Public relations is all about building a strong reputation.
Most PR campaigns involve a series of planned activities, designed to build positive relationships between an organisation and its customers, clients and/or audience.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve developed a strategy for PR campaigns which delivers real results. To help show how it can be applied in your business, we’ve created this guide. We break things down into three stages – Purpose, Plan and Execute – the three principles that form our name – Purplex!
In this guide you’ll discover valuable hints and tips to create a successful launch event. Whatever the size of your company – whether you have one employee or 10,000, this strategy will help you to grow your business.
A successful launch can reach a huge proportion of your target market in one shot, generating positive press that boosts SEO, too.
What’s your end goal – your purpose?
A successful PR campaign has a clearly defined purpose – this makes it easy for you to prioritise, communicate, and measure performance. With a clear goal, it’s simple to work out what marketing efforts will achieve the best results.
Here are some examples of PR campaign goals:
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Perhaps you’re a start-up company and need to put your business on the map. Or maybe you’re an established company but want to start making waves in a new market. Either way, a broad spectrum of PR channels in the target market will raise awareness of your brand.
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If you’re launching a new product or service, make sure potential customers are aware of it through coverage in the press and on social media. Many trade magazines have ‘new product’ features, so a press release in one of these publications is a great way to inform your target audience. Influencers and your own social channels can combine efforts to make a splash on launch day.
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Quite simply, your main goal could be to generate more sales leads. Using a number of marketing tactics like direct mail, email campaigns, SEO, PPC and social media alongside PR will boost your overall marketing results.
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Keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s happening within the industry and the wider market creates fantastic opportunities to complete more reactive PR. Issuing a response to the press following a breaking news story or reaching out to potential customers directly will make your brand more visible.
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Good PR can help you improve relationships beyond your customer base – with suppliers, investors and the local community. Suppliers and investors will be keen to see high-profile customer testimonials, so including quotes in your PR gives it more impact.
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Struggling to find the quality staff you need to grow? Don’t forget it’s not just about showcasing your products in the press. You can share positive news and demonstrate the benefits of working at your business on social media or via influencers. Exciting opportunities and future plans will help to attract the right people.
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Positive PR is not only great for attracting new customers but also helps to keep existing clients happy. Reading news stories about your company reinforces they’re buying from the right business, making them less likely to go elsewhere.
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Perhaps you’re selling a product or service that your audience needs but doesn’t quite understand yet. You can use PR to educate potential clients on the features and benefits – this will boost awareness and generate sales.
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Potential investors are likely to do their research – seeing your company in the media will make it an attractive proposition. If it’s investment you’re after, PR can help you leave a bigger footprint in the traditional media and on socials.
Great marketing extends beyond the digital realm into print magazines and newspapers.
Now you’ve decided your purpose, you can start on a detailed plan of action.
With launches, the closer you get to the deadline, the more hectic it will be. It’s worth having a good few weeks or (ideally) months to plan ahead and prepare the groundwork.
A long run up will let you research the market, contact influencers and journalists, and hit launch day with a bang, rather than a whimper! If you need a bit of help, then get in touch – we have media contacts across your industry and experts in every aspect of PR.
Begin the planning stage by identifying and understanding your target audience. What are their problems? What are their interests? Where do they find their information? This will help you deliver information to potential customers that feels appropriate and interesting, in places that are relevant to them.
Business to Consumer (B2C) PR is designed to appeal to broader audiences, often using emotional connections to sell products directly. On the other hand, Business to Business (B2B) PR focuses on reaching key decision-makers in target companies. The message is more technical, highlighting how a product or service can solve specific problems and improve efficiency. It’s vital that you identify which of these two audiences you are targeting before you craft a campaign.
Getting PR right is about having a PR team who understand your audience and know your sector.
Now that you know your audience, it’s time to work out where and how you’re going to reach them.
This section is about traditional media – TV, magazines, newspapers etc.
Traditional media can reach more people in less time than social media. A single news story can drive as much traffic to your website as hundreds of influencers. But getting a story into the press takes preparation and expertise.
Here’s what you can do to prepare:
The first step is to identify which tv shows, newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs and e-newsletters reach your customers. Use this information to build a list of all the editors, journalists and bloggers you’ll need to contact. Many magazines have multiple editors, so make sure you have the details of the correct contact.
There are many different channels through which you can communicate – from email and phone to direct messaging on social media – and to create a successful PR campaign you need to use each channel effectively. Every contact will have their own preference for how they communicate, and lower-profile publications will be easier to reach than top tier journalists.
Once you know who your media contacts are, it’s worth taking the time to build a relationship with them. While the days of regular meetings with journalists have long gone, building virtual relationships via email and video are just as vital.
Regular contact will mean that your PR emails are more likely to get read – but if the journalist doesn’t respond, don’t worry! The sheer volume of messages that they wade through is staggering – you may have to wait your turn. So be persistent, but not pushy. Sometimes, a little nudge goes a long way.
Editors are notorious for hating ‘PR puff’ and will always prefer facts, statistics and research over ‘salesy’ press releases. That said, anything with a touch of the ‘clickbait’ will get often get a hearing – strong headlines are very important. If you haven’t got access to any interesting facts and figures, do thorough research and base your PR around this. For instance, you could send out a customer survey and use the results to create an interesting news angle for the trade media.
Every editor or blogger wants their publication or site to look great, but many don’t have the budget to hire a professional photographer. Sending stunning photos with your PR content will give it an edge over the competition – particularly if they were taken specifically for the story. High quality infographics can also help with this.
If you’re looking for instant impact, then consider planning a PR stunt. This can be anything that grabs attention and gets people talking. But remember that for every PR stunt that has worked spectacularly, there are nine others which flopped spectacularly too! A poor stunt can damage your brand, so plan carefully and consider all the outcomes and interpretations before launch – run the idea past a few people outside the company and take their responses seriously.
The media loves celebrities, and readers will pay more attention to a story if it includes a famous face. You may not know any such people, but your friends, colleagues and business contacts might. If you have the budget, it could be worth hiring a ‘face’ for your launch event. There are many agencies who have well-known people for hire on their books, and MPs are often willing to oblige for a bit of positive press, so keep them in mind.
A good PR team will really get to know your business before launching a PR campaign.
PR is no longer rooted in traditional media – social platforms and other digital spaces are equally important.
A powerful post on LinkedIn could easily generate as much interest as a feature in a trade magazine and might help to build a new audience, too. It’s worth looking for opportunities across a wide range of digital and social media outlets – this may even be free coverage.
Let’s break down what you need to know, when looking at a digital strategy:
Running a series of webinars can boost your reputation and credibility. But don’t make the mistake of turning these into a full-on sales pitch. A highly attended webinar is educational, with a very light touch on upselling your services and the launch of a new service or product. It will also require a lot of advanced publicity and a mailing list – get people interested on social media and your website, and sign them up to get emailed on the day to boost attendance. This mailing list can then be passed on to your sales team, and used to sell the new product or service, post-launch.
The rise of the influencer has had enormous impacts on both PR and journalism. Today’s influencers – bloggers, vloggers or social media stars – hold a lot of media power, and an endorsement from them, particularly on their own channel, can have a huge effect on a brand or product. This, of course, comes with a price and influencers with large followings can command huge sums for even a single post.
So how can we engage with influencers, and get value for money? Here are some tips from our own experience:
Research influencers carefully. There is little point in asking an influencer to talk about a product they don’t use, which doesn’t fit the profile of their followers. Only target those influencers who are respected in the sector you’re promoting.
Consider budget. Influencers are at a premium now and they don’t come cheap, so make sure you get the best for your budget – and negotiate if necessary. It may be that the influencer would accept products rather than cash, in return for content.
Check your influencer’s credibility. Many people claim to be ‘influencers’ – quite a few of them are just chancers! An established influencer will have a media pack with stats including numbers of followers, post engagement etc, so look at these carefully. A good influencer should also be able to provide evidence of how well their post on your behalf has done.
Build good relationships. Influencers need to be ahead of the news cycle and emerging trends, so share news with them as, or before, it’s published online. Influencers may branch out into print from time to time. An exclusive article from an influencer might be a novelty for a print editor looking for something different.
You have a purpose, you’ve decided on a plan, now these tips will help you execute it effectively:
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Whether you’re tweeting, blogging, writing thought leadership pieces or press releases, keep the message clear, bold and interesting. Write a story you would want to read.
‘Company launches new product’ is boring but ‘MD of Company overcomes adversity to launch new product’ grabs the reader’s attention. Seek emotional connections like this – it helps to build a positive image of your brand, products and services.
Make sure that your writing reflects the perspective and knowledge of your audience. A B2B press release targeting architecture publications should be very different to one written for the window installation press.
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Journalists want their publication to stand out from the competition, so an exclusive scoop (a good story that’s only available at one media outlet) is one of the best ways of doing this.
An exclusive grabs the editor’s attention, helping to get your story higher profile coverage. However, remember that you can’t then run the same story in other places – if you say it’s exclusive, then breaking that promise will have PR consequences.
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Anything that’s ‘new’ and relevant to a publication’s readers is gold dust to a journalist. So try not to share launch news on your social media and website if it hasn’t first been shared with the media.
Journalists are unlikely to cover something that has previously been published. This kind of thing is pretty black and white for those working in the media – a story is either new or it isn’t.
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Keep an eye on the news and see if there’s ever an angle relating to your business which could help with your launch messaging. You can piggyback off everything from political news to sporting events and lighthearted entertainment. If it’s current and popular, it is sure to be of interest to journalists.
For example, ‘New app is a lifeline in high utility bill crisis’ or ‘40% of homes could save on sky-high gas bills with window film’. Both of these would be more enticing to a journalist than ‘New price comparison app for utilities offers savings’ and ‘High efficiency window film launches to praise from experts’.
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Rather than focusing on one big press release, try putting out a small number of key stories in rapid succession across relevant publications around the launch date. This will get you noticed by those in your industry, and make your business appear to have a bigger footprint.
In the longer term, the stories will have SEO potential, pushing your site up in search results. They’ll also secure your reputation as a key industry player – worth contacting, or investing in.
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Editors receive hundreds of cookie cutter press releases every day. Take time to think about who their audience actually is, and what kind of story would interest them. Rather than sending the same article to lots of different publications, try customising each press release. This will be time-consuming, but it will pay off in greater press coverage.
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Every good story has an element of human interest at its core – something that makes it emotionally resonant. It might be the case study of an interesting customer, the story of a client success which exceeded all expectations, or the unusual origins of your business.
Always try to identify an angle which puts a person at the forefront to engage with your audience. Think about a relative or friend of yours who isn’t the least bit interested in your job, and ask yourself ‘would they find this story compelling?’. If not, try to tease out some more interesting quotes and anecdotes – the details that make it easier to identify with the ‘hero’ of your story.
‘My company grew by 50% within the first 12 months of using this app and now we are getting regular leads. I am a full-time employee after 5 years of part time work.’ is not as emotionally compelling as; ‘My business was on the verge of bankruptcy, but this app turned our fortunes around – now, we’re profitable again. I’ve finally gone full time – it’s been a dream for me for years’.
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Around the launch date, look for trending stories on social media and news websites and publish posts and/or press releases that respond to them, with insights, data and additional context. Your contribution should improve the quality of the content in the topic – responding with memes and sly comments is better done by the experts, as it can backfire spectacularly.
Linkedin and X (Twitter) are two platforms which allow you to rapidly respond to news stories. But it may also be worth reaching out to a journalist who has published a story related to your industry, if you have a valuable contribution to make. Quotes from high profile industry insiders (like your CEO), and data to support the claims made in the news article can be helpful, and could even lead to a second story.
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All effective PR campaigns contain the same core ingredients: a good headline, and relevant, quality content.
Answering the who, what, where, when and why will give the reader the key information they need. But also remember to ask ‘why should the reader care?’ – would you care enough to read this?
Don’t be tempted to stray from any of these key elements, even with paid influencer posts, advertorials etc. You want your audience to notice your message, so make sure your stories are compelling and relevant.
If you’re struggling to craft a good story, then get in touch and we’ll be happy to help out!
Purplex takes an integrated approach to public relations – working across multiple different channels to deliver a bigger impact.
So you want to run a PR campaign, but you’re also trying to run a business, manage a team or hit your sales goals.
It’s hard to deliver a successful launch event the first time around, especially when you have other commitments tying you down.
That’s where we come in – our expert PR team work closely with the editors and journalists of leading trade and consumer publications, as well as a host of specialist titles, newspapers and other media.
Your editorial coverage will be targeted, responsive and engaging, with a stream of messages linked to your core brand and goals. The results are proven and often spectacular. As your brand and reputation grow, so do sales and profit margins.
We can dovetail your editorial coverage with other comms, including social media, newsletters, blogs and case studies.
Here’s a taster of what we can offer:
“Dekko has grown from £6m to £20+ over the last 8 years and we simply couldn’t have achieved it without Purplex. Our brand is well recognised and the exposure we get through the press, social media and online consistently puts us in front of good quality prospects.”
Kurt Greatrex - Sales Director, Dekko Window Systems
“I use Purplex Marketing for my company’s PR, digital and creative requirements and have always found them to be diligent, proactive and efficient. They are open to learning in-depth about our products, have a good understanding of our industry and take on board feedback which makes it easy to work with them.”
Charlotte Hawkes - Head of Marketing, Edgetech
“Purplex have really shown their worth since we started working with them and they did a fantastic job on our website. They have helped us increase our brand exposure and delivered consistent results. When it comes to building products, Purplex know the industry and what works, and re-signing back up was an easy decision and one we believe will help us keep pushing forward”
Warren Muschialli - Managing Director, Newton Waterproofing
