Get MediaAttention by Starting a Public Relations Plan

May 10, 2017

What is Public Relations?

It is the practice of developing and maintaining positive publicity of an organization, corporation and/or professional’s public image through a strategized Public Relations plan.

When to start a PR Plan?

Today is the day. Every business, small or big should have a PR plan, for the simple fact that each business has a story to tell. A story that wants to be HEARD amongst the HERD. The first step is to know the ins and outs of your industry. If you don’t know much about the industry you’re in, do some research. One way is to keep current with the media on the latest news topics relevant to your area. Many newspapers and trade publications offer clipping services that allow you to view stories and headlines that only you are interested in. Google News can also be a great resource for keeping on top of media coverage related to your industry, as well as your competitors.

Who to target?

Consider who you want to speak to. Be specific, not general. The more specific you are, the more likely you will be heard. You should be able to know your target audience through thorough research. Start with demographics, geographics and psychographics of your target audience. What age group do they fall in? What’s their occupation or line of work? What do they value? What’s their lifestyle like? Who you target should be of relevance to your organization or business. For example, if you’re in the technology industry, you will want to target technology publications, the technology section in local newspapers, tech trade shows, influencers and various technology reporters.

Drafting a Plan

A PR plan isn’t just about getting the message out. It’s about getting the message out to the right people in the media, at the right time. Your PR plan should have objectives you want to accomplish. Set a timeline and evaluate when is the most effective time to implement the plan. One idea is using a calendar to establish times of the year your organization will have the best chance of finding its way into the news. For example, if your business is involved in renovations and home development, a good time to reach out to the media, release a newsworthy story or participate in a trade show would be around springtime. That’s when most renovations take place. Developing PR strategies is important as it will include methods of communication, identifying which messages to convey, what actions need to be taken, and how much will it cost (budget) to execute the plan.


Consider how you can make it easier for journalists to contact you and access information about your organization or business. SOURCES is a good place to start. Your SOURCES profile acts as a hub in which journalist etc. can contact you. Being included in SOURCES positions you as a media source and ensures that the media will find you when they do stories about your areas of expertise. You can select up to 40 topics or areas of expertise, which will be listed on your SOURCES profile page. Additionally, your areas of expertise will also be listed on each topics page and appear via web search. Thus, anyone who types your areas of expertise into a search engine will be led to you through your SOURCES profile and can contact you to hear what you have to comment on or say.

Remember that developing a Public Relations Plan is about getting your message out to the media by connecting with key players and strategizing when, how, and where the message will be delivered to maximize the news value and gained attention.


For more information contact:
Tasha Meeuwenoord
Sources
Phone: -
Website: www.sources.com