Many entrepreneurs don’t know how to write and send a press release, and those in leadership roles in marketing or communications simply don’t have the time. That is where I come in. 

But for those who enjoy learning and doing on their own, I can also help by teaching you the basics. PR 101, so to speak.

If you are the new head of your company’s marketing or communications team, and the PR strategy recently fell in your lap, I can teach you. Or if you have a new junior member on the team who’s charged with PR, I can teach them, too.

I call this service a Media Consult, and in such a session, I teach people everything they need to know about writing a press release and getting it where it needs to go. I discuss what is and isn’t news—what editors do and do not want to hear from you—and I brainstorm topics that would make sense for each businessperson or organization leader.

I’ll also walk you through a sample release, using a topic that makes sense for your business to flesh the release out and complete it. Finally, I’ll pass on the key contact information for some of the region’s editors and teach you how to send your release to them.

Over the years, I have done many media consults with entrepreneurs—mostly small business owners but also with new members of a communications or marketing team—and I’m always proud to see their releases getting picked up in the news in the months that follow. 

Honestly, it’s not a fine science. It’s a logical, formatted process.

After a consult, some clients find that PR work is more than they have the bandwidth for, and they turn back to me to prepare and send their releases anyway. That works, too!

If a Media Consult might help you get noticed more often in the media, please be in touch.

I love sitting in the teacher’s seat as much as I like writing and editing!

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In my partnerships with clients, I strongly recommend they distribute press releases on a regular basis, and, for some, that can mean monthly or bimonthly while for others, the distribution might be quarterly.

The reason you want to be front and center in the media is so that people see and hear your name in the news over and over and over again and begin to connect you with the product or service you provide.

When you are top of mind in the news, you position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.

Although they are not clients of mine, there are two companies I see repeatedly in the media, and if I ever needed their services, they would be my first calls. One business is OMG Roofing Products, and the other is Gove Law Office, operated by Attorney Michael Gove.

I respect these business owners because they care enough about their firms to ensure that people are educated and informed about what they do. That makes me think that the quality of their services would also be good.

I like to develop a PR strategy with clients so that their news rolls out over time and is consistent and methodical. As I said, some do this monthly or bimonthly while others prefer a quarterly distribution.

Sometimes, determining the topic of a press release is easy. Perhaps there is a new employee, leadership team member, or board member. Or maybe the organization has received an award for a particular service or program, which gives us the chance to talk about that service or program, who it serves and how it helps the community.

Sometimes we have to dig deeper for a topic for a press release. I might recommend the organization hold a live—or, these days, virtual—event or workshop or offer a speaker. Events are a great way to raise awareness, and they give the organization a great reason to talk about itself.

In some releases, we are looking at substantive changes a business has experienced over time, perhaps changes that aren’t so obvious. This type of release has been common since the pandemic, as businesses were forced to pivot and reinvent themselves.

Whatever you talk about in the media is key because people don’t know that you are sending the press releases out, and that’s why they are reading about you. People instead think the media has chosen to focus on you; they see editorial content as an endorsement, and that’s far more valuable than paid advertising.

I think you are a thought leader, and I’d be happy to raise your profile. Reach out to me if I can help you brainstorm and strategize!

The post Consistent PR Strategy Keeps You Top of Mind appeared first on Beetle Press.