All you need to know about PR

What is PR?

Public Relations (PR) is defined as effective communication between an organization and its target audience, or between a person and the people they want to influence.

What is Traditional PR?

Traditional PR is maintaining a healthy relationship with customers or audience by focusing on offline visibility. This can involve press interaction, print journals, etc. While traditional PR seems to be less relevant, it will never go out of style.

What is Digital PR?

Digital PR is used by brands to build a relationship with their customers instead of directly selling a product or a service. It is the art of telling a story through quality content, blogs, SEO, influencer marketing, etc.

What is the difference between the two?

  • In traditional PR, media outlets such as press, television, newspaper, radio are the main channels; whereas blogs, websites, and social media platforms are the main platforms for Digital PR.
  • Traditional PR can be successful, but measuring it is tough. However, it is easy to track and measure campaign success in Digital PR with the help of various analytical tools.

How to do PR online?

Strategizing social media campaign

Planning and executing an online campaign is no easy feat. It takes more than a few tweets or posts to build awareness, drive traffic and increase sales. Strategy and online content are among many things to keep in mind while creating a social media campaign. It is important to conduct extensive research on various social media platforms in order to gain insights into your audience’s likes, dislikes, and interests.

Great Content

A great piece of content can bring your brand to life and create a positive connection with your audience. It will help you reach your target audience around the world. The main purpose is to gain exposure and get the message across to the public.

How to write great content?

  • The first step in writing your PR content is to start with a headline that grabs the reader’s attention right away. Then provide them with sufficient updates to keep them engaged.
  • Take your time to get the right lead because it can make or break your content.
  • Say a lot but say it succinctly. Organize the content to keep it clean, naturally flowing and easy to read.
  • Before submitting your article to your editor, re-read your article aloud and see if you have made any grammatical errors, continuity of sentences or phrase mistakes.

A short brief about Content Marketing:

Content marketing is all about creating high quality, valuable content that keeps your audience engaged while promoting the brand itself. The benefits of content marketing include increased brand awareness and greater reach at lower cost.

Landing Page

A landing page is used to link announcements, issues, campaigns, and blogs to your website that will interest your target audience. Landing pages attract visitors and convert them into followers or customers. A good landing page must have good design, content, user experience, and call to action.

Brand message

Having good content and a functional landing page might be important to your audience, but a great brand message is what speaks to your brand. If your campaign fails, it might just boil down to an unconvincing message. Also, ensure your message consists of a short paragraph about the organization, what it represents, the values it offers and how it is different from its competitors. Make the brand message short, catchy and understandable.

I hear a lot about Press Release Distribution. What is it exactly?

A Press Release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media, for the purpose of announcing something newsworthy. Usually, they are mailed to the editors or journalists at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, online media, television networks.

Benefits of press release distribution:   

No matter what industry you’re in, and no matter how big or small your company is, you will benefit from press release distribution.

  • When compared to paid advertising, press release distribution is an affordable option. Most companies write their own press releases and the only expense is to hire a press release distribution service.
  • Create visibility by having a consistent strategy for your press release. This is will garner more attention among journalists and help you get video coverage.
  • A good press release can create an increase in publication for your company.
  • Getting recognized will put you in the spotlight and get you investors.

Convert your website messaging:

If you’re wondering how to attract visitors to your website when they know little to nothing about your brand, the answer is to create a killer website. Your visitors are not going to spends hours on your website if they find themselves lost and don’t understand what the business actually does.  

Have you ever landed on a website, read the message and not understood what the business is about? Sadly, this happens to a lot of us. Your website messaging consist of text and imagery. Always keep in mind that the main message should clearly state what kind of service you provide or what product you sell.

Keep the focus on attracting existing and new customers to your website. The message should be convincing enough to tell your visitor:

  1. How are you different from another company/product?
  2. What your business is about?
  3. How to set right expectations?

What platforms to use for Online PR?

Social media

Social media has always helps build brands. If the name of your brand is mentioned in a positive way and you receive reviews and engagement for your product/company it is easy for people to spread the word. However, it has its own advantages and disadvantages. Twitter and Facebook are great social media platforms to keep your customers aware of your posts, blogs, articles, etc. Social media also allows you to host campaigns and events which in return will help create more recognition for your product.

Email

Email allows PR professionals to pass on news updates to customers and other audience – news about their products, investments and ventures.

Newsletters

Newsletters are used to share updates and general information to the target audience rather than promoting products/services. Sending relevant information about the company’s products/services directly to the target audience is a common method to create and maintain a strong relationship with them.

Blogging

The online audience uses newsletters and articles to read about certain products/companies but they also use a variety of other tools such as blogging and microblogging. These tools also allow you to create and maintain a relationship with the target audience.