The success of your business relies on your ability to get your name out to the public. While advertisements are great for selling products, they don't tell consumers anything about your company. That's where public relations and press releases come in. Your storytelling ability will determine whether or not your company gets mentioned in the media. While it can be easy to hire a PR firm, that decision comes with some drawbacks.
Staying away from PR specialists
You want the best for your company, but that's not always a PR coordinator. You can do the same work at no cost compared to the $3,000 to $10,000 monthly fees for a firm, which you'll have to work into your financial plan, according to Entrepreneur. Why waste that money when you have the ability to put your own name out there without extra charges and people?
Doing your own PR requires you to network on your own, which is for the best. When you hire a PR firm, you have access to their contacts, which can help you get started. However, once you end your contract, you also lose all forms of communication with them, the source explained. When you do it on your own, you'll have to put yourself out there in order to get your own contacts in the media
You'll also have more control over the stories that are sent out. PR firms are going to focus strictly on your business, but when you're writing your own press releases, you'll be able to veer off that path. You won't only have to write about your products and services, but you can tell the story about how you came up with the idea for your company, how you started out and what led you to that point in your life. While it may not promote your business, it will ensure that people find out about it.
What you should do to get consumer attention
Once you've decided to do your own PR, you need to learn how to actually promote yourself and your company. The most important part of running your own publicity is to tell consumers what you can do for them, PR Daily explained. Customers want to know what you and your products or services can do to make their lives easier. They don't care if you're the top business in your industry if they don't feel you can fulfill a gap in their lives. Don't think about what's important to you, but what will matter most to your potential clients.
While you're informing consumers why they should be interested in your company, you should be writing in language that they'll understand. Industry speak can be useful if your audience is strictly those in similar businesses, but it will fall flat for newcomers. It's best to stick to language that will appeal to everyone. You should maintain a conversational tone, but don't get too comfortable with slang words and abbreviations. Get straight to the point and avoid fancy words, Tripp Frohlichstein, media trainer and founder of MediaMasters, told the source. You don't want to write anything that could be misleading, misread or confusing.
Doing your company's publicity can take a lot of time and effort on your part, but it will turn out well if you're willing to do it. Not only will you keep the money in your business banking account, you'll be able to control what's going out there and appeal to consumers in new ways.