What is PR?
PR involves communicating a message to one or more of the different audiences, such as the media, customers, employees or organizations.
What’s the difference between PR and advertising?
The big difference is that PR seeks exposure for a message in the ‘editorial’ sections of the media – whether these are the news or features pages of a newspaper or magazine, or their counterparts in a radio or TV. Advertising, on the other hand, appears in a clearly separate ‘advertising’ section. An equally big difference is that PR coverage is usually free of charge, while advertising is always paid for.
Which is the more effective: PR or advertising?
The answer to this depends on what kind of product or service you are promoting. Advertising is well suited to what are known in the trade as ‘fast-moving consumer goods’ – things like washing-powder, batteries, snack foods, drinks and so on. Vendors of these kind of products need to reach millions of people at a time.
PR, on the other hand, is generally far more effective than advertising at selling products or services. Examples would be sophisticated computer software for niche business-to-business applications, all types of consultancy services, and any other specialized professional service. Advertising is rarely very effective here because the amount of information any advertisement can carry is strictly limited, and the vendors of these kinds of products and services need to convey considerable information to complete their selling message.
PR material forms part of the normal editorial content of a newspaper, journal, radio or TV it is justifiably accorded the highest credibility by the reader or audience.
Can I be certain that my article will appear in the news?
PR activity plays for high stakes: inclusion in the editorial sections of top media. You can’t compel journalists or editors to include your material, you can only try to make them want to do so. Our track record of getting our clients into the media we target is excellent because we write material on our clients’ behalf to a level of professionalism and objectivity that wins the trust from editors and journalists.
Why would a journalist or editor want to use PR material?
Because it saves them time, money and makes their job easier. The editorial sections of newspapers, journals and radio and TV operate on tight budgets. They are under constant pressure to improve the quality of editorial material. If they receive a suitable submission from a PR department or PR consultancy they have every motivation to use it.
A suitable submission means that is all of the following: intelligently and clearly-written, informative, truthful, appropriate, timely and relatively objective. Blatantly self-promotional material is rarely, if ever, used.
The task of any PR activity is to generate and submit material that actually increases the quality of the editorial content of the targeted media. Any PR department or consultancy that can do this consistently is likely to enjoy a very good track record of placing material.
Should we do our PR ourselves or use a consultancy to assist us?
PR is a profession requiring distinct professional skills, and usually only very large organizations can afford to operate a quality in-house PR department staffed by experienced and committed expert PR executives.
For companies or organizations that do not have this kind of budget, engaging a PR consultancy can be an extremely attractive alternative. The PR consultancy itself bears all the costs of running the PR resource and charges out its time at a daily rate or on a project basis. It will have a powerful built-in incentive to succeed on the client’s behalf; after all, if it does not consistently win editorial coverage for the client it can hardly expect to be engaged again in the future.
Another key point here is that a PR consultancy is often able to provide a distanced perspective on a key commercial issue that may be difficult for the organization to solve by itself as it may be too close to the problem. PR consultancies can also furnish additional writing and media liaison resources during particularly busy times for the organization.
What should we look for in a PR consultancy?
The consultancy should be also to understand your business.
The consultancy also needs to demonstrate expertise in media research and a track record of winning significant editorial coverage in the media that most matter to your existing and potential customers.
You should also look for a consultancy that provides detailed information about the basis on which it charges fees. If these are based around consultancy days devoted to the activity it will be much easier for you to monitor the effort the consultancy is putting in. The consultancy should also make clear upfront what the activity will cost you and there should be no hidden charges: as always in business, you should expect to know in advance what engaging a supplier is going to cost you. PR consultancies are no exception.
What is a Press Release?
A press release, also known as a news release… is a condensed article that is written in a journalistic format. It is not an advertisement, but can often be more powerful for delivering attention. The purpose of the press release is to highlight what is interesting and newsworthy about your company, organization, services or products.
Can I use Public Relations for my start-up or product/service launch?
Almost every business can benefit from public relations as an alternative and addition to traditional advertising… and even smallest company can seize the opportunity for potentially massive local, national or international exposure. Remember, every company started small.
Is Public Relations expensive?
Pr-online.com is designed to be affordable for businesses of all sizes. We have experience as entrepreneurs ourselves and understand the need of start-ups and small businesses. We combine the experience of 20 years in public relations with the cost effectiveness of online tools such as email and social media.
Is Public Relations national or local?
Local exposure for national companies is one of the most overlooked areas of opportunity. Local exposure for businesses that provide products and services only in a designated local geographical area generally have an abundance of exposure opportunities available to them.
How often should we send out news releases to the media?
We suggest a minimum of monthly program of releases, however any newsworthy event should be considered for release. It is important to keep your name and information about your company top of mind to the media. This helps to validate you as an expert and builds trust in your field, which can frequently lead to be called upon when a story about your subject is in the planning stages.