explains.
Final Thought
To be quite honest, founders do not require the services of a public relations professional in order to gain media attention.
They may simply use various media relations methods themselves, or educate an employee to do so, to successfully accomplish what a PR person does – create a long-term relationship with the media.
You can accomplish it without paying an agency a large retainership to engage your consumers, clients, and influencers with a specific message, establish a personal brand or broadcast your message to a specific target group.
References
- waingergroup.com – Five Qualities of Good Public Relations People
- learn.org – What Does a PR Person Do?
- newbalancejobs.com – Ways to become your own PR Person and earn more respect
- themuse.com – 4 Ways to Become Your Own PR Person and Start Getting the Respect You Deserve
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