PR: what is it and how can it help your business?
As one of the most powerful and cost-effective forms of marketing, PR can help you build your brand, reach out to new audiences and even enhance the value of your business. Turquoise specialises in working with B2B companies, in particular those in finance, property and technology.
Build your profile with media coverage
PR or public relations is the practice of communicating with different audiences to build an organisation’s profile or safeguard its reputation. While there are many different ways to do this, in practice the term ‘PR’ has become synonymous with media relations and gaining media coverage is the key focus of most PR campaigns.
There are good reasons for this. Stories and articles in the press (earned media) put your business directly in front of decision makers and can help you target an audience that might otherwise be out of reach. Free editorial coverage is not only more cost-effective but is also more credible than advertisements (paid media) or anything you publish yourself on your website or social media channels (owned media).
Regular media coverage enables you to build a strong presence in the market and become a known and trusted brand. This in turn helps make sales targets more receptive as people are more likely to choose products and services they are familiar with. Indeed, research has shown that the products or services which achieve market dominance are those which have gained the most exposure.
PR helps to position you as an expert in your field and can enable your company to ‘punch above its weight’ in the market. It can help to attract investors and in the longer term, can also boost the value of the business. Many clients Turquoise have worked with have gone on to sell their business and told us its media profile played a key part in enhancing its value and attracting the right buyer.
What media can we aim for and how do we gain coverage?
Most businesses have a wide range of online and print titles they can target, as well as newer channels such as podcasts or newsletters. Typically these will include the trade press for your sector, and the ones your customers will read, as well as general business titles. National newspapers, radio and TV will generally be on the list, though there is greater competition for coverage so it is important to pitch stories in the right way, and some businesses will have international titles they want to target. Don’t overlook regional business magazines as these can have a wide readership.
Remember that size isn’t everything – for companies in niche B2B sectors, there may also be specialist newsletters, influencers or podcasts which have a relatively small audience but reach exactly the right people you are trying to target.
The key to achieving media coverage is giving journalists stories and content they want to publish, and in the right style and format to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. Topics for press releases may include business milestones and achievements – new contract wins, a new product launch, new appointments or business growth – but they can also be focused on a piece of research, a warning about the impact of new legislation or changing industry trends.
The good thing about news stories of this type is that one press release can be sent to all relevant media and achieve multiple items of coverage, making it a very cost-effective way to raise your profile.
There is also a whole range of other PR techniques, such as pitching ideas for articles and opinion pieces, setting up interviews, ‘news jacking’ or commenting on topical issues, placing case studies and arranging briefings.
Beyond media relations
While liaising with the media is central to PR, there are other ways we can help raise your profile.
Social media – Stories and articles developed for the media can also be adapted for use on your own channels, where you can further develop the theme.
Thought leadership – PR can help to position you as a leader in your field. We can help identify opportunities to speak at industry events and exhibitions, take part in round tables, judging panels and media interviews.
Awards – industry awards and accolades are a good way to build credibility. We can help you with the whole process, from identifying opportunities to preparing submissions and have a strong track record in writing winning entries.
